Venice Little Theatre www.venicestage.com

CONTACT PERSON [NOT FOR RELEASE] : Maureen Holland, 484-4033 x 221

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    January 23, 2008

In the Venice Little Theatre playbill for My Fair Lady, Michael Newton-Brown’s director’s notes tell some of the backstory of the show and its predecessor theatrical play, Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. After a musical adaptation of one of his earlier works horrified him (it was an 1894 production called The Chocolate Soldier based on Shaw’s Arms and the Man), he forbade the musicalization of any of his work for the rest of his life.

So it’s a good thing that Lerner and Loewe wrote My Fair Lady after Shaw’s death, or we’d have been deprived of this exquisite musical adaptation, which always tops the list of audience’s perennial favorites.

My Fair Lady opens on Venice Little Theatre’s MainStage on February 19, 2008 and runs through March 16, 2008. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $23.00 and are onsale now at the theatre’s box office, by phone at 941-488-1115 or online at www.venicestage.com.

The now-familiar story of the Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and her makeover by the arrogant Professor Henry Higgins, has graced stages around the world since 1956, when Lerner & Loewe’s musical, My Fair Lady, first opened on Broadway. It went on to win seven Tony awards that season and a London production quickly followed. The show has now been revived three times on Broadway - in 1976, 1981 and 1993 - and London staged a revival in 2001.

Director and Scenic Designer Michael Newton-Brown has for over 30 years, directed and/or designed hundreds of productions for Broadway, National Tours, Concert Tours, Regional and Local Theatres and Opera. Now a Bradenton resident, he has numerous Florida credits from the Coconut Grove in Miami to the Golden Apple in Sarasota. He makes his VLT debut with this show.

Musical Director is Jason Brenner, a frequent VLT director and actor and the leader of the VLT teen performance group, VLT Express. Choreographer is Kelly Burnette and costumes are by Nicholas Hartman. Dorian Boyd designs sound and Alise Hart is designing the lighting. Stage Manager is Elaine Enoch.

Venice Little Theatre is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave on the island in Venice. The Box Office is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and opens one hour before all performances.

CAPTIONS: Kathryn Ohrenstein and Joseph Giglia; Kathryn Ohrenstein

DIRECTOR: Michael Newton-Brown

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jason Brenner

CHOREOGRAPHER: Kelly Burrnette

STAGE MANAGER: Elaine Enoch

SCENIC DESIGN: Michael Newton-Brown

LIGHTING DESIGN: Alise Hart

SOUND DESIGN: Dorian Boyd

COSTUME DESIGN: Nicholas Hartman

Henry Higgins - Joseph Giglia

Eliza Doolittle - Kathryn Ohrenstein

Colonel Pickering - Phillip Papenhausen

Mrs. Eynsford-Hill - Suzanne Coccia

Mrs. Higgins - Maggi Taylor

Freddie Eynsford-Hill - Scott Vitale

Alfred P. Doolittle - Bob Miller

Mrs. Pearce - Alana Hufford

Nicholas Pokorny

Ali McManamy

Libby Flemming

Paul Mullen

Patty Avery

Becky Pokorny

Alison Rekow

Joi Henry

Carole Litt

Stephanie Harmon