The musical My Fair Lady opens tonight at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta, starring Maxine Aquilina in the iconic role of Eliza Doolittle that was made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the 1964 film of the same name.
“Producing My Fair Lady has been a dream of mine for some time,” said Edward Mercieca, co-founder of FM Theatre Productions, who will also be taking on the role of Col. Pickering.
“It is an incredible show, with some of the most famous musical numbers of all time and a wonderful storyline to boot.”
My Fair Lady includes memorable songs such as Get Me To The Church On Time, I Could Have Danced All Night and Wouldn’t It Be Loverly. The storyline tells of Henry Higgins (played by Antony Edrige), a professor of phonetics who encounters Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, one cold March night in Covent Garden market. He declares to his friend Pickering that, in three months, he could transform Eliza into a duchess.
Director Denise Mulholland is also thrilled to be working on the piece as it is a favourite of hers.
“At the heart of this show – which is based on the original play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw – is class,” she said.
“Social class forms the very essence of the story. I hope I have remained true to the author’s original intent by bringing out the message behind the piece, while remembering that it is a high-energy, fun musical that must be honoured too. Finding the balance is the most important thing.”
“The big ensemble numbers are fantastic,” she added.
I think the results will be quite magical
“The dance break in Get Me To The Church On Time makes me want to be in it. But, equally, the spoken scenes between just two of the characters are so full of wit and colour, and have such expressive and intelligent use of language, that they have their own merits too.
“I think the results will be quite magical.”
My Fair Lady is being staged at the Mediterranean Conference Centre tonight, tomorrow, Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.
Tickets are available on www.mcc.com.mt.
