MY FAIR LADY, Starring Patterson, Lane, Cavin and Robinson Opens Today

Erica Patterson takes on the iconic role of Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming production of Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady, running February 16-March 4 at The Larry Keeton Theatre in Donelson. Cavender Lane will play the supercilious Henry Higgins, with Chris Cavin as Colonel Pickering and Elliott Winston Robinson as Alfred P. Doolittle in the revival, directed by veteran Nashville director (and current senior contributing editor to BroadwayWorld.com/Nashville) Jeffrey Ellis.

Based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, My Fair Lady has been hailed by critics and audiences for its heart and wit, and tells a story of transformation, gender politics and classism. Acclaimed professor and confirmed bachelor Henry Higgins (Lane) makes a wager with his linguistic colleague Colonel Pickering (Cavin) that in six months he can fully transform and pass off "gutter snipe" Eliza Doolittle (Patterson) as a duchess at an embassy ball. Through arduous training, day and night, Eliza learns how to speak English "properly," and transforms into a lady respected and adored by all classes. Along the way, she bewitches young Freddy Eynsford-Hill (J. RoBert Lindsey) into falling in love with her, and convinces a supposed linguistics expert that she is royalty.

Through her transformation process, Eliza forges a deep connection with Colonel Pickering and most especially with Professor Higgins. However, she finds herself in a difficult position, now too refined to go back to her old life and not with any means or desire to live life as a lady of leisure - especially by herself. When Higgins completely fails to acknowledge Eliza's role in her own transformation, she leaves his home. It is only then that Higgins realizes that he cares deeply for Eliza. The play ends with Eliza's return to Higgins' home, and the ending is left ambiguous - although in Ellis' vision, the ambiguity in the play's ending is less so - yet it is beloved for being both one of the cleverest and one of the most romantic plays of all time.

2016 First Night Star Award winner Jamie London (artistic director for the Senior Center for the Arts and The Larry Keeton Theatre) and 2015 First Night Honoree Larry Keeton are producers, with 2014 First Night Honoree (and the first winner of a First Night Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical) Ginger Newman as musical director. The show is choreographed by Lauri Gregoire, and Suzanne Spooner-Faulk is production stage manager. Tanis Westbrook is costume coordinator.

Ashley Wolfe will play Eliza Doolittle for three performances February 19, 23 and 26. Earlier in 2016, she stopped the show as Fraulein Kost in Ellis and London's production of Cabaret at The Keeton.

Patterson, who won both critical and audience acclaim as Sarah Brown in Circle Players' Ragtime and as Mary Magdalene in their recent staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, is a native of Memphis and a graduate of Tennessee State University in Nashville. Lane was previously seen as Jud Frye in Springhouse Theatre's Oklahoma! last summer after earning stellar notices as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 at Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts.

Cavin recently completed a run as Frank Butler in The Larry Keeton Theatre's Annie Get Your Gun, after making his debut at the venue in Cabaret, co-directed by London and Ellis last summer. Robinson, who has performed on various Nashville stages over the past several years, most recently starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Lakewood Theatre in Old Hickory.

J. RoBert Lindsey, seen last summer as Clifford Bradshaw in Cabaret, will play Freddy Eynsford-Hill, with longtime Nashville actress Judy Jackson (who was part of Ellis' cast for his revival of Picnic in 2015) in the role of Mrs. Eynsford-Hill. Nashville theater stalwart Janet Coscarelli makes a long-awaited return to the local stage in the role of Mrs. Higgins. Maggie Jackson, most recently seen in The Keeton Theatre's production of Nuncrackers, will take on the role of Higgins' long-suffering housekeeper Mrs. Pearce.

In the roles of Jamie and Harry, Alfred P. Doolittle's cohorts and drinking pals, are Austin Jeffrey Smith (Cabaret, Annie Get Your Gun, Thoroughly Modern Millie) and George Hardimon IV. Barrett Thomas is cast as Zoltan Karpathy. Both Hardimon and Thomas were part of Circle Players' recent production of The Wiz.

Among the production's ensemble members are: Earl Landree, Brandon Hoyt, Natalie Royal Herb, Laura Simmons, John Mark Redding, Nathaniel James Hulme, Katie Earl, Sara Kistner, Ingrid Rekedal, Melissa Vinson, Tiffany Day, Gracie McGraw and Trevor Golter.

Dinner seating begins at 5:45 p.m. with curtain at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and seating at 12:45 p.m. for luncheon with curtain at 2 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Tickets for dinner and show are $30 for adults and $20 for children under 12; for show only tickets are $25 for and $15 for children under 12. There is a special show-only price of $18 per adult for Thursday night shows. Salmon upgrade for dinner is available for $7. Group rates for parties of 15 or more are also available. Call (615) 883-8375 for information and reservations,

Tickets are now on sale at www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org or by calling (615) 883-8375.

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