'My Fair Lady' comes to Geneva High School

Described by the London Daily Telegraph as "probably the greatest musical of all time," "My Fair Lady" will be staged this weekend at Geneva Community High School.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 17-19, at the school, 416 McKinley Ave., Geneva. Tickets, available at the door, are $10 for adults, and $7 for students and seniors. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m.

Henry Higgins, England's leading phoneticist, endeavors to transform Cockney "guttersnipe" Eliza Doolittle into a lady in this classic.

Director and GHS choir director, Roxanne Curtis, says she chose "My Fair Lady" for this year's spring musical because she knew she had the students capable of fulfilling the roles.

"I'm extremely fortunate to work with such a talented group of young people," Curtis said. "It's a large musical, so I was able to include a lot of students."

Junior Annie Brown, member of the high school's Varsity Choir and Jazz Choir, plays the part of Eliza Doolittle. She says being part of this production is special to her because, "My dad showed 'My Fair Lady' to me when I was very young, and I remember instantly loving it even then." When asked about the most challenging part of the role, Brown says, "Eliza changes from being a poor woman with a harsh Cockney accent to an elegant lady. Switching between those could be a bit tricky - but always fun."

The outspoken Henry Higgins is played by senior TJ Farrell, also a member of the high school's Varsity and Jazz Choirs. The actor says he's "had fun being able to burst out with insults at people while in the context of trying to make them better."

His role also has its challenges. He describes many of his musical numbers as "patter songs" which he says can be "difficult to line up with the pit band."

The show can't be pulled off with cast alone. Under technical director Mary Toledano, a group of students build the set and carry out the technical requirements of the show. Sophomore Ian Dinning, vice president of the tech crew, has worked behind the scenes for seven of the high school's productions, including "My Fair Lady."

"You get to work with such talented people, both techies and actors," he says.

His main role is lighting, but he's also responsible for keeping other crew members on task, assigning jobs, and helping wherever needed. Dinning points out that participating in tech crew enhances teamwork skills.

"During the show, everyone has to be talking to each other to make sure each component of the crew is functioning properly."

When talking about "My Fair Lady," one can't leave out the music. Music theory teacher and band director Patrick Frederick directs the pit orchestra, which is composed of GHS students who tried out for their spots.

"I love the music," Curtis says.

Farrell explains that "some of the dances are really in depth. The Cockneys are in a 10-minute song with dancing and singing, so that's intense. Eliza has six or seven songs that are very demanding vocally."

Dinning sums up the payoff of all the hard work.

"It can get very stressful at times, but at the end of the day, it's truly amazing to look at a set you've built completely by hand and to have made a show come to life," he said.