Fun fact: Linguists* can't actually pinpoint exactly where in the world you come from (down to the suburb) on the basis of your accent... but they might be able to make an educated guess.
Anyone who has seen the musical My Fair Lady (either on stage, or the delightful film version starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison) knows that Professor Henry Higgins isn't just any linguist, however. He takes it upon himself to turn cockney flowergirl, Eliza Doolittle, into a refined and elegant lady, hence the name of the musical.
My Fair Lady made its Broadway debut in 1956 and it was hugely popular - the 'Hamilton' of its day - and its story of transformation in which an arrogant character attempts to "better" someone so they can fit in with the elite has been used time and time again. My Fair Lady is a musical adaptation of Pygmalion, the play by George Bernard Shaw, which in turn took inspiration from the Greek myth in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue of his own creation.
But we can see versions of this story in plenty of places, particularly movies - take the makeover scenes from Pretty Woman, the movie Trading Places (in which Eddie Murphy goes from street hustler to commodities broker), and classic teen rom-com, She's All That. The appeal of a 'Cinderella story' may indeed be timeless.
And let's not forget the Lerner and Loewe catalogue of songs with classics like 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly?', 'On The Street Where You Live', 'I Could Have Danced All Night', and 'Get Me To The Church On Time'.
Which is all to say, wouldn't you love a family pass to the Showbiz Christchurch production of My Fair Lady at the Isaac Theatre Royal, which runs 21-30 September? Of course you would! We have 2 family passes to give away. Enter using the form below:
More My Fair Lady
- Musical recordings, scores, and DVDs in the catalogue
- More about the Showbiz Christchurch production
*I have an honours degree with Linguistics as my major so I vaguely know what I'm talking about.
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