The Making of My Fair Lady


Book Description

The common lament was Broadway will never be the same! when My Fair Lady finally ended its stellar run the night of Sunday, September 30, 1962. Millions of people had seen the show over six years and had helped break box-office records, even though Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, Stanley Holloway, and Robert Coote did not stay with the cast throughout the six-year run. MyFair Lady used the substance and wit of George Bernard Shaw to add a new dimension to the Broadway libretto.




The Making of My Fair Lady


Book Description

Keith Garebian peers behind the curtain of My Fair Lady to reveal the story behind the making of the musical. Beginning with George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Garebian traces the development of the musical idea. We read with interest about Lerner and Loewe's writing difficulties, and about how Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison were selected as leads. Then it's on to a full-dress reconstruction of opening night on Broadway. Garebian's next chapter follows My Fair Lady after its Broadway start, and he concludes with a close analysis of the structure, words, and music of the play.




The Screenplay as Literature


Book Description




Pygmalion Illustrated


Book Description

Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw, named after a Greek mythological figure. It was first presented on stage to the public in 1913.




Loverly


Book Description

Few musicals have had the impact of Lerner and Loewe's timeless classic My Fair Lady. Sitting in the middle of an era dominated by such seminal figures as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Frank Loesser, and Leonard Bernstein, My Fair Lady not only enjoyed critical success similar to that of its rivals but also had by far the longest run of a Broadway musical up to that time. From 1956 to 1962, its original production played without a break for 2,717 performances, and the show went on to be adapted into one of the most successful movie musicals of all time in 1964, when it won eight Academy Awards. Internationally, the show also broke records in London, and the original production toured to Russia at the height of the Cold War in an attempt to build goodwill. It remains a staple of the musical theater canon today, an oft-staged show in national, regional, and high school theaters across the country. Using previously-unpublished documents, author Dominic McHugh presents a completely new, behind-the-scenes look at the five-year creation of the show, revealing the tensions and complex relationships that went into its making. McHugh charts the show from the aftermath of the premiere of Shaw's Pygmalion and the playwright's persistent refusal to allow it to be made into a musical, through to the quarrel that led lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe to part ways halfway through writing the show, up to opening night and through to the present. This book is the first to shed light on the many behind-the-scenes creative discussions that took place from casting decisions all the way through the final months of frantic preparation leading to the premiere in March 1956. McHugh also traces sketches for the show, looking particularly at the lines cut during the rehearsal and tryout periods, to demonstrate how Lerner evolved the relationship between Higgins and Eliza in such a way as to maintain the delicate balance of ambiguity that characterizes their association in the published script. He looks too at the movie version, and how the cast album and subsequent revivals have influenced the way in which the show has been received. Overall, this book explores why My Fair Lady continues to resonate with audiences worldwide more than fifty years after its premiere.




My Fair Lady


Book Description

The text of the Broadway musical adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.




My Fair Ladies


Book Description

The fantasy of a male creator constructing his perfect woman dates back to the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Yet as technology has advanced over the past century, the figure of the lifelike manmade woman has become nearly ubiquitous, popping up in everything from Bride of Frankenstein to Weird Science to The Stepford Wives. Now Julie Wosk takes us on a fascinating tour through this bevy of artificial women, revealing the array of cultural fantasies and fears they embody. My Fair Ladies considers how female automatons have been represented as objects of desire in fiction and how “living dolls” have been manufactured as real-world fetish objects. But it also examines the many works in which the “perfect” woman turns out to be artificial—a robot or doll—and thus becomes a source of uncanny horror. Finally, Wosk introduces us to a variety of female artists, writers, and filmmakers—from Cindy Sherman to Shelley Jackson to Zoe Kazan—who have cleverly crafted their own images of simulated women. Anything but dry, My Fair Ladies draws upon Wosk’s own experiences as a young female Playboy copywriter and as a child of the “feminine mystique” era to show how images of the artificial woman have loomed large over real women’s lives. Lavishly illustrated with film stills, artwork, and vintage advertisements, this book offers a fresh look at familiar myths about gender, technology, and artistic creation.




The Man of Destiny


Book Description

Napoleon is the famous central character in this novel by the renowned George Bernard Shaw. Through the writing, Shaw is able to deliver a devastating opinion of the English from the perspective of Napoleon. We also get a glimpse into the life of this major historical figure just at the point when he became truly great and knew it.




My Fair Duchess


Book Description

The unexpected duchess Archibald Salisbury, son of a viscount, war hero, and proficient in the proper ways of aristocratic society, has received orders for his most challenging mission: Genevieve, Duchess of Blakesley. How she inherited a duchy isn’t his problem. Turning her into a perfect duchess is. But how can he keep his mind on business when her beauty entices him toward pleasure? It was impossible, unprecedented…and undeniably true. Genevieve is now a “duke”, or, rather, a duchess. So what is she to do when the ton eyes her every move, hoping she’ll make a mistake? Genevieve knows she has brains and has sometimes been told she has beauty, but, out of her depth, she calls on an expert. And what an expert, with shoulders broad enough to lean on, and a wit that matches her own. Archie is supposed to teach her to be a lady and run her estate, but what she really wants to do is unladylike—run into his arms.




My Fair Lover


Book Description

Nicole Jordan’s irresistible Legendary Lovers series continues in this sizzling twist on My Fair Lady, as a bewitching beauty and a rakish sea captain trade favors . . . and tempt fate. Lady Katherine Wilde believes she has crushed any lingering romantic feelings toward Brandon Deverill, who spurned her six years ago. And now that the rough-edged rogue needs polishing to claim his inheritance, she’s willing to strike a practical bargain: Kate will mold the brash privateer into an acceptable English nobleman if Deverill will safeguard her from brigands on a voyage to recover lost family treasure. However, the soul-melting kiss that seals their agreement just may reignite blazing passion. Brandon’s fortitude was sorely tested when he turned Kate away from his bed all those years ago. Even a rake such as he wouldn’t seduce an innocent beauty before sailing into battle. But now that he’s inherited a title and must take a suitable bride, he sets his sights on Kate. Though he fiercely desires her, true love is a notion that baffles him—until their adventure turns perilous and Brandon realizes he’d gladly trade his life to save the woman who has captured his heart. Praise for My Fair Lover “There’s [Nicole] Jordan’s signature humor, a high degree of sensuality, emotional depth and deep sighs galore. This is Jordan at her best.”—RT Book Reviews “With her latest entrancing tale in her Legendary Lovers series, Jordan puts a sexy twist on Pygmalion, and her flair for fusing smoldering love scenes with a plot spiked with action and danger makes her book a must-read for fans of old-school historical romances by the likes of Kathleen Woodiwiss and Judith McNaught.”—Booklist “Nicole Jordan is a powerhouse when it comes to historical romances. In this story I was expecting another fabulous Regency romance, which I got. But I also got so much more.”—Night Owl Reviews “A beautifully crafted adventure filled with passion and peril. . . . Readers will savor this splendid installment of a consistently strong series.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Gay repartee and an exciting exploration of a sunken ship, My Fair Lover will hit all the high marks for an unforgettable read this month.”—Romance Reviews Today “A romantic and enjoyable read with intelligent and likable protagonists, and it makes for a satisfying and entertaining read.”—Fresh Fiction