Running from Feb. 28 to March 8, the Gaels Theatre Guild performed My Fair Lady as their spring musical.
A love story defying social classes, the show took place in England in the early 1910’s in the Edwardian Era. The premise of the show is that people from different social classes are most distinct from each other through their accents and way of speaking. And one man from the upper class attempts to teach one woman from the lower class how to speak properly.
For those students who watched the show, they noticed something that stood out about the show. Norah Khayat ‘26 shared, “The thing that made the show different was that every actor had to perform with a British accent. They all sang with that accent and it was super impressive.” This had to have to have been challenging for the actors to get used to, but all the accents sounded impressively authentic.
The accents also carried over into the songs too, not just regular speaking. But even so, the songs were amazing and showed the wide vocal range of those who sang in the show. Khayat said, “One moment that stood out to me the most was in the beginning when all the flower girls were singing together. All of their accents were great and they played their roles really well.”
With large sets and elaborate costumes, this show was a captivating display of the true art that theater is. One scene that displayed the detail of this show was the Embassy Ball scene. Montserrat Velazquez ‘26 noticed, “The costumes, the lighting, and music made the scene feel very elegant, and it showed how much Eliza had changed from the beginning of the show.”
The script and plot of this play also made it a standout performance. There was true character development in both Eliza and Mr. Higgins. On Eliza’s character growth Velazquez commented, “You could clearly see Eliza’s transformation throughout the musical, not only in her accent, but also in her confidence.”
Professionalism was displayed in this show as well. Velazquez said, “The intricate details in the choreography, accents, and staging also made the production feel more professional and memorable compared to other shows in the past.”
But a performance is more than just what happens on stage. There is much work put in behind the scenes from actors/actresses and crew members alike. This work happens at home and in the theatre.
Actors need to memorize lines, choreography and blocking to be fully prepared to give their best performance. Luke Fletes’26, who was cast as Harry and an understudy for Mr. Doolittle, said, “I prepared for this role by running lines every night with my friends and watching other renditions of the characters to get inspiration.
Crew members play an essential role in the success of each performance. Jackson Stamm ‘28, who is part of the tech team, taking on the roles of assistant stage manager (ASM) and deck head described what his role in this show was. “As an ASM, most of my time was spent doing blocking or recording choreography while the cast refined their scenes and dance numbers. As a deck head, most of my time was spent recording who’s on what for the transitions, making sure everyone knows their cues and doing the actual transition, whether that meant rushing on props, twisting platforms, or just switching lights on.”
This show was a special experience for many. Josephina Russo ‘26, who played Mrs. Pearce, shared the important opportunity this show provided her. “This show was so special to me because this was my first musical that I had a big part and supporting role. In the years prior, I have been in the ensemble.”
As in every show and activity at Bishop Gorman, this performance left lasting memories for those involved. For Fletes, this was his first time performing with the Gaels Theatre Guild. He shared, “This show was special to me because it was my first and last show at Gorman. The friends that I made and the things that I learned have made such an impact on me. I will cherish this show for life and all my friends.”
