VietNamNet Bridge – A British musical entitled “My Fair Lady” will be introduced at the Hong Ha Theatre, 1 Duong Thanh, Hanoi as of April 1 by the Hanoi International Theatre Society – HIST.

Artists of The Hanoi International Theatre Society.

My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so she can pass as a proper lady.

The Broadway production of the musical in 1956 was a hit, setting what was then the record for the longest run of any major musical theater production in history. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals. It has been called "the perfect musical".

In Vietnam, My Fair Lady will be performed in English, and for the first time ever, completely subtitled in Vietnamese.

Founded in 2001, HITS is a non-profit group that brings together international and Vietnamese national theatre enthusiasts to explore creative expression and drama as a leisure activity and community development activity.

HITS has grown into a successful volunteer community theatre group with theatrical offerings like “Love Shorts  “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Nerd” and “Blood Brothers” and its off-shoot productions like the stand-up comedy show “The Possibly Funny Show” and the improvisation work of “The Unrehearsals”.

All proceeds from HITS performances will go to a local charity. For “My Fair Lady”, HITS will be donating the proceeds to the Highland Education Development Organization (HEDO ). HEDO is a nongovernmental organization working to develop the education levels of the people and children in the highland and disadvantaged areas of Vietnam.

The musical has contributions from acclaimed fashion designer Kelly Bui and the students and staff of the London Centre for Fashion Studies, and Raffles International College to produce the extensive range of costumes required to stage this elaborate show.

PV