Signature Productions puts on 'My Fair Lady'

The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plain, but one woman's means to getting there will be acted out here in Las Vegas.

Signature Productions plans to present the musical "My Fair Lady" at 7:30 p.m. Monday through May 1 at the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center, 1771 Inner Circle Drive. There is also a matinee planned for 2 p.m. April 24.

Leslie Fotheringham is artistic director for Signature and said musicals like "My Fair Lady" kept cropping up on its audience surveys as the type of play people want to see most. Sometimes the production company puts on lesser-known productions, but plays with successful runs on Broadway, the ones with automatic name recognition, pull in larger audiences.

Fotheringham said she finds it stimulating to work on a play where the title character goes on a journey or gains knowledge. In "My Fair Lady," Eliza Doolittle is a lowly flower girl with soot-smudged clothes and a Cockney accent so thick it can be cut with a knife. She is plucked from her street corner by the austere Professor Higgins to prove he can turn her into a high-class lady who can fit in with the elite of society.

Choosing an actress to portray Eliza meant finding someone with singing ability but also the acting skills to make the main character believable at every stage of her transition.

"We needed an actress who could do the journey, so to speak," Fotheringham said. "She had to convey a vulnerability to make Eliza endearing to the audience. And the professor had to have a strong presence. He had to be seen as an educated man, a confirmed bachelor but with an icy side to him."

Eliza is portrayed by Sandra Huntsman. Professor Henry Higgins is played by Gary Lunn, whom Fotheringham called "a Rex Harrison type." Harrison played the part in the 1964 film version of "My Fair Lady."

The other leads are Karl Larsen as Alfred P. Doolittle, Lyle Fisher as Col. Hugh Pickering and Josh Meurer as Freddie Eynsford-Hill. Larsen is a local optometrist who established the production company in 1989.

Chrissy Wright is in charge of choreography and the orchestra will be conducted by Shauna Oblad, musical director.

Other musicals Signature produced through the years include "The Secret Garden," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Brigadoon" and "The Sound of Music." Most recently, the troupe was at the Ramada Express in Laughlin in November, where it staged "Once on This Island."

Tickets range from $12 to $20 per person, with discounts for seniors and students. Visit www.signatureproductions.net for more information, or call 878-7529.


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