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<\/a>The production will run April 5-8 at the Joan B. Kroc Salvation Army Theater and, as always, the young thespians learn more than just their lines (or how to put on period attire).<\/p>\n
\u201cAs with all of our shows, we\u2019ve created a study guide where we talk about George Bernard Shaw, who wrote \u2018Pygmalion,\u2019 the play that was the basis for \u2018My Fair Lady,\u2019 back in 1913,\u201d Arapostathis said. \u201cAnd we discuss Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, who wrote the musical in the early 1950s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henry Higgins, the play\u2019s leading character is a linguist able to pinpoint where a person lives based on the accent. To that end, some of the actors are learning to speak in multiple British dialects.<\/p>\n
Arapostathis is using this aspect of the play to teach about how language influences class distinctions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe separate class by language,\u201d Arapostathis said. \u201cOne of the examples I use is my own family. I come from Greek immigrants and there are many people in my family who have thick Greek accents who are very scholarly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone were to meet them for the first time, they might think they are not well-educated because their English is broken, even though English is their third or fourth language.\u201d<\/p>\n
This marks the third time Peter Pan Junior Theater has done \u201cMy Fair Lady\u201d in its 47-year history. It also marks Arapostathis\u2019 24th show with the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did it in 1997 and 2004,\u201d Arapostathis said. \u201cThe scope of the cast, the costumes and the scenery and props make it a large show. Plus, the rights haven\u2019t always been available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jokes about getting dressed aside, he says the real challenge for the young actors is understanding how to play adult characters.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a 13-year-old playing 55. Your posture and speech needs to change,\u201d he said. \u201cBut a kid doesn\u2019t have the frame of reference. They tend to play an older person stereotypically. They hunch over and get a craggy voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tickets to the four evening shows and one Saturday matinee are $15 each. In addition, the students will perform free shows for fifth graders in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.<\/p>\n
Arapostathis said he has noticed an increased interest in musical theater among kids, especially because of modern musicals like \u201cHamilton.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a resurgence nationwide because clips are available on YouTube and Periscope, but they only know certain musicials,\u201d he said. \u201cThey don\u2019t know \u2018Oklahoma,\u2019 \u2018Cats,\u2019 or who Rodgers and Hammerstein are.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are trying to do is establish cultural literacy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe students will understand how this show fits into world culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>Performances for the show begin at 7 p.m. for the evening shows, 1 p.m. for the matinee. For more information, check out ppjt.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n