In its 12th summer season, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre will present Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, opening in the University of Central Arkansas’s Reynolds Performance Hall on June 15 and running through July 7.
AST’s Producing Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet will direct the multiple Tony Award-winning musical that premiered in 1956. This intimate new production will feature an all Arkansas-native production team, including Robert Frost as music director.
A musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl who wants to transform her status by changing the way she speaks, and so she goes to curmudgeonly speech professor Henry Higgins for assistance. AST’s production will feature New York City-based actress Gabriella Pérez (seen last year as Marian the Librarian in The Music Man) as Eliza, with AST newcomer Thom Miller as Henry Higgins.
“I am absolutely loving exploring Henry Higgins: what drives him, inspires him, incites him,” Miller said. “It is such an iconic role, and the challenge of finding the humanity of him (and my way into him) is a thrilling experience and a joyful challenge. It’s especially important, I think, at this time in our history to look at what happens to Higgins throughout the play. Does he change Eliza? Of course. Does she change him? Absolutely.”
Miller will also take on the title role in Henry IV, Part One. Robert Quinlan, who will return to direct Henry IV, Part I this summer, will make his debut as an AST actor as Colonel Pickering.
This will mark Scallet’s first time to direct an AST musical.
“My Fair Lady is a perfect fit,” she said. “The script retains so much of Shaw’s original language, along with Lerner and Loewe’s glorious songs — I’m thrilled to be able to bring it to life for Arkansas audiences.”
Tickets are $32 per person ($25 for seniors/active military/students). Two-play packages for Henry IV, Part One and My Fair Lady are also available for $45.
There is no reserved seating for any performance in Reynolds. Those requiring special accommodations such as wheelchair seating are encouraged to contact AST at contact@arkshakes.com or 501-852-0702 to make advance arrangements.
AST’s complete summer season, which will run through July 8, also includes Henry VI, Part I, and a family Shakespeare adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, all of which will be performed in Reynolds Performance Hall, as well as The Winter’s Tale on the lawn of McAlister Hall. For tickets, schedule and more information, visit arkshakes.com or call 866-810-0012.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is proud to be a part of the University of Central Arkansas and is grateful for the continued support and sponsorship of the following UCA entities: Office of the President, College of Fine Arts and Communication and Department of Film, Theatre and Creative Writing.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Music, and Film, Theatre and Creative Writing, as well as the School of Communication. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators, and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call 501-450-3293.
Full performance schedule of My Fair Lady:
Friday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 16, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 24, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, June 27, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 1, 2 & 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 3, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 4, 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 7, 2 & 7:30 p.m.
