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Overview

Synopsis

One rainy, London night, phonetics professor Henry Higgins takes in a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle in an effort to win a bet with Colonel Pickering, an expert in Indian dialects. He bets Pickering that he can teach Eliza elocution and pass her off as a lady to all of London society. Despite many reservations and objections Eliza ultimately agrees to their experiment. Over the course of her education, Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle takes his chances with Higgins for money, but this backfires when he unwillingly becomes a well-off, middle-class gentleman thanks to Higgin’s connections with a rich philanthropist. Eliza turns out to be an apt student and easily convinces the ladies at a garden party that she is a mysterious duchess. Despite her success, Higgins is pompous about his efforts and never truly thinks of Eliza as a lady or his social equal after her stunning transformation. With a proposal from the besotted Freddy Eynsford-Hill lingering in the air, Eliza leaves Higgins to seek her own future.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
5
First Produced
1913
Genres
Drama, Comedy
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
london, england, 1900s
Cast Size
medium
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, College/University, Community Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Eliza Doolittle

Lead

Female

Spoken

Professor Henry Higgins

Lead

Male

Spoken

Colonel Pickering

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Alfred Doolittle

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mrs. Pearce

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Mrs. Higgins

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Mrs. Eynsford-Hill

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Clara Eynsford-Hill

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Freddy Eynsford-Hill

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

Videos

Quizzes

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Quote Analysis

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Guide Written By:

Alexandra Appleton

Alexandra Appleton

Writer, editor and theatre researcher