Ed Schubel Cast in Kansas Summer Theatre's 'My Fair Lady'

2012 Jun 25

Kansas Summer Theatre at the University of Kansas is staging the popular Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" July 12 through 22 in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. July 12-14 and 19-21 and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, July 15 and 22.

Cast members include Ed Schubel, of Hagerstown, Md. He is a graduate of Williamsport High School and the son of Nettie & Scott Schubel. Schubel is a senior in theatre and voice.

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion," "My Fair Lady" features book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The KST production is directed and choreographed by John Staniunas, associate professor of theatre, with musical direction by Ryan McCall, University Theatre staff accompanist. Scenic and lighting design is by Mark Reaney, professor of theatre; costume design is by Delores Ringer, associate professor of theatre, and dialect design is by Paul Meier, professor of theatre.

In 1952, lyricist Lerner was first approached to adapt "Pygmalion" into a musical. Lerner and composer Loewe worked on the project for six months before abandoning it as an impossible task. In 1954, Lerner started thinking about the story again and, with renewed vigor, the duo transformed the material into a charming musical that critics and audiences adored. "My Fair Lady" opened on Broadway in March 1956, with Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins, Julie Andrews as Eliza and Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle. The musical ran for an unprecedented 2,717 performances, earning it the distinction of being the longest running musical at that time.

The KU production has a 10-member cast and five-piece orchestra, under the baton of conductor McCall.

Staniunas said the summer musical is being billed as a "jewel box" production.

"Our production of 'My Fair Lady' takes advantage of a unique jewel box concept that brings new energy and focus to this classic American musical," he explained. "The 'jewel box' is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Crux described as a casket of variously colored precious stones."

He said the bright young stars assembled in the KST ensemble are able to shine more brightly through the portrayal of multiple roles surrounding Eliza Doolittle's transformation from flower girl to elegant lady.

"This actor-centered focus enables Shaw's meditations on class distinctions, societal prejudices and gender inequality to be rendered even more clearly as the same actor embodies the aristocracy at Ascot in one moment followed by a maid or dustman in the next scene," he said.

After 58 years, "My Fair Lady" has taken a place of prominence in the history of the American musical, Staniunas explained.

"Through this reimagined jewel box concept, it is our hope that audiences will reconnect with their favorite characters and familiar songs while also investing in Shaw's deeply nuanced reflection on identity and transformation."

Reserved seat tickets for "My Fair Lady" are on sale in the University Theatre Ticket Office, 864-3982, and on-line at kutheatre.com. Public tickets are $15, tickets for all students are $10, and senior citizen and KU faculty and staff tickets are $14. A Family Package with tickets for two adults and two children is available for $40. All major credit cards are accepted for phone and online orders.