The staging, directed by Glenn Casale, is a reunion for the couple on two fronts. They played the same roles under the direction of Robert Johanson at Paper Mill: The State Theatre of New Jersey in June 2002. Back in 1991 for TUTS, Crampton created the role of Christine in the world premiere of Maury Yeston's Phantom, and Schoeffler was her love interest, Phillipe. Crampton's next assignment is another Lerner and Loewe favorite, Camelot, for Paper Mill. She'll be Guenevere. Schoeffler was a Capt. Hook opposite Rigby's Peter Pan in the last decade, under Casale's direction.
"I think this play that I'm doing is pretty much perfect," director Casale said of My Fair Lady. "People get plays and say, 'I wanna tinker with it,' but there's nothing to tinker with. Lerner and Loewe's music and George Bernard Shaw's musicality with language fit together perfectly."
Casale previously directed Schoeffler in the Higgings role, the first time the actor tackled it, at Sacramento Music Circus.
The revival of My Fair Lady is a co-production between a number of not-for-profit companies, meaning the scenic elements and costumes were paid for by all, but each theatre has the option of choosing its own creative team and cast. The staging is co-produced by Paper Mill (Milburn, NJ), Ordway Theatre of St. Paul, the 5th Avenue Theatre (Seattle), Dallas Summer Musicals and Theatre of the Stars (Atlanta).
Houston actor Jim Bernhard is Col. Pickering, and Ed Dixon, whose Broadway credits include The Iceman Cometh, Les Misérables, Cyrano and The Scarlet Pimpernel, is Alfred Doolittle. Marge Carroll is Mrs. Pearce, Robert Hunt is Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Patricia Fraser is Mrs. Higgins and Ricky Carlson is Zoltan Karpathy. Director Glenn Casale recently directed Theatre Under The Stars' 2001 production of Into the Woods and helmed the recent Tony Award-nommed Broadway and touring run of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby.
Designers are Michael Anania (scenic) and Gregory Poplyk (costumes).
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is at 800 Bagby at Walker. Tickets for My Fair Lady are $25-$68. For information, call (713) 558-8887 or visit www.tuts.com.
