A few pictures for the record

Clockwise from top left: cast photo taken at first dress rehearsal; two of our young men dressed for the first day of races as Ascot; and a small rendering of our set, which has been executed and put into action with resounding success. Opening night was joyful and exciting. It's one weekend down, and four to go! I hope to add to the visual record as the run continues.

Pulses Rushing

With three days until opening, I can say with confidence that this show is going to look gorgeous. Set, costumes, and lighting are the most beautiful I have ever directed. That I have time this morning to sit and compose a word or two about our progress is testament to how well organized and well prepared we are. Not that we haven't worked long and sometimes frustrating hours, especially since our tech load-in officially began on May 10, to get to this point. I am just about ready to let this fledgling spread her wings and fly, and although it is difficult at this point to judge objectively how the show is playing--as entwined in it as I am--I don't hesitate a bit to say that it looks absolutely stunning.

My Fair Lady of the Van

April 24, 2008

Last evening during the rehearsal for the "Embassy Waltz," it became necessary to time some dialogue spoken by Higgins, Pickering, Mrs. Higgins, and the show's villain/buffoon, Zoltan Karpathy, to the accompaniment of underscored music. With the rest of the company hard at work in the fellowship hall learning to waltz as the elegant upperclass socialites they are, we had to find an alternate space to do our task. So, five of us--four actors and I--repaired to the parking lot and piled into my van, and by the glow of the roof lights and to the cheerful strains of Frederick Loewe's waltz on my car stereo, we hunkered down and got the job done. We did have to pause to open the windows after the first couple of times through the material (with all that hot air steaming up the windows). But in spite, or maybe because, of our circumstances, this was one rehearsal I will always remember. I only wish I'd had a video camera to record it, if one could have fit.

Dialect Camp

We have been fortunate to have the services of a truly gifted dialect coach and teacher, to establish the foundation for all the work our actors will be doing in both RP (that's Received Pronunciation or standard British) and Cockney (working-class British) in our show. And in spite of the somewhat tedious nature of learning the International Phonetic Alphabet, and then applying that knowledge to the two dialects, our cast has demonstrated uncommon dedication and focus to the task. With their busy lives outside of My Fair Lady, they all managed to do all the homework, and came to rehearsal prepared and with a fine seriousness of purpose. As a lover of language and dialects myself, I took the course, too, and have learned enormous amounts.

Now that we've got the building blocks for the speech, we have gone forward into music rehearsals, armed and ready to launch the language while learning this amazing music. This has been a wonderful rehearsal process so far, and we are only in week two of our journey!

Auditions

After an exhilarating audition process, we have cast our show, and oh, am I thrilled. Nearly 70 actors attended the open auditions (certainly a record of some sort), and then we heard 27 actors read for 7 roles at an intense three-hour callback. To have so many fine choices made my heart sing (not to mention all the inspiration I got from watching them as they vied for their roles).

Our Henry Higgins is a 48-year-old professionally trained actor with a huge resume, an enormous range, and a beautiful voice (who will actually sing Higgins's many songs), and since he was reading against only one other actor, we really put him through his paces at the callback. When told he'd landed the role, he was exuberant.

Here is a sampling of the responses received to our casting invitations:

Higgins: "YES! with bells on, etc!! . . . I'm thrilled and honored. And can't wait. Yes, I accept the role and commit myself wholeheartedly."

Eliza: "Of course I absolutely accept the role of Eliza! I could not be more thrilled! Thank you so much for this opportunity! When I auditioned I really just wanted to be a part of the show in any way I could, so landing a role like this is way beyond my wildest expectations."

Alfred Doolittle: "Oh Joy and Rapture Unforeseen! I feel happy and humbled to be cast and must admit I've been on pins and needles! I am so grateful for the opportunity and so excited by the cast! . . . . an honor . . . . I'm giddy and bow thanks to you. I was heartened by how organized your auditions were and am thrilled to finally be under your direction. I'm here for the molding and can't wait to start. We'll bring the house down, we will!"

Pickering: "Thanks so much for this great news. I'm delighted to be chosen for the role of Pickering, and accept the role with much gratitude . I look forward to working with you , John, Annie and the others, as we build a strong, tight ensemble of players. It was a nice surprise, especially not expecting the results until this weekend. I come to this role without a lot of preconceived notions of it, so I am completely open to your creative approach to him."

Mrs. Higgins: "Of course I accept - I'm thrilled to be in the show with you! . . . . I'm yours, heart, body and soul. Again, I'm thrilled. Thank you so much . . . . I won't let you down!"

Mrs. Pearce: "A resounding YES . . . WOO HOO!! . . . agog and speechless ... [will] give it 110%!"

Our whole talented and dedicated production team is quite giddy about the cast we've assembled. I can scarcely believe I finally have the chance to direct this amazing show with a cast that exceeds anything I ever dared to hope.