By George, she's got it! Henry Higgins, Act I

 For Henry Higgins, professor of linguistics and confirmed misogynist, transforming a street urchin into a lady is a trivial task, done to honour a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering. Until, of course, he meets the proud little cockney, Eliza Doolittle, and finds that his raw material might not be so easy to mould.

Lerner and Loewe's exuberant adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion was always destined to be a smash hit. The irascible Henry Higgins, the irresistible Eliza Doolittle, and the glorious succession of show-stopping numbers from 'I could have danced all night' to 'Get me to the church on time' propelled this classic story into Broadway history.

Now My Fair Lady comes to Australia in a new production from the team that created The Pirates of Penzance. Expect extravagant sets, outstanding performances, a virtuosic chorus and a veritable fashion parade of costumes. Legend of Australian music theatre, Reg Livermore stars as Henry Higgins with one of Opera Australia's brightest young talents, Taryn Fiebig, as Eliza. Nancye Hayes, who danced in the original Australian production at the start of her illustrious music theatre career, now joins the cast as the acerbic Mrs Higgins. Add in a specially assembled Opera Australia Chorus and you have all the ingredients for a 'luvverly' night in the theatre.

Schedule Details

Departure Dates:

• Wednesday 25 June, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Saturday 28 June, 2008 at 1:00pm
• Wednesday 2 July, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Friday 4 July, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Wednesday 9 July, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Saturday 12 July, 2008 at 1:00pm
• Tuesday 15 July, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Thursday 24 July, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Friday 1 August, 2008 at 7:30pm
• Monday 4 August, 2008 at 7:30pm

Departure Point:

The Sydney Opera House is located at Bennelong Point, on Sydney Harbour. The Opera Theatre can be reached from the Concourse (44 steps).

Departure Time:

Please refer to Departure Dates.

Itinerary:

Henry Higgins, an arrogant, irascible professor of phonetics, boasts to fellow linguist Colonel Pickering that he can train any woman to speak so properly that he could pass her off as a duchess ,including Eliza Doolittle, a poor girl with a strong Cokney accent whom he encounters selling flowers in Covent Garden Pickering is intrigued by Higgins's boast and wagers that he cannot make good on his claim. Higgins takes on the challenge and begins an intensive make-over of Eliza's speech, manners and dress in preparation for her appearance at the Embassy Ball. Complicating matters is Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, a cheerfully amoral and drink-loving dustman, who shows up to extract money from Higgins for compromising Eliza's virtue.

Higgins is impressed by the man's natural gift for language and his brazen lack of moral values ("Can't afford 'em!") and flippantly recommends Doolittle to an American millionaire who is seeking a lecturer on moral values. In the end, Doolittle gets a surprise bequest of four thousand pounds a year from the millionaire, raising him uncomfortably into middle-class respectability .Meanwhile, Eliza endures speech therapy, endlessly repeating phrases such as "In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen" (to demonstrate that "h"s must be aspirated) and "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" (to emphasize the "a"). Just as things seem hopeless, she suddenly "gets it" after Higgins eloquently speaks of the glory of the English language, and thereafter her speech is transformed into an impeccable upper class English accent. For her first public tryout, Higgins takes her to Ascot Racecourse, where she makes a good impression with her polite manners but shocks everyone by her vulgar Cockney attitudes and slang (thus establishing one of the show's themes, that good elocution is only "skin deep.")

However, she still captures the heart of an eager young man named Freddy Eynsford-Hill. The final test hinges on Eliza's passing as a lady at the Embassy Ball, which she does successfully, despite the presence of a Hungarian phonetics expert who seeks to unmask her identity. After the ball, Higgins's ungrateful boasting of his triumph and his pleasure that the experiment is now over leave Eliza feeling used and abandoned. She walks out on him, leaving the seemingly clueless Higgins mystified by her ingratitude. But Higgins soon realizes his feelings for her--that he has "grown accustomed to her face." When Eliza tentatively returns to him, the musical ends on an ambiguous moment of possible reconciliation between teacher and pupil.

Additional Information

Inclusions:

• Opera Ticket
• Australia's Good and Services Tax (GST)

Exclusions:

• Items of a personal nature

Additional Info:

• Confirmation for this product will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
• Opera is sung in English
• Running time is 2 hours and 55 minutes including a 20 minute interval.

Opera Theatre:
The Opera Theatre, with seating for 1547 people, is the second largest venue at the Sydney Opera House and presents performances of opera, ballet and contemporary dance. As most of the Opera performances are sung in their original language, surtitles in English are projected onto a screen above the stage.

Assisted Listening Devices:
Please ask staff for assistance with receivers which are available from the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre cloak rooms and in the Drama Theatre, Playhouse and The Studio foyers.

Guide Dogs:
Dogs or any animals trained to assist people with disabilities are welcome inside all theatres and restaurants.

Wheelchair Access:
A number of spaces are available for wheelchairs in each theatre at the Sydney Opera House. Wheelchairs are available from the Stage Door for use by patrons free of charge. Wheelchair access is by ramp from the southern entrance of the Concourse. Undercover wheelchair access is available from Stage Door and the Sydney Opera House Car Park. It is essential that you specify any needs when proceeding with your booking.

Terms and Conditions:

All sales are final and attract 100% cancellation penalties.

Local Operator Information:

Complete Operator information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, are included on your Confirmation Voucher. Our Product Managers select only the most experienced and reliable operators in each destination, removing the guesswork for you, and ensuring your peace of mind.

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