The musical "My Fair Lady," which debuted on Broadway on this date in 1956 and was based on George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion," became the longest-running musical at the time.
Eliza Doolittle Day, observed annually on May 20, commemorates Eliza Doolittle’s first meeting with Professor Henry Higgins in the original theatrical production of “My Fair Lady.” It has been 58 years since the first performance of “My Fair Lady” at the Embassy Theatre, and Audrey Hepburn starred in a revival of the play in the 1964 film adaptation. In the musical based on Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” a Cockney flower girl named Eliza Doolittle is taught how to speak appropriately by the phonetician Professor Henry Higgins.
The musical “My Fair Lady,” which debuted on Broadway on this date in 1956 and was based on George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion,” became the longest-running musical at the time. Through the assistance of a phonetics expert, a menial flower girl from Cockney is transformed into a lady.
In 1956, the show garnered six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Leading Actor for Rex Harrison, and Best Performance by an Actress for Eliza Doolittle by Julie Andrews. In 1964, it was adapted into a film starring Harrison and Hepburn, whose Oscar-winning performance earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 2020, another film adaptation starring Colin Firth as Henry Higgins and Emma Stone as Eliza was produced.
In the 2018 Lincoln Centre Theatre revival of “My Fair Lady” on Broadway, Lauren Ambrose portrayed Eliza Doolittle, for which she was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and earned the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Kirsten Anderson has been Ambrose’s understudy on Broadway since the beginning of October 2018, when Laura Benanti replaced Ambrose to perform the role until July 2019.
Eliza Doolittle Day is celebrated on May 20 by ‘My Fair Lady’ fans and is derived from Eliza’s song ‘Just You Wait’ from the film, which contains the line: ‘Next week on the 20th of May, I declare Liza Doolittle Day’.
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To gain insight into Eliza Doolittle’s existence, locate and read Shaw’s play. Thus, you can celebrate Eliza Doolittle Day with greater substance.
Watch the musical adaptation of “Pygmalion” The 1964 version starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle is one of the most well-known films.
Following Eliza Doolittle’s facial expressions and body movements in the musical, one can listen to and sing “Just You Wait” Afterwards, interpret the significance of each lyric.
Before filming “My Fair Lady,” Harrison portrayed Professor Henry Higgins on Broadway over 2,000 times.
According to reports, the two actors never spoke to each other outside of filming “My Fair Lady.”
Harrison was notorious for being difficult on set and yelling at cast members who flubbed their lines or made other errors during rehearsals or photography.
The character is based on Alexander Melville Bell, the creator of Visible Speech, which assisted deaf individuals in learning to communicate.
While writing the script, lyricist and author Alan Jay Lerner had Hepburn in mind as the most eligible actress for the part.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | May 20 | Saturday |
| 2024 | May 20 | Monday |
| 2025 | May 20 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | May 20 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | May 20 | Thursday |
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