Meadville The Academy Theatre is proud to present the revival of its inaugural performance of My Fair Lady, which opens Thursday, December 16th at 7:30 pm.
My Fair Lady is the classic Broadway tale of Eliza Doolittle, a London flower girl with an atrocious accent, who becomes the object of a bet between linguistics professor Henry Higgins and fellow language enthusiast Colonel Pickering. Originally performed on Broadway in 1956 starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, and later made into a film starring Audrey Hepburn; this musical is the standard to which all other Broadway shows aspire.
The Academy production is directed by Bob Russell, an adjunct faculty member at Allegheny College. He has this to say: "The challenge of restaging classics is making it relevant and fresh for contemporary audiences. I believe with the approach we're taking for this production, not only will it be appealing to fans of the original 1956 Broadway production but also to fans of musical theater of all ages." The Academy revival features the following performers:
Sonia Firster (Eliza Doolittle) Sonia is ecstatic to be playing one of her favorite, and one of the most iconic roles in musical theater. Currently a substitute for Titusville School District, Sonia is a recent graduate from Westminster College where she obtained her B.M. in Music Education. Favorite credits include: Into the Woods (Rapunzel) Meadville Academy Theatre, and A Christmas Carol (Belle) Franklin Barrow-Civic Theatre. Sonia would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering love and support, along with the gifted My Fair Lady cast for memories that will last a lifetime.
Bryon Gable (Henry Higgins) Bryon is ecstatic to portray the role of Henry Higgins. He has enjoyed discovering the complexities of Higgins and believes that it is by far the most demanding and satisfying role he has yet played. Bryon earned a B.A. in History from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and is currently completing a M.A. in Middle and Secondary Instruction also from Edinboro. Bryon is no stranger to the Academy. He has been seen in several productions and some of his favorites include; Beauty and the Beast (The Beast), The Wedding Singer (Glen Goulia), Sweeney Todd (Jonas Fogg/ensemble), with the most recent production being Into the Woods (Cinderella's Prince/Wolf). Bryon would like to thank Bob and Sarah Russell for their wonderful direction, Tim Solomon for his countless hours devoted to this and other Academy productions, and finally his loved ones for their love and support throughout the rehearsal process.
Bill Fuller (Col. Pickering) Bill is looking forward for the chance to bring Col.Pickering to life in this production of My Fair Lady. Most recent productions Bill has been in include Side Show(The Geek) at the New World Coming Theatre troupe, Into The Woods(Cinderella's father) at the Academy Theatre, One Bad Apple(Lucifer) at the Meadville Community Theatre, Dog Eat Dog (Dell Brown)at the Meadville Community Theatre, and Assassins (Leon Czolgosz).
Glenn Tuttle (Doolittle) Playing the role of Doolittle for this show has been a joy for Glenn who has been involved in numerous shows in Meadville since moving here in 1999. Glenn's most memorable shows have been The Rocky Horror Show (Riff-Raff), Sweeney Todd (Beadle), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Billy), Arsenic and Old Lace (Mortimer), and has recently appeared in Assassins (Zangara). Glenn graduated from Edinboro University in Music Education and Theater and looks forward to actively performing in upcoming shows. He thanks his family for their many missed hours and is glad that they put up with him.
My Fair Lady runs Dec. 16-19, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for students and $10 for seniors. For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Academy Theatre Box Office at 814-337-8000 or order online at www.theacademytheatre.org.