Helen Anker and Jeff McCarthy Lead Guthrie's MY FAIR LADY, Opening Tonight

The Guthrie Theater presents My Fair Lady, the hummable, quotable, utterly enjoyable musical for the whole family. Playing for the first time at the Guthrie, under the direction of Joe Dowling, My Fair Lady will feature Helen Anker as Eliza Doolittle, Tony Sheldon as Colonel Pickering, Donald Corren as Alfred P. Doolittle - all in their Guthrie debuts - and Jeff McCarthy as Professor Henry Higgins. Performances began on the Wurtele Thrust Stage on Saturday, June 28, with an opening slated for tonight, July 4, 2014.

Single tickets start at $28 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The story, the songs, the characters - you know and love them. Now, for the first time in Guthrie history, see them come to life in a spectacular, new production. Professor Henry Higgins loves language. Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle yearns to speak like a lady. Sparks fly when his curiosity and her determination launch a daring social experiment designed to turn a lower-class ugly duckling into a high-society swan - with unexpected results for both of them. Based on George Bernard Shaw's delightful social satire Pygmalion, Lerner and Loewe's charming and beloved musical features such unforgettable numbers as "I Could Have Danced All Night," "The Rain in Spain" and "On the Street Where You Live."

The cast of My Fair Lady features the talents of Helen Anker as Eliza, Jeff McCarthy as Higgins, Tony and Olivier award nominee Tony Sheldon as Colonel Pickering, and Donald Corren as Alfred P. Doolittle. Born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Helen Anker made her professional debut at the age of 9 in 1981 when she played Louisa in The Sound of Music with Petula Clark at London's Apollo Theatre, and she has since appeared in numerous productions on the West End, including Parade, On the Town, Beautiful Be Damned, Oklahoma!, Crazy for You, Radio Times and The Sound of Music. In 2010 she played Miss Olson in the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises and among her U.S. regional credits are The Odd Couple, Newsies, Curtains and The 39 Steps. Jeff McCarthy last appeared at the Guthrie in The Misanthrope (1987-1988) and Anything Goes (1984-1985). He made his Broadway debut in 1983 playing opposite Anthony Quinn in Zorba, and later created the role of Officer Lockstock in the original cast of the Broadway musical Urinetown. His additional Broadway credits include the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Terry in the original cast of Side Show, Dubhdara in The Pirate Queen and Billy Flynn in Chicago. In 2012, McCarthy played the title role in the stage version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at Madison Square Garden. Tony Sheldon played more than 1200 performances as Bernadette in Priscilla Queen of the Desert in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, West End, and Toronto prior to the Broadway premiere in March 2011. He was nominated for Olivier, Tony, Theatre World, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critic's Circle awards for that role. In addition to playing Horace in Hello, Dolly! at the Goodspeed Opera House, Sheldon has an extensive resume in Australia, including roles as Roger De Bris in The Producers, Clyde Gabriel in The Witches of Eastwick, Fame - the Musical, Private Lives, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, The Fantasticks and Company. Donald Corren created the role of Cosmé McMoon opposite Judy Kaye's Florence Foster Jenkins in the 2005 Broadway production of Souvenir. He also starred on Broadway in Torch Song Trilogy, for which he received awards from both the Los Angeles and San Francisco Drama Critics Circle while on tour. Corren appeared Off-Broadway in The Last Sunday in June, Saturday Night, and Tom Foolery, and regionally in productions of Superior Donuts (Pittsburgh Public Theater), The Winter's Tale (The Shakespeare Theatre), Animal Crackers (Arena Stage) and The Importance of Being Earnest (Old Globe Theatre). He is also recognized for his recurring role as Medill for nine seasons on NBC's "Law & Order."

Rounding out the cast is Robert O. Berdahl (Guthrie: H.M.S. Pinafore, The 39 Steps) as Zoltan Karpathy, Melissa Hart (Guthrie: Uncle Vanya, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Mrs. Higgins, Molly Sue McDonald (Guthrie: H.M.S. Pinafore, She Loves Me) as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, Tyler Michaels (Theater Latté Da: Cabaret) as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Kasono Mwanza (Chanhassen: Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar) as Jamie, Angela Timberman (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, The Birds) as Mrs. Pearce, Tony Vierling (Guthrie: Roman Holiday, 1776) as Harry; as well as Joseph Bigelow (U of M/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program: South Street, Those Who Favor Fire), Cat Brindisi (Chanhassen: Grease, West Side Story), Aimee K. Bryant (Guthrie: Caroline, or Change), Alex Gibson (Connecticut Rep.: Man of La Mancha, The Drowsy Chaperone), Michael Gruber (Guthrie: Roman Holiday), Michael Hanna (Guthrie: Born Yesterday), Linda Talcott Lee (Guthrie: Roman Holiday, She Loves Me), Joel Liestman (Guthrie: The Master Butchers Singing Club, A View From the Bridge), Ann Michels (Guthrie: Roman Holiday, A Streetcar Named Desire), Tinia Moulder (Guthrie: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance) and Jared Oxborough (Guthrie: Roman Holiday).

The artistic team includes Walt Spangler (Set Designer), Fabio Toblini (Costume Designer), Philip Rosenberg (Lighting Designer), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Andrew Cooke (Music Director), Joe Chvala (Choreography), Jo Holcomb (Dramaturg), D'Arcy Smith

(Voice and Dialect Coach), Chris A. Code (Stage Manager), Michele Hossle and Alexandra Goudy-Jaehnig (Assistant Stage Managers) and Mel Day (Assistant Director).

My Fair Lady began preview performances on Saturday, June 28, opens tonight, July 4 and continues through Sunday, August 31 in the Wurtele Thrust at the Guthrie Theater. Single tickets start at $28 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

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