Transformation of A Flower Girl into A Society Lady
Inevitable Confrontation of Language and Class
A Story of Power, Feminism and the Nature of Love
Pygmalion.
Eliza Doolittle, a penniless girl selling flowers in the street, wants to learn how speak English correctly so she can get a decent job. She meets Henry Higgins, a speech expert who makes a bet with his friend Pickering that he can pass her off as a Princess. Eliza is trained to talk and behave like a lady and when at the end of her intense studies, she is presented at a grand ball, she indeed passes for a Princess and Higgins wins his bet.
But for Eliza, it is much more than just a bet. Her life has been changed forever. Now she is a princess, all she can do is get married. The play is not only a wonderfully written comedy but also an attempt by George Bernard Shaw to expose the inequality of opportunity that women suffered in the last century.
This will be the fifth touring production of Pygmalion. Previous productions have been performed very successfully in large scale venues throughout Europe, the Middle and Far East.
Comment by Prof Ian Cull of Niigata University at the time of 1997 production:
Paradoxically (and doubtless to the amusement of Shaw), Pygmalion (1913) which centers upon that most conceited of pedagogues in the character of Professor Higgins has proved to be one of the most popular of Shaw’s plays, similar to the best of Wilde in its memorably epigrammatic lines and in characters that are more than the embodiment of certain attitudes and prejudices.
The International Theatre Company London have to be congratulated on staging Pygmalion with a cast of only five and sets that, like much of this clever production, were imaginatively suggestive, rather than representative of particular scenes and locations. Stage props were used with ingenious variety and in this refreshingly uncluttered production, the mainly Japanese audience was obliged to pay much greater attention to the characters and what was said. This is particularly appropriate for a play that deals with, among many other issues, the highly topical and controversial issue of standard English and empowerment through language.
Reviews and pictures can be found on the Tour De Force website:
･Kobe
Canadian Academy: November 8th 7:00pm 078-857-0100
･Himeji
Eagle Himeji 3f, “I – messae Hall”:November 12th at 6:00pm
Organized by Himeji Dokkyo Universiy 0792-23-2211
Produced by Ashley Associates Ltd.
Supported by British Council, ALC Press Inc., The Bernard Shaw Society of Japan.
International Theatre Company London
Executive Committee in Japan
Represented by: Ashley Associates Ltd.
7-8-1 Minami Aoyama,
Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
Tel (general): 03-5469-2869, (direct) 03-5469-2841
Fax (general): 03-5469-2870
www.stageplay.jp
http://www.ashleyassociates.co.jp
