Arena Stage Announces MY FAIR LADY Cast: Benedict Campbell, Nicholas Rodriguez and More

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for My Fair Lady, directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith.

Her fresh reinterpretation of My Fair Lady broke box office records at the prestigious Shaw Festival in Canada last summer. Smith has reassembled most of the design team from that acclaimed production along with noted Canadian actor and Shaw company member Benedict Campbell as Professor Henry Higgins to join Arena favorite Nicholas Rodriguez (Oklahoma!) as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Manna Nichols as Eliza Doolittle in her Arena Stage debut. The production also features local husband/wife duo Thomas Adrian Simpson as Colonel Pickering and Sherri L. Edelen as Mrs. Pearce, as well as Catherine Flye as Mrs. Higgins, Benjamin L. Horen as Zoltan Karpathy and James Saito as Alfred Doolittle.

Based on Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, My Fair Lady includes book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. My Fair Lady runs November 2, 2012-January 6, 2013 in the Fichandler Stage.

“It is a real joy to work on this giant of a musical at Arena with its story about class and the rigid social structures which challenge us,” shares Smith. “Introducing the brilliant Ben Campbell to our audience and this wonderful company of actors is a particular pleasure.”

She continues, “Higgins and Eliza embark on a journey as treacherous and dangerous as anyone can ever take—the transformation of human beings through the mind and heart. It is a universal journey, and our stage world reflects London in 1912 with a dynamic mix of races and types—vibrant and cross cultural.”

Additional cast members of My Fair Lady include D.C.-natives Rayanne Gonzales as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill and Kurt Boehm as Jamie, with Ronald Duncan as Harry. The ensemble also includes Bev Appleton, Lucia Daisog, Dean Andre De Luna, Erin Driscoll, Jennifer Irons, Adam Jepsen, Robert Mintz, Jesse Palmer, Jobari Parker-Namdar, Joe Peck, Sade Simmons, Kim Willes and Hannah Willman, with swings Jessica Hartman and Victor J. Wisehart.

Director Molly Smith reunites with her originAl Shaw Festival creative team members Choreographer Daniel Pelzig, Musical Director Paul Sportelli, Costume Designer Judith Bowden and Lighting Designer Jock Munro. The Creative Team for My Fair Lady also features Set Designer Donald Eastman, Wig Designer Anne Nesmith, Dialect Coach Kim James Bey, Assistant Choreographer Melanie Phillipson, Assistant Music Director Jose C. Simbulan, Artistic Associate and Casting Director Daniel Pruksarnukul, Dramaturg Amrita Ramanan, Stage Manager Susan R. White, Assistant Stage Manager Christi B. Spann and Artistic Producer David Snider, with New York casting by Stuart Howard & Paul Hardt.