13 minute read
My Fair Lady
BARTLETT SHER REINVENTS A CLASSIC IN
MY FAIR LADY
BY JOANNE OSTROW
MMy Fair Lady, a famously sumptuous spectacle overflowing with a long list of favorite songs, has been called the perfect musical. The Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe original ran on Broadway starting in 1956, setting records for the longest Broadway run at the time. The 1964 movie adaptation likewise became a classic, with Rex Harrison putting a defining stamp on the role of Henry Higgins, the stodgy professor who remakes a poor flower seller into a lady, on a dare, by cleaning her up and teaching her proper elocution. He then more or less falls for her — or at least grows accustomed to her face. A slew of romantic comedies from Pretty Woman to Miss Congeniality have cashed in on this magic makeover formula ever since. But this revival isn’t a nostalgic replay of a frothy film or theater piece. It represents an effort to make this lovely fantasy more relevant to modern sensibilities. The revival by director Bartlett Sher aims to fashion My Fair
Lady as less rom-com, more social critique. “It is helpful to look at the original source material,” Sher said in a telephone interview ahead of the Lincoln Center Theater production’s national tour arrival in Denver. After all, he said, “Shaw was a radical socialist writer, very interested in the suffragette movement, hanging out with Sylvia Pankhurst and a part of a lot of new thinking about women in society.” The themes of the piece are class divisions and the constraints put on women. With an outlook that can be considered quite progressive for his time, Shaw devised the plot of Pygmalion to test the idea of upward mobility in a culture defined by strict social class distinctions and misogyny. Spoiler alert: The ending has been altered to evoke Shaw’s clearly feminist, not so romantic intention. To understand how he arrived at this new take, Sher said, you have to know the history. Of course My Fair Lady is based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, written in 1911 with the suffragettes in mind. “Shaw was quite the radical thinker, heavily influenced by Ibsen and A Doll’s House. He was dead set against the idea of romantic comedy,” Sher said. In 1938, a movie starring Leslie Howard was produced, written by Shaw from his Pygmalion. “But the studio was unhappy with the ending. They took the screenplay away from him and demanded a reshoot.” Cue the first steps toward a rom-com crowd pleaser. Some 20 years later, the musical theater got the rights to the early movie and “kept the happy ending,” suggesting the pair get together in the end. “By the time I got to it,” Sher said, “I reinstated a sense of the original ending.” In this production, Henry Higgins does not sculpt Eliza Dolittle into his idea of a proper lady; rather, Eliza uses her bravery and pluck to imagine a better life for herself. At the close, this Eliza does not run to Higgins in a suggestion of happy-ever-after coupledom, but instead finds the strength to turn away and face her future, solo.
— BARTLETT SHER, DIRECTOR
Sher sees the relationship between Eliza and Higgins as “profound and close but not romantic.” Shaw’s intention, Sher said, was to write the opposite of a romantic comedy. Younger, more openminded theatergoers may cheer when Eliza stands up to the arrogant, narcissistic Prof. Higgins. Older, perhaps more nostalgic fans of the Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn versions may be stunned. But Sher is resolute. “The purpose of a revival is not to make people happy, but to provoke discussion.” His work has been hailed a success to the tune of 10 Tony nominations. The show’s musical numbers are here in all their glory — from “I Could Have Danced All Night” to “On the Street Where You Live” to “The Rain in Spain.” The glamour is intact. But the tale exits on a note that pays allegiance more to Shaw than to Lerner. Classic works like My Fair Lady are “very much of their time and require investigation and rethinking,” Sher said, noting that Shaw also struggled with the ending in his day. The idea, according to the director, is that “these are living texts.” Sher is known for successfully reinterpreting and reworking such classics as South Pacific and The King and I, both of which contain troubling and outdated racial elements. With My Fair Lady, he’s made a classic from a classic for our more egalitarian era but, he asks, “Who knows, 20 years from now…?” Lerner picks up from Shaw, Sher picks up from Lerner, but who picks up from Sher?
My Fair Lady . Photos by Joan Marcus. Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”) and Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom Robinson”). Photo by Julieta Cervantes
ALL RISE FOR
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, To Kill a Mockingbird, is much beloved...a story of race, prejudice, and courage well-known throughout the United States. Academy and Emmy Award-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, “The West Wing”) has adapted this bestseller and given us a new play for our times. The verdict? A smash success on Broadway now coming to Denver. Adapting a classic is no easy feat, but the stage version of To Kill a Mockingbird achieves the unimaginable. Two exceptional storytellers, Harper Lee and Aaron Sorkin, have come together with magical results. New York Magazine calls it “a real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, it’s filled with breath and nuance and soul.” The star-studded production, directed by Tony Award-winning Bartlett Sher (South Pacific), features Emmy Award-winning Richard Thomas (“The Waltons”) as Atticus Finch. Audiences will also see Mary Badham, who played Scout Finch in the 1962 feature film, in the role of Mrs. Henry Dubose. Witness this courtroom drama at The Buell Theatre from January 24 through February 5. You won’t want to miss “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR).
MY FAIR LADY
NOV 15 – 27 • BUELL THEATRE
ASL interpreted, audio-described and open captioned performance: Nov 27 at 2pm
BROADWAY SHOWS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR SEASON
Finish your 2022 with flair and treat your loved ones to an unforgettable experience in the new year! Make a return trip to the theatre and catch your favorite shows, live and up close. Whether you’re searching for the perfect gift for the person who has everything, or you’re inclined to treat yourself, we’ve got options for everyone!
DEC 10 & 11, 2022
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE GIVE THE GIFT OF THEATRE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
SEASON SPONSOR
Chris Coleman, Artistic Director Charles Varin, Managing Director
present
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
BY Charles Dickens ADAPTED BY Richard Hellesen MUSIC BY David De Berry
With Brian Bohlender*, Landon Tate Boyle, Vi Dang, Sydney D’Angelo, Seth Dhonau*, Jacob Dresch*, Jess D’Souza, Evan Duncan, Topher Embrey*, Brooks Garvey, Shabazz Green*, Victoria Hector, Christopher Hudson, Sheila Jones*, Stella Kim*, Ronan Marvin, Timothy McCracken*, Chloe McLeod, Susannah McLeod, Constantine Pappas*, Christian Ray Robinson, Marco Robinson*, Aidan Sakich, Michael Santo*, Felix Torrez-Ponce*, Logan Turner, Lucas Turner, Emily Van Fleet*, Rebbekah Vega-Romero*, Justin Walvoord*, Erin Willis* Stage Managers: Martinique M. Barthel*, Nick Nyquist*, Malia Stoner*
THE WOLF THEATRE • NOV 18 – DEC 24, 2022
SCENIC DESIGN BY
Vicki Smith
COSTUME DESIGN BY
Kevin Copenhaver
LIGHTING DESIGN BY
Wen-Ling Liao
SOUND DESIGN BY
Melanie Chen Cole
ORCHESTRATION BY Gregg Coffin
VOICE AND DIALECT BY
Jeffrey Parker
MUSIC DIRECTION BY
Darius Frowner
CHOREOGRAPHY BY
Grady Soapes
CASTING BY
Grady Soapes, CSA
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT BY
Matthew Campbell
DIRECTED BY ANTHONY POWELL
The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.
SEASON SPONSORS
A CHRISTMAS CAROL CAST
Street Singer............................................................................ERIN WILLIS* Ebenezer Scrooge ......................................................MICHAEL SANTO* Bob Cratchit......................................................TIMOTHY MCCRACKEN* Fred / Scrooge’s Nephew...........................................SETH DHONAU* Subscription Gentlemen........................................SHABAZZ GREEN*, CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*
A Beggar Child.........................................................SYDNEY D’ANGELO Ghost of Jacob Marley................................................JACOB DRESCH* Ghost of Christmas Past.....................................................STELLA KIM*
Schoolmaster ...............................................................TOPHER EMBREY*
Schoolboys.................................................................SYDNEY D’ANGELO, EVAN DUNCAN, AIDAN SAKICH, LOGAN TURNER, LUCAS TURNER Ebenezer the Child.................................................... BROOKS GARVEY
Fan....................................................................................VICTORIA HECTOR
Ebenezer the Young Man...................................MARCO ROBINSON* Dick Wilkins......................................................CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*
Fezziwig......................................................................... SHABAZZ GREEN* Mrs. Fezziwig...............................................................EMILY VAN FLEET* A Fiddler..............................................................................SETH DHONAU*
Fezziwig Daughters .......................................................SHEILA JONES*, REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO*, ERIN WILLIS* Their Suitors............................................................BRIAN BOHLENDER*, FELIX TORREZ-PONCE*, CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON Belle......................................................................................CHLOE MCLEOD
Belle’s Husband...........................................................TOPHER EMBREY* Ghost of Christmas Present ..................................TOPHER EMBREY*
Mrs. Cratchit........................................................................ JESS D’SOUZA*
Martha Cratchit..................................... REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO*
Peter Cratchit................................................... FELIX TORREZ-PONCE*
Belinda Cratchit................................................................. EVAN DUNCAN
Edward Cratchit................................................................. AIDAN SAKICH
Tiny Tim ..............................................................................LOGAN TURNER Fred’s Wife ..........................................................................SHEILA JONES*
Topper..........................................................CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON The Wife’s Sister.............................................................CHLOE MCLEOD
Fred’s Party Guests................................................JACOB R. DRESCH*, ERIN WILLIS* Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come...................MARCO ROBINSON*
Want..............................................................................SYDNEY D’ANGELO
Ignorance ....................................................................... BROOKS GARVEY Old Joe........................................................................... SHABAZZ GREEN*
The Undertaker’s Man.................................CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*
The Laundress....................................................................SHEILA JONES*
The Charwoman.........................................................EMILY VAN FLEET*
Debtors......................................................................BRIAN BOHLENDER*, STELLA KIM*
Boy in the Street..............................................................LUCAS TURNER
ENSEMBLE
Laborer, Londoners, Carolers, Fezziwig Party Guests, Phantoms, Parents and Maids BRIAN BOHLENDER*, SYDNEY D’ANGELO, SETH DHONAU*, JACOB DRESCH*, JESS D’SOUZA*, EVAN DUNCAN, TOPHER EMBREY*, BROOKS GARVEY, SHABAZZ GREEN*, VICTORIA HECTOR, SHEILA JONES*, STELLA KIM*, RONAN MARVIN, TIMOTHY MCCRACKEN*, CHLOE MCLEOD, CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*, CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON, MARCO ROBINSON*, AIDAN SAKICH, MICHAEL SANTO*, FELIX TORREZ-PONCE*, LOGAN TURNER, LUCAS TURNER, EMILY VAN FLEET*, REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO*, ERIN WILLIS*
UNDERSTUDIES
Understudies never substitute for the listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance. JUSTIN WALVOORD* (Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley); JACOB DRESCH*, MARCO ROBINSON* (Bob Cratchit); LANDON TATE BOYLE, FELIX TORREZ-PONCE* (Subscription Gentleman, Dick Wilkins/Undertaker’s Man); TOPHER EMBREY*, CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON (Subscription Gentleman, Mr. Fezziwig, Old Joe); BRIAN BOHLENDER*, CHRISTOPHER HUDSON (Fred/ Fiddler); SETH DHONAU*, SHABAZZ GREEN* (Ghost of Christmas Past, Schoolmaster, Belle’s Husband); LANDON TATE BOYLE, CHRISTOPHER HUDSON (Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Young Ebenezer, Peter Cratchit, Debtor); CHLOE MCLEOD, SUSANNAH MCLEOD (Street Singer, Fezziwig Daughter); SHEILA JONES*, STELLA KIM* (Mrs. Cratchit); SUSANNAH MCLEOD, ERIN WILLIS* (Ghost of Christmas Past, Debtor); VI DANG (Martha Cratchit, Fezziwig Daughter); EVAN DUNCAN (Martha Cratchit, Fan); VI DANG, REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO* (Belle, Older Belle, Wife’s Sister); VI DANG, SUSANNAH MCLEOD (Charwoman, Mrs. Fezziwig, Laundress, Fezziwig Daughter, Fred’s Wife); SYDNEY D’ANGELO (Belinda Cratchit/Tiny Tim); VICTORIA HECTOR (Want, Belinda Cratchit); RONAN MARVIN (Schoolboy, Peter Cratchit, Boy in the Street, Edward Cratchit, Beggar Child); AIDAN SAKICH (Ebenezer the Child, Ignorance, Tiny Tim); LUCAS TURNER (Edward Cratchit, Beggar Child, Ignorance)
SETTING London, 1840s
There will be one 15-minute intermission.
Stage Managers.......................................................................................... Martinique M. Barthel*, Nick Nyquist*, Malia Stoner* Stage Management Apprentices.................................................................................................. Angela Salazar, Lorna Stephens Youth Performer Supervisor........................................................................................................................Grace Knight, Flynn Zook Dance Captain ...................................................................................................................................................................Landon Tate Boyle Fight and Intimacy Consultant......................................................................................................................................... Samantha Egle
ACTING COMPANY
BRIAN BOHLENDER
(Suitor/Debtor). At the DCPA: The Other Josh Cohen. Other credits include: Hair (Miners Alley Playhouse); Three Musketeers (Davis Shakespeare Festival); Trevor (Big Idea Festival). Training: Utah State University BFA, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.
LANDON TATE
BOYLE (Understudy) (He/Him/His). At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol. Other credits include: Henry VI: Parts 1-3, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Big River, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime (Utah Shakespeare Festival); All is Calm (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Kinky Boots (Arvada Center); Two Gentleman of Verona, The Book of Will (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Repertory Theatre St. Louis); Romeo and Juliet (Redhouse Arts Center); The Wizard of Oz (Syracuse Stage); Tempest (Secret Theatre NYC). He holds a B.F.A. in Acting from the Sargent Conservatory at Webster University and has trained in corporeal mime and contortion.
VI DANG
(Understudy) (They/ She) is so grateful to be part of this Denver holiday tradition and to be making her DCPA debut! Previous credits include: Hair, RENT, and Akeelah & the Bee (UNC). Her goal is to spread non-binary/trans representation and narratives in the artform. She is a recent UNC graduate and is excited to share this festive story with you. Happy holidays! @vi.v.dang
SYDNEY D’ANGELO
(Beggar Child/School Boy/Want). DCPA debut! Sydney is a 6th grader at the Logan School for Creative Learning. She is a singer/ songwriter on ukulele and guitar, and enjoys art, soccer, fencing, aerial arts and performing. Various productions with: The Logan School, RMTK, Colorado Children’s Theatre, Colorado Children’s Chorale and The Colorado Film School. Favorite roles include: JoJo in Seussical and Ursula in The Little Mermaid.
SETH DHONAU
(Fred/The Fiddler). At the DCPA: The Other Josh Cohen, Wild Fire, Twelfth Night, Xanadu, First Date. Regional credits include: Million Dollar Quartet, Bright Star (Arvada Center); As You Like It, Love’s Labour’s Lost, King Charles III, Cyrano de Bergerac (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); and Shakespeare in Love (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center). Training: Northwestern University.
JACOB DRESCH
(Jacob Marley). Credits Include: The School for Scandal (Off-Broadway/Red Bull Theater); Lend Me a Tenor, The Foreigner, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Shakespeare in Love, The Great Gatsby, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Twelfth Night (Orlando Shakespeare Theater); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Pericles, The Odyssey, The Book of Will, The Alchemist (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); It’s A Wonderful Life (2021 Henry Award Winner for Outstanding Actor), The Importance of Being Earnest, and Rumors (Breckenridge Backstage Theater). Training: B.A., DeSales University. M.F.A., University of California, Irvine. www.jacobdresch.com
JESS D’SOUZA (Mrs. Cratchit) (She/Her/ Hers) hails from Sydney, Australia and is thrilled to be making her US regional theatre debut with DCPA and exploring the beautiful city of Denver at Christmas. Broadway Workshops: Come Fall in Love. New York Theatre: The Voices of Australia Cabaret. Select Australian Theatre: Flipside, The H Team (Brainstorm Productions); You Will Be Found (K Productions); The Island of Doctor Moron (Island Grunt Ltd); Songs of the Northern River, Everything’s Coming Up Sondheim, Orlando, On the Town, and Morning Melodies. Australian TV: “The Morning Show,” “The Footy Show,” “X Factor, Life,” “Camera, Awkward!.” Education: BFA (Music Theatre) - Victorian College of the Arts, Professional Semester BDC NYC.
EVAN DUNCAN
(Belinda Cratchit/ School Boy) (She/ Her/Hers) is passionate about singing and theatre. Evan was recently awarded the prestigious 2022 Henry Award for Outstanding Youth Performer for her role as Little Ti Moune in the Town Hall Arts Center production of Once On This Island. Evan has played the roles of Annie and Grimhilda in productions of Annie and Descendants 3, and she has also performed at the Gershwin Theater in New York City in the Arts for Autism concert, the iconic Bluebird Theater, and the Newman Center. When Evan is not acting, singing, or dancing, she can be found sketching her own clothing designs.
TOPHER EMBREY
(Ghost of Christmas Present/ Schoolmaster/Belle’s Husband) (He/Him/ His). Regional credits: Coriolanus and All’s Well That Ends Well (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); The Liar and Animal Farm (Arvada Center); Twelfth Night (Nashville Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (Red Bull Theater); The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, Sense and Sensibility (American Shakespeare Center); The Lost Colony (Waterside Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher, Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest, and Pericles (Orlando Shakespeare Festival); The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar, and Richard III (Virginia Shakespeare Festival). Training: BFA in Performing Arts; Christopher Newport University.
