Elizabeth Stanley to Play 'Eliza' in Pioneer Theatre's 'My Fair Lady'

Pioneer Theatre will present "My Fair Lady," the classic tale about a draggle-tailed guttersnipe who learns to talk like a lady.

Originally produced on Broadway in 1956, "My Fair Lady" is Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe's most popular musical collaboration, earning nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Three subsequent Broadway revivals have ensured "My Fair Lady's" place in history as one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, "My Fair Lady" tells the story  of Professor Henry Higgins, a curmudgeonly bachelor who makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can pass off a simple Cockney flower girl  as a refined society lady by teaching her how to speak with a desirable upper  class accent and imparting proper etiquette.

""My Fair Lady" is as close to a perfect musical as there is in this world," says  PTC Artistic Director Charles Morey. "From its brilliant source material - Shaw's  Pygmalion - to the best score and libretto ever written by Lerner and Loewe, to its audience-pleasing mingling of romance with witty social commentary, "My  Fair Lady" is the rarest of combinations: a classic that's fun to produce and a  joy to watch."

PTC's production features Broadway's Elizabeth Stanley as Eliza Doolittle. Ms.  Stanley has been recently seen on Broadway in the original cast of the Tony Award-winning revival of Company, and starred in Cry-Baby. She returns to PTC where she starred as Belle in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast." She toured  the country as Fraulein Kost in the National Tour of "Cabaret" and after "My Fair Lady," Ms. Stanley will be launching the National Tour of "Xanadu" this fall in the  lead role of Kira.

Paul DeBoy returns to PTC as Professor Higgins, having been here last in 2004's Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." In New York, Mr. DeBoy has been seen in "Eurydice" for Second Stage, "Patriot Acts" for SoHo Playhouse, "He and She" for The Actor's Company Theatre, and as Nick in "Sight Unseen" for The Manhattan Theatre Club.

Acting veteran Jeff Brooks is Eliza's roguish and opportunistic father, Alfred  Doolittle. Mr. Brooks originated on Broadway the roles of Phil in "Loose Ends"  with Kevin Kline, the Bellhop in "Lend Me a Tenor" and Spider Malloy in "Nick  and Nora." His other Broadway roles include Pastey in "Gypsy" with Tyne Daly,  Nathan Detroit in the 1992 revival of "Guys and Dolls," and Cogsworth in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast."

PTC favorite Max Robinson plays Colonel Pickering.

Local Equity actors Barbara Broughton and Margaret Powell play Higgins' mother, Mrs. Higgins and his maid, Mrs. Pearce, respectively. Jeremiah Miller returns as Freddie Eynsford-Hill, last having appeared on PTC's stage as  Marius in "Les Mis�rables."
 
Appearing in the ensemble are Equity actors Teresa Bramwell, Eric Lee Brotherton, Mary Fanning Driggs, Emilee Dupr�, Steven Fehr, Kent Harrison Hayes, Justin Ivie, Mike Kirsch, Anne Stewart Mark, Katheryn Patton, Aaron Lloyd Pomeroy and Todd Thurston.

Completing the cast are Britney Dean, Gwen De Veer, Erin Fair, Emily Moffat, Jeff Pew, William Richardson and Rhett Richins.

Director Charles Morey has been the artistic director for PTC since 1984. A fellow of the MacDowell Colony, Morey is an accomplished director as well as playwright.

Patti D'Beck will be providing the choreography for the production, her 12th at  PTC. D'Beck most recently choreographed The Producers at PTC last spring and "Paint Your Wagon" last fall. Her Broadway credits include Assistant Choreographer for "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Bernadette peters and later Reba McEntire, "Bells Are Ringing," "Grease!" and "The Will Rogers Follies."

Larry Goldberg will be the musical director and conductor for the performance,  a position he filled in PTC's "The Producers." Mr. Goldberg's credits include  Musical Direction for the National Tours of "The Producers," "Les Mis�rables,"  "Sunset Boulevard," and "Cats." His Broadway credits include "The Drowsy Chaperone," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Carousel" (as Conductor).

Set design is by PTC resident scenic designer George Maxwell. Maxwell designed last season's "The Producers," "The Foreigner" and the world premiere of "Paint Your Wagon." He also designed "Death of a Salesman" for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Susan Branch returns to PTC as costume designer after last season's spectacular "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Ms. Branch designed for PTC's "Chicago," "Julius Caesar," and "Disney's Beauty and the Beast." Other regional  engagements include Utah Shakespearean Festival, Denver Center Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and numerous theatres in her home city, Austin, Texas.

Lighting Designer Phil Monat designed last season's "Paint Your Wagon" forPTC. He has designed over 400 productions in regional theatres throughout the country, including productions at The Old Globe in San Diego, The Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Arizona Theatre Co., La Jolla Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. His recent Off-Broadway design for "Woman Before A Glass" won an Obie Award.

Joe Payne provides sound design for the production. Payne has designed sound and/or composed music for more than 100 productions in theatres throughout the country, including The Utah Shakespearean Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Salt Lake Shakespeare, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati  Playhouse In The Park, The Virginia Stage Company, The Egyptian Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Utah Opera, The Fulton Opera House and Utah Musical Theatre. He is the resident sound designer for PTC.

Designing hair and makeup is resident designer Amanda French.  French has worked for The Utah Shakespearean Festival, The Utah Opera, The Egyptian Theatre and the University of Texas at Austin. She is a contributing writer in the  ninth edition of Stage Makeup by Richard Corson and James Glavan and her work can also be seen in "The Costume Technician's Handbook" by Rosemary Ingham and Liz Covey. She attended the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where she studied with Hair and Makeup designer Lenna  Kaleva.

Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah's premiere resident professional theatre performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus, at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, and easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is available  and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.

For more information please visit www.pioneertheatre.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.