Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 Eifman Ballet

April 11 - May 19, 2019 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | 19 My Fair Lady The musical adaptation of Shaw’s play follows the same general plot — Henry Higgins makes a bet with Professor Pickering that he can turn Eliza into a well-spoken, proper woman in just a few months. My Fair Lady introduced the iconic, catchy song “The Rain in Spain,” featuring the well-known line “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” When Eliza is finally able to “properly” pronounce the line, it represents a breakthrough in her teaching. The original Broadway production featured Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins. The film version starred Audrey Hepburn as Eliza and Harrison as Higgins. There have been numerous revivals of My Fair Lady on Broadway, including a current run in New York City. She’s All That Yes, the Pygmalion story even inspired a 1990s teen rom-com! Starring Freddie Prinze Jr. as Zack and Rachel Leigh Cook as Laney, this film adaptation modernizes the storyline and sets it at a California high school. Instead of teaching a Cockney girl how to speak with a “proper” accent, in She’s All That , Zack makes a bet with a friend that he can turn any girl in school into a prom queen in just six weeks — the catch is that his friend gets to pick the girl and chooses the dorky art student, Laney. The film was the No. 1 box o›ce movie the week of its release. The Pygmalion Effect In Eifman's new ballet, there are no sculptors, phonetics professors, or high school students from the 90s. Named after the psychological term used to describe the e—ect that the expectations of others can have on a person's behavior, The Pgymalion Effect puts a dance spin on the classic story. Eifman focuses his ballet on a ballroom dancer who must "sculpt" a great performer from a clumsy common girl that he encounters. Set to a score by "the waltz king" Johann Strauss, The Pygmalion Effect puts a new twist on the classic story. Audrey Hepburn in the film version of My Fair Lady Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg in The Pygmalion Effect Rachel Leigh Cook's character Laney goes from nerdy art student to promising prom date in She's All That Julie Andrews in the stage version of My Fair Lady MICHAEL KHOURY Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg performs The Pygmalion E£ect at the Auditorium Theatre May 17-19.