East Kilbride Light Opera Club - My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady - 1974

Index

History

My Fair Lady

cover of programme On a cold March night near the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Professor Henry Higgins, a middle-aged bachelor, who is England's leading phoneticist, in the company of Colonel Pickering, a linguistic expert, encounters Eliza Doolittle, a little Cockney gutter sparrow. Eliza is selling violets. Higgins is on an endless quest after new varieties of London's speech. Eliza comes to Higgins' flat to be instructed in the English language and Pickering challenges Higgins to transform the guttersnipe into a lady. The challenge is accepted and Higgins drills Eliza for weeks. Progress is slow and Higgins loses his temper. Eventually the pupil improves and together they proclaim her in "The Rain in Spain."

In the flush of his success, Higgins resolves to put Eliza to a preliminary test. He takes her to the Ascot race meeting to meet his mother's snobbish guests. She makes her debut in exquisite gown and although instructed to restrict her conversation to the weather and everyone's health, her enthusiasm compels her to give vent to her feelings against the horse she has backed.

Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a handsome young aristocrat, falls hopelessly in love with Eliza. Six weeks later Higgins presents Eliza at the Embassy Ball. She looks magnificent and, with her flawless English, is the object of admiration and everyone speculates on her identity.

Pickering and Higgins back at the flat give themselves over to an orgy of self-congratulation and neither of them takes into account Eliza's own personal accomplishment in the matter. Eliza blows up at their attitude and demands recognition. Professor Higgins is astonished and Eliza, infuriated, storms out of the house. She meets Freddy and turns her fury on him. While walking the streets, she meets her father, Alfred P. Doolittle, drunk and dressed for a fashionable wedding. He has become wealthy and Eliza's step-mother is marrying him at last.

Higgins realises he is hurt at Eliza's leaving and meets her at his mother's flat where she has gone for advice. They have an argument and Eliza storms out. No sooner has she left when it dawns on Higgins that Eliza has become an entirely independent and admirable human being and he realises that he will have a difficult time getting on without her. He returns to his flat, sinks into his chair and prepares to face a lonely future. Just then—a moment before the curtain falls - a figure emerges from the shadowy corner of the room and Higgins recognises Eliza. He leans back with a long contented sigh and speaks: "Eliza - where the devil are my slippers?"

My Fair Lady - 1974
by arrangement with Evans Plays & Stage Musicals of New York

Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe

Production Team
Producer - Jack Tait
Musical Director - S. Gordon Lang
Choreographer - Douglas Gray

Characters in order of appearance
Eliza Doolittle - Nan Tait
Mrs. Eynsford-Hill - Elaine Anderson
Freddy Enysford-Hill - Bill Walker
Colonel Pickering - Denis Hannigan
Henry Higgins - James Barr
Harry - Robert McCrae
Jamie - Martin Shelley
Alfred P. Doolittle - David Hughes
Mrs. Pearce - Betty Roberts
Mrs. Hopkins - Rhona Blair
Butler - Duncan McKinnon
Servants - Elizabeth Drennan, Rona MacGregor, Barbara McElroy, Rita Hindle, Alistair Currie, James Caullay
Mrs. Higgins - Ann Struthers
Lord Boxington - Tom Borland
Lady Boxington - Elizabeth Rennie
Zoltan Karpathy - Martin Shelley
Queen of Transylvania - Aileen Finlay

Ladies of the Chorus
Aileen Brookens, Frances Doyle, Maureen Doyle, Brenda Doyle, Elizabeth Struthers, Margaret Strain, Sheena Tram, Sheena Brough, Elizabeth Crichton, Enid King, Alison Love, Carol Love.

Dancers
Lenora Falsey, Helen Craig, Sandra Goodfellow, Morag Fraser, Dorothy Hornall, Ann Plenderleith.

Gentlemen of the Chorus
Brian Gillespie, Gordon Hughes, Bill Roberts, Bill Taggart, Jack Allan, Bert Blair, Stuart Chalmers, Tom McArdle, Colin Thomas, John Cameron, Bob Dunbar, Bill Struthers, James Caullay, Alistair Currie.

Stage manager - David Waters
Club Accompanist - Nan McKechnie, David Lang
Property Master - Jack McElroy
Wardrobe Mistress - Edna Porter
Lighting - David Roberts
Make-Up - Jean Waters
Leader of Orchestra - Andrew Wilson
Prompter - Irene Roberts

Hon. President - Alex McWilliam
President - David Hughes
Vice-President - William Struthers
Secretary - Alistair Currie
Treasurer - Nancy Hughes
Committee - Elaine Anderson, Elizabeth Struthers, Denis Hannigan, Bill Roberts, Rita Hindle, David Waters

Synopsis of Scenes

The place is London. The time 1912

Act I
Scene 1. Outside the Opera House, Covent Garden-A cold March night
Scene 2, A Tenement Section, Tottenham Court Road—Immediately following
Scene 3. Higgins' Study—The following morning
Scene 4. A Tenement Section. Tottenham Court Road—Three days later
Scene 5. Higgins' Study—Eater that day
Scene 6. Near the Race Meeting, Ascot—A July afternoon
Scene 7. Inside a Club Tent. Ascot—Immediately following
Scene 8. Outside Higgins' House, Wimpole Street—Later that afternoon
Scene 9, Higgins' Study - Six weeks later
Scene 10. The Promenade of the Embassy—Later that night
Scene 11. The Ballroom of the Embassy—Immediately following

Act II
Scene 1. Higgins' Study-3 o'clock the following morning
Scene 2. Outside Higgins' House, Wimpole Street—Immediately following
Scene 3. Flower Market of Covent Garden—5 o'clock that morning
Scene 4. Upstairs Hall of Higgins' House—11 o'clock that morning
Scene 5. The Conservatory of Mrs. Higgins' House—Later that day
Scene 6. Higgins' Study—Immediately following

Musical Synopsis

Act I
Overture and Opening Scene
"Why Can't the English?" - Higgins
"Wouldn't tt Be Loverly?" - Eliza and Male Chorus
"With a Little Bit of Luck" - Doolittle, Jamie and Harry
"I'm an Ordinary Man" - Higgins
Reprise -"With a Little Bit of Luck" - Doolittle and Chorus
"Just You Wait" - Eliza
"Poor Professor Higgins" - Servants
"The Rain. in Spain" - Eliza, Higgins and Pickering
"I Could Have Danced All Night" - Eliza, with Maids and Mrs. Pearce
"Ascot Gavotte" - Ensemble
"On the Street Where You Live" - Freddy
The Embassy Waltz - Ensemble

Act II
Entr'acte
"You Did It" - Higgins, Pickering and Servants
Reprise-"Just You Wait" - Eliza
Reprise - "On the Street Where You Live" - Freddy
"Show Me" - Eliza and Freddy
Reprise—"Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" - Eliza and Chorus
"Get Me to the Church on Time" - Doolittle, Dancers and Chorus
"A Hymn to Him" - Higgins
"Without You" - Eliza
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" - Higgins

Performance Details
25th February - 2nd March 1974
Duncanrig Secondary School,
East Kilbride

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