Acto's Tom Lemire Performs in 'My Fair Lady'

The hummable, quotable, wonderfully enjoyable musical for the whole family! The story, the songs, the characters -- you know and love them. A Broadway hit when it debuted in 1956, this fan-favorite musical has gone on to win Tony Awards, launch careers and be adapted into the Oscar-winning beloved film. The Wellesley Players brings together an award-winning team to present this beautiful musical in a manner that speaks to today’s audiences. When Professor Henry Higgins bets he can transform a Cockney flower girl into an aristocratic lady, he doesn’t anticipate that Eliza Doolittle will end up transforming him. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s delightful social satire Pygmalion, Lerner and Loewe’s charming and beloved musical features such unforgettable numbers as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” it’s no wonder everyone — not just Henry Higgins — falls in love with Eliza Doolittle. This show is the standard by which all others are measured. The production will feature the sparkling two-piano orchestration, crafted with the approval of Lerner and Loewe by the show’s original arranger of dance music.

The cast and crew of Wellesley Players’ production are drawn from talent throughout Eastern Massachusetts, from Ashland to Beverly, from Tewksbury to Winthrop, and some hometown Players from Wellesley. The talented cast includes both Wellesley Players veterans and performers who are new to the troupe.

Among the talented cast is Acton resident Tom Lemire who is in the Ensemble and plays a member of the Cockney quartet. This production takes things full-circle for Lemire whose very first experience in a musical theater production was as a member of the ensemble in My Fair Lady his freshman year of high school.. The director of that production (“more years ago than either of us cares to admit”) was, perhaps not coincidentally, this show’s director, Celia Couture.

Lemire has worked with the creative team of Celia Couture, Art Finstein, and Kelly Murphy during the Concord Players’ production of Les Miserables last year. Before that show, he hadn’t been on stage since high school. He has, however, been active in recent years behind the scenes with Acton Boxborough Regional High School’s Proscenium Circus. This has given him the chance to be part of his childrens’ theatrical adventures and rekindle his own interest.

About the cast of My Fair Lady, Lemire notes, “I am continually blown away by the level of talent of my fellow cast mates. I have learned so much from them, been entertained by them, and made wonderful new friends.”

The show will be directed by Celia Couture with music direction by Art Finstein, choreography by Kelly Murphy and set design by Ruth Neeman. Director Celia Couture has taken shows to the National Drama Festival three times, including once with the Wellesley Players. Her Radium Girls with the Burlington Players won the National Best Show Award in 2013.

My Fair Lady will be performed at the Arsenal Center of the Arts, Mosesian Theatre in Watertown from April 10-19. Don’t miss it! To reserve tickets please visit: www.wellesleyplayers.org. Discounts for groups are available. Order early as seating is reserved.