My Fair Lady Study Guide

About The Cleveland Play House pg. 2

My Fair Lady
Exploring the Play
The Creative Team – Lerner & Loewe pg. 3
My Fair Lady – synopsis pg. 4
Cast of Characters pg. 5
Fact & Figures pg. 6
Two Pianos pg. 7
George Bernard Shaw & Pygmalion pg. 10
Exploring the Context
London 1912 pg. 12
Role of Women: Society and Suffrage pg. 14
Class pg. 15
Some Examples of Class Systems pg. 16
Exercises and Questions pg. 17
Language pg. 18
Accents and Dialects in My Fair Lady pg. 19
Standard English: How “Standard” Is It? pg. 20
Why Are There So Many Englishes? pg. 20
The Argument Against Linguistic Change pg. 21
Activity Sheets
Character Objective pg. 22
Theme pg. 23
A Good Plot pg. 24
Character & Relationship pg. 25
Cockney Rhyming Slang pg. 26
Cockney Rhyming Slang vs. Hip-Hop pg. 27
British Currency pg. 28
Who Makes the Show? pg. 30
Be a Theatre Critic pg. 31
Teacher Notes
Ohio State Standards pg. 32
Answer Sheets pg. 34

Written by: Kristoffer Diaz, Education Associate

Edited by: Domenick Danza, Education Director

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 The Cleveland Play House

The Cleveland Play House, America’s first permanently established professional

theatre company, is an artist-inspired producing theatre who once had a core
company comprised of many of the nation’s most accomplished theatrical
professionals. The Cleveland Play House serves its community through the
unique experience of live performances by telling a story that is entertaining,
relevant and thought-provoking. We are the region’s most vital forum for the
interactive exchange of ideas about the great truths and mysteries of human
existence.

Founded in 1915, the Play House is the oldest professional regional theatre in the
United States. Paul Newman, Joel Grey and Jack Weston are among the many
actors whose careers began at the Play House, which also operates the nation’s
oldest community-based theatre education programming. In the early 1900s,
Cleveland theatre featured mostly vaudeville, melodrama, burlesque and light
entertainment, but a select group of Clevelanders sought plays of substance on
timely topics. Together they formed The Cleveland Play House and founded a
home in a farmhouse donated by Cleveland industrialist Francis Drury.

Ultimately, Drury helped fund its permanent home at East 85th and Euclid
Avenue. The original Play House was built in 1927 to house two theatres. In
1949 the Play House opened the 77th Street Theatre in a converted church, which
featured America’s first open stage – the forerunner of the thrust stage that was
popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1983 the 77th Street Theatre closed and
Philip Johnson’s addition to the original facility opened, making The Cleveland
Play House the largest regional theatre in the country.

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 My Fair Lady
EXPLORING THE PLAY

The Creative Team

Together, Alan Jay Lerner (Book and Lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (Music)
formed one of the most well-known writing teams in the history of musical
comedy. Their biggest hit shows included:

BRIGADOON (1947)
PAINT YOUR WAGON (1951)
MY FAIR LADY (1956)
GIGI (1958)
CAMELOT (1960)

Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe

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Alan Jay Lerner was born in New York City in 1918. His father was a wealthy
businessman, allowing Alan to attend prestigious private schools, including
Harvard University (where he met and befriended future president John F.
Kennedy). In addition to his work with Frederick Loewe, Lerner created
musicals with composers such as Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, and Charles
Strouse. In 1951, Lerner received an Academy Award for the screenplay of the
film An American in Paris. Lerner was inducted into the prestigious Songwriters’
Hall of Fame in 1971, and passed away in 1986.

Frederick Loewe was born in Vienna, Austria in 1901. His father was a famous
operetta star. At the age of eight, Frederick taught himself to play the piano by
ear and was able to help his father rehearse for shows. By the age of fifteen,
Loewe had composed a popular hit song, and had begun receiving great public
recognition. He eventually moved to New York, where he met Alan Jay Lerner.
Loewe was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1972, and passed
away in 1988.

MY FAIR LADY SYNOPSIS

Egotistical professor of phonetics Henry Higgins and his new friend Colonel
Pickering make an unusual wager: Higgins bets that over the course of six
months, he can turn poor, unmannered flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a proper
refined lady who will be able to pass for a duchess in the highest of society.

Eliza, excited by the possibility of getting off the street, moves into the Higgins’
home, where Henry puts her through a series of exhausting and degrading
speech therapy exercises. Eliza’s spirit is almost broken by Henry’s heartless
approach to her training. Her first public outing - at the Ascot Racecourse - ends
in near disaster as she slips back to her uncouth Cockney roots.

Eliza succeeds in her next and largest challenge: The Embassy Ball. Her manners
are impeccable, her speech is entirely proper, and all of Henry’s high society
acquaintances are entirely convinced by her performance. After the ball, Henry
celebrates winning the bet, but shows no signs of caring about what will happen
to Eliza next – she has served her purpose, and he is finished with her.

Eliza walks out on Henry, and he quickly realizes that he has come to care
deeply about her. As Henry contemplates what he will do without Eliza, she
returns to his home to give him another chance.

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 MY FAIR LADY CAST OF CHARACTERS

Eliza Doolittle: A cockney flower girl from Lisson Grove working

outside Covent Garden. Her potential to become “a lady” becomes
the object of a bet between Higgins and Pickering.

Henry Higgins: British, Upper Class professional bachelor, world

famous phonetics expert, teacher and author of “Higgins’ Universal
Alphabet.”

Colonel Pickering: Retired British officer with colonial experience

and the author of “Spoken Sanskrit.”

Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Upper Class young man who becomes

completely smitten with Eliza.

Alfred P. Doolittle: Eliza’s father; an elderly but vigorous dustman.

Mrs. Higgins: Henry’s long-suffering mother.

Mrs. Pearce: Henry Higgins’ housekeeper.

Mrs. Eynsford-Hill: Freddy’s mother and a friend of Mrs. Higgins.

Professor Zoltan Karpathy: A bearded Hungarian; former phonetics

student of Henry Higgins.

Harry: Drinking companion of Alfred Doolittle.

Jamie: Drinking companion of Alfred Doolittle.

Bartender: George, works the Tottenham Court Road Pub.

Mrs. Hopkins: A cockney woman of Tottenham Court.

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 Original Broadway poster (the puppeteer in the cloud represents Shaw)

MY FAIR LADY FACTS AND FIGURES

Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion

My Fair Lady opened on Broadway on March 15th, 1956,

and ran for 2,717 performances, which was then a Broadway record.

The original Broadway cast recording of My Fair Lady

spent 480 weeks on the Billboard charts,
making it the third-longest-selling album of all-time.

In 1964, My Fair Lady was made into a film by Warner Brothers.

The film rights for the musical sold for five million dollars,
an unheard-of price at the time.

Some of the many modern takes on the My Fair Lady story include episodes of
The Simpsons and Family Guy, as well as the 1999 film She’s All That.

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 My Fair Lady
Two Pianos

The 2006 Cleveland Play House production of My Fair Lady (directed by Amanda
Dehnert) recreates the spirit of the beloved classic musical with a twist: instead of
the typical large-scale Broadway orchestra, this production relies on two pianos
to provide all musical accompaniment. Why create such a dramatic revision of
such a landmark musical?

Actually, the two pianos orchestration is no new reinvention. It was

commissioned in 1959 by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, the show’s
creators. Arranger Trude Rittman worked under the supervision of Lerner and
Loewe to create a more intimate version of the score that would be suitable for
touring shows and smaller scale productions of the wildly popular show.

Although this musical arrangement was used sparingly around the time of its
creation, it has become more popular in recent years. The two pianos version of
My Fair Lady fits perfectly within an ongoing theatrical trend of doing smaller
productions of large musicals. It may seem that such a decision is purely
financial—after all, it is less expensive to hire two pianists than a full orchestra—
but there are substantial artistic reasons to think small.

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 Chicago Playbill

One of the most well-known names in the smaller-scale musical world is New
York City Center’s Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert. Since 1994, the
Encores! series has produced concert versions of major American musicals, often
shows that have been forgotten by musical theater audiences. The purpose of the
series is to celebrate and show off the scores of these shows—scenery and
costumes are kept to a minimum, and actors perform with scripts in their hands.
The current Broadway production of Chicago (on which the film version was
based) originated as an Encores! production. A similar program—Reprise!—
carries out the same mission in Los Angeles.

From the Encores! production of Purlie

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 Sweeney Todd

Sometimes a smaller-scale version of a musical serves to spotlight a classic score.

In the case of the current Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney
Todd however, the production’s intent is to reexamine the haunting musical and
reinvent it with a brand new concept. Director John Doyle strips away realistic
sets, places all of his props (and actors) onstage throughout the show, and
replaces the orchestra with the actors themselves—renowned Broadway actor
Patti Lupone, for example, plays the xylophone, triangle, and tuba at various
points in the piece. The result is both a radical rethinking of Sondheim’s themes
and original intentions and an unqualified artistic and economic success.

Sweeney Todd

The two piano version of My Fair Lady provides new ways of looking at and
thinking about the venerable musical. Thanks in part to the immensely popular
1964 film, My Fair Lady is often remembered as much for big dance sequences
and flashy Victorian Era fashion as for its classic score and story. Dehnert’s
production turns its focus onto the show’s essential artistic parts by exploring
what makes the piece uniquely theatrical and intimate. The production both
celebrates the original music and investigates in new ways the themes of this
timeless American classic.

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 GEORGE BERNARD SHAW AND PYGMALION

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw was born to a poor family in Dublin, Ireland in 1856. He
moved to London during the 1870s, where he would go on to become an
acclaimed playwright, novelist, cultural and literary critic, and activist. In his
lifetime, Shaw won both the Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Academy
Award (Best Screenplay for Pygmalion, 1938); he is the only person to ever have
received both prestigious honors.

Some of Shaw’s more famous plays include:

Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1898)
Candida (1898)
Major Barbara (1905)
Heartbreak House (1919)
Saint Joan (1923)

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Shaw also wrote Pygmalion (1912), a stage play based on a myth created by
Roman author Ovid in his epic poem Metamorphoses. In Ovid’s myth, a sculptor
falls in love with a beautiful statue that he has carved. Shaw’s primary concern,
however, was not love. Shaw was more interested in the ills of London society,
particularly the unequal distribution of wealth, the inherent unfairness of the
class system, and the male domination of society.

The story of Pygmalion is very similar to that of My Fair Lady, with one glaring
(and telling) difference: Eliza does not return to Higgins in the end. For Shaw,
this lack of returning symbolized women’s refusal to serve merely as a tool or
puppet to men—Eliza chooses to be her own woman rather than a creation of
Henry’s teachings. Audiences, however, often openly wished for a romantic
ending; as a result, both the 1938 film and My Fair Lady end with Eliza returning
to Henry’s side.

Original poster for the 1938 film

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 My Fair Lady
EXPLORING THE PLAY
London 1912

Late Victorian London poverty

WORKING CLASS LONDON

Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, as much as eighty percent of
London’s labor force consisted of members of the working class, with more than
thirty percent of Londoners living below the poverty line. Inner London was
often perceived as dangerous, decadent, and a den for drunken, lazy, and unruly
behavior; the poorest parts of the city were frequently referred to as “outcast
London” or “the abyss.”

However, studies by wealthy businessman Charles Booth showed that the vast
majority - over three-quarters - of the city’s poor were victims of social structures
and circumstance, including low wages, family illness, or irregular availability of
employment. Booth believed that this portion of the working class was not in

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nearly as bad shape as they were made out to be—and he would prove to be
correct. By the early Edwardian era, the working class was making great
economic, social, and health strides, with the help of, among other factors:
Improved sanitation techniques and practices.
Mass education.
Increased charitable interest from the wealthy.
Developing public welfare services.
More readily and consistently available employment opportunities.

Horse-drawn and motor vehicles share the streets of

Edwardian Era London.

Edwardian Era London men. A London tenement street.

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ROLE OF WOMEN: SOCIETY AND SUFFRAGE
Throughout the mid-nineteenth century, the wealthy inhabitants of greater
London – the twenty percent of the population living above the poverty line -
developed the concept of society: a cultural and economic elite known largely for
style, fashion, and extravagant parties. In addition, members of society adhered
to certain unalterable social principles, including:
Hierarchy: The members of society existed at the very top of the class
system (or just under the monarchy); the poor of the inner city were
deemed to be of a lower social class;
Respectability: It was the duty of a member of society to appear
respectable to outsiders at all times; this included dress, speech, manners,
and behavior;
Male dominance: The men in society were breadwinners and societal
leaders.
This is not to say that women were completely unvalued within society.
Although Upper and Middle Class women were not members of the work force,
they often took on the role of gatekeeper within society – making sure that the
rich stayed within the proper boundaries and the poor stayed away entirely.

Regardless of economic status, women had few rights in the United Kingdom
(UK). The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was formed in 1903 in
order to fight this unfair discrimination and work towards lasting social reform.
One of the key components of the WSPU’s mission was the campaign for
women’s suffrage – the right to vote. Over the course of the next fifteen years,
the “Suffragettes”, as they came to be known, went to great lengths to make their
voices heard: from five hundred thousand person rallies in London’s Hyde Park
to coordinated window-smashing raids throughout the city’s high fashion, high
society shopping neighborhoods. In 1918, the efforts of the WSPU (and other
social reformers) were rewarded, as UK women over the age of 30 were given the
right to vote. In 1928, women were given the exact same voting rights as men.

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 CLASS

A social class system is defined as the ranking of the members of a

culture into some sort of artificial order of value.

In a social class system, the members of a culture are divided into imaginary
groups (or classes) which are then placed into a hierarchy (a series in which each
element is graded or ranked). Groups that are believed to have the most power
in that culture are placed at the top of the hierarchy, while groups with little or
no power are placed at the bottom.

There have been many different types of class systems throughout history. A
class system can contain any number of groups, and these groups can be divided
in any number of ways. Classes are often formed around socioeconomic lines
(how much money a person has), but class can also be defined by other factors:
education, race, occupation, ownership of land or other property, or political
standing.

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 SOME EXAMPLES OF CLASS SYSTEMS

The Two Class System

The most basic (and sometimes oversimplified) of the class systems, made up of:
An Upper Class, consisting of the rich and/or powerful,
A Lower Class, consisting of the poor and/or weak.
In a two class view of slavery, for example, the Upper Class was made up of the
slave-owners, while the slaves formed the Lower Class. In Marxism, the
capitalists (people who own businesses) make up the Upper Class and control
the lives of the proletariat or Working Class (people who work in the businesses).

The Four Class System

This system is particularly relevant to the time period in which My Fair Lady
takes place. With new machines and technologies being constantly developed,
safety was often a key concern for people who worked for a living. As a result,
the level of danger people faced on their jobs became an important class
distinction, and society could be said to be divided like this:
Upper Class – the cultural elite, who live off of their investments and do
not have to work at all,
Upper Middle Class – workers who are employed in safe, clean jobs,
Lower Middle Class – workers who are employed in dangerous jobs with
unsanitary working conditions,
Lower Class – citizens who either do not work or do not make enough
money to enjoy any economic freedom.
In The Four Class System, the distinction between Upper Middle Class and
Lower Middle Class IS NOT how much money a person makes (although the
safer, cleaner jobs often did pay more), but how safe and healthy a person’s work
environment was.

The Nine Class System

In his book Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, historian Paul
Fussell presents his theory of a nine class structure to describe contemporary
American society:
Top out-of-sight: The incredibly wealthy -- for example, Bill Gates
(estimated to be worth more than 50 billion dollars) or the Walton Family
(who own Walmart and are estimated to be worth a combined 150 billion
dollars),
Upper Class: Rich actors, athletes and other celebrities who have
extravagant wealth and are constantly in the public eye (Lebron James,
Angelina Jolie, and Jay-Z fall into this group),
Upper-Middle Class: Well-educated professionals who have made their
own money (not inherited it from rich parents),

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 Middle Class: Office workers (who are financially stable and work in safe
desk jobs),
High Prole: Workers who work with their hands in jobs that require a
certain amount of training and skills (carpenters and plumbers, for
example). The term “prole” is short for proletariat.
Mid Prole: Workers in factories and the service industry; these jobs are
often more dangerous and offer less money and security,
Low Prole: Manual Laborers who, for example, work on farms they do not
own; these jobs can be extremely dangerous and tiring and often do not
even pay minimum wage,
Destitute: The homeless and jobless who have no income,
Bottom out-of-sight: Prisoners and anyone who is incarcerated in any type
of institution.

EXERCISES AND QUESTIONS

1. Class & Oppression:

To answer the following questions refer to the Cast of Characters from My
Fair Lady listed on page 5 and the “Four Class System” listed above.
o Which class does each character belong to?
o What role does each of the female characters play in London society?
o How do the men in the play view the women?
o How is each of the characters in the musical oppressed by someone in
a higher social position?
o Are there any characters who are not in any way oppressed? Explain.
o Are there any characters who do not oppress any other characters in
any way? Why do you think this is?

2. Suffrage:
To answer the following questions refer to the section “Role of Women:
Society and Suffrage” on page 11 as well as the following websites:
- library.thinkquest.org/J002886/sufferage.html
- www.ibiblio.org/unipress/ncbooks/suffrage/sufferage.html
- Google: suffrage
o Examine the specific ways the suffrage movements chose to resist
oppression.
o Create a time line of the suffrage movement in the United States.
o Create a time line of the suffrage movement in the United Kingdom.
o Compare the two time lines. What, if any, conclusions can be drawn?
o How do you think Eliza would react to the suffrage movement at the
beginning of the play?
o How do you think Eliza would react to the suffrage movement once
she has become a new woman and potential member of high society?

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 LANGUAGE
“A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting noises has no right to be
anywhere—no right to live.” – Henry Higgins, Act One, Scene One

“An Englishman’s way of speaking absolutely classifies him. The moment he

talks he makes some other Englishman despise him.”
– from “Why Can’t The English?”

As a professor of phonetics (in his words, “the science of speech”), Henry

Higgins believes that the way a person speaks is the most important factor in
establishing his or her social class. He believes that there is a perfect, proper
approach to the English language, and that a failure to understand and master
that approach prevents a citizen from becoming a success. Eliza Doolittle, on the
other hand, speaks in the language of the London streets. She is unconcerned
with her pronunciation and grammar; as a poor flower girl supporting her hard-
drinking father, she has more immediate issues to worry about.

So who is right?

ACCENTS AND DIALECTS

The word ACCENT can be defined as:

A characteristic pronunciation, especially:

a. One determined by the regional or social background of the speaker.
b. One determined by the phonetic habits of the speaker's native language carried
over to his or her use of another language.

In other words, an accent is the specific way a person pronounces specific words.
That pronunciation can be shaped by where the person lives or grew up, the
person’s original (or native) language, or any number of social factors.

The word DIALECT can be defined as:

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or

vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or
speech pattern of the culture in which it exists.

A dialect, then, applies not only to the way a person pronounces specific words,
but also which words a person uses and how the person uses those words to

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convey his or her meaning. A dialect often will use words in very different ways
than the “proper” or widely accepted usage of the language it comes from.

Do you speak a dialect?

Do you have the same dialect as the rest of your immediate family?
Siblings? Parents? Grandparents?
Do you have the same dialect as your classmates? Teachers?
Do you have the same dialect as your friends or family in other
neighborhoods?
Do you have the same dialect as your friends or family in different cities?
Site examples of specific words you use or pronounce differently than
other people you know.
What creates the difference in these dialects? Age? Location? Race?

ACCENTS AND DIALECTS IN MY FAIR LADY

In My Fair Lady, Henry Higgins speaks Standard English – the “proper” or

widely accepted form of English within the United Kingdom. He enunciates his
words clearly, making each sound easy to understand. Even when he is
insulting someone, he chooses his words carefully (often selecting phrases that
highlight his advanced education), as this quotation illustrates:

“Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these
columns, you incarnate insult to the English language; I could pass you off as the
Queen of Sheba.”

What does Henry’s dialect say about his personality? His values? His
background? His economic status?
How do other characters react to Henry’s dialect? What does Eliza think
of the way Henry speaks? What does Pickering think?
Rewrite Henry’s quotation from above in your own dialect.

Eliza, on the other hand, speaks the Cockney dialect of English – one of the
traditional dialects of London’s poor working class. Cockney is known for its
distinctive pronunciations and word choices, some of which can be seen here:

“Aoooow! I ain’t dirty: I washed my face and hands afore I come, I did.”

Eliza uses the word “ain’t” instead of “I am not”, “afore” instead of “before”, and
“I come” instead of “I came”. She adds the phrase “I did” to the end of her
sentence for extra emphasis. She makes the unusual “Aoooow” sound (which

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particularly drives Henry crazy) to express her anger and displeasure. All of
these word choices stem from her upbringing in the Cockney dialect.

What does Eliza’s dialect say about her personality? Her values? Her
background? Her economic status?
How do other characters react to Eliza’s dialect? What does Mrs. Pearce
think of the way Eliza speaks? What do her father and his friends think?
Rewrite Eliza’s quotation from above in your own dialect.

STANDARD ENGLISH: HOW “STANDARD” IS IT?

As previously mentioned, Henry’s Standard English is often viewed as the

proper or correct approach to pronunciation and grammar in the United
Kingdom. Standard English is taught in schools and spoken by important public
figures in the government and media. However, most UK citizens speak with an
accent specific to the region in which they live—not any national standard. Most
UK citizens do not follow Standard English rules of grammar and vocabulary; as
little as twelve to fifteen percent of the population adheres to this “standard”.

Use the Cast of Characters from My Fair Lady listed on page 5 and put an
“S” next to the name of each who speaks Standard English.
Use the Cast of Characters from My Fair Lady listed on page 5 and put an
“R” next to the name of each who speaks with a regional dialect.
In My Fair Lady, do all of the characters at the top of the social hierarchy
speak Standard English?
Do all of the characters who are lower in the hierarchy speak with
regional dialects?
If not, can you give reasons to explain why not?

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT ENGLISHES?

Eliza and Henry both live in London, and they both speak English, but their
dialects vary greatly. Both of their dialects are very different than your
Cleveland dialect, which may be very different than that of a friend or family
member from New York, Boston, or Dallas. How can so many people speak the
same language in so many different ways?

All languages are constantly evolving. As people use language in their everyday
lives, they add to or change existing rules of pronunciation, grammar, and
vocabulary. When one group of people who speak a language live far away

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from other people who speak that language, it is likely that these new rules will
not all be shared among all groups. If you and your friends invent a new slang
word, teenagers in San Francisco will not automatically understand that new
word’s meaning. You have adapted the English language according to your own
local dialect.

If all languages are always changing, then why would a linguistic scholar such as
Henry Higgins be so resistant to dialects such as Cockney? Why would he fight
so hard against change?

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST LINGUISTIC CHANGE

British linguistic scholar and dialect expert Peter Trudgill suggests that
objections to language change are often “presumably really objections to what
the objectors perceive to be symbolic of a threat to their culture and way of life.”

Restate Trudgill’s theory in your own words. What is he saying about the
attitudes of people who are resistant to linguistic change?
In My Fair Lady does Henry Higgins perceive dialects as a potential threat
to his way of life? If so, in what ways? Find evidence in the script that
supports your answer.
Have you ever stereotyped or judged another person simply on their use
of language? Have you ever been stereotyped or judged by the same
standard?
Could Trudgill’s theory of “objections to language change” be used by the
higher classes to discriminate against or oppress the lower classes?
List some ways that language can be utilized to maintain the class system
and prevent shifts in political, economic, and/or social power.
List some ways that language can be utilized to break the class system and
cause shifts in political, economic, and/or social power.

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 Activity Sheet
Character Objective
Characters in movies, plays, books, and stories have a basic similarity.
They all have OBJECTIVES.

An objective is: SOMETHING A CHARACTER WANTS, NEEDS OR

DESIRES throughout the story. They usually spend the entire time
pursuing this objective.

Each character in “My Fair Lady” has an OBJECTIVE as well. What is the
primary desire of the following characters?

Eliza Doolittle:

Henry Higgins:

Colonel Pickering:

Freddy Eynsford-Hill:

Alfred P. Doolittle:

Mrs. Pearce:

Mrs. Higgins:

Professor Zoltan Karparthy:

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 Activity Sheet
Theme
Every play has a THEME. Every book and movie does, too.
Theme: the main idea or ethical precept of the play.
Theme is the same as topic, subject matter, premise or thesis.

My Fair Lady focuses on the theme of TRANSFORMATION.

List three examples of how the theme of transformation is illustrated
in the plot of My Fair Lady. Be very specific.

1. ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Do these examples connect to the objectives of the characters?

Think about your favorite movie or book. Answer the following questions:

Title: __________________________________________________________

What is the theme: _______________________________________________

List examples of how the theme is illustrated:
1. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Discussion question: What would happen if a story had no theme?

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 Activity Sheet
A Good Plot
Plot: what happens in a play; the story/stories being told as revealed by what
the characters say about themselves or each other; the action of the play.

Here are sixteen plot points from the script of My Fair Lady.
Put them in the order they take place in the script
by placing a number (1 to 16) in the space at the left.

_____ Eliza finally “gets it”.

_____ Higgins realizes he has deep feelings for Eliza.
_____ Eliza is a success and her feelings are hurt.
_____ Eliza asks Higgins for lessons.
_____ Higgins and Pickering make the bet.
_____ Higgins meets Pickering and Eliza outside Covent Garden.
_____ Freddie comes to visit Eliza.
_____ Eliza is presented at the Embassy Ball.
_____ Higgins works Eliza very hard.
_____ Eliza returns to Higgins.
_____ Freddy tells Eliza he is in love with her.
_____ Eliza’s father finds out she is living with Higgins.
_____ Eliza is tried out at the Ascot Races.
_____ Eliza is not recognized by her old friends.
_____ Eliza’s father takes money from Higgins.
_____ Eliza leaves Higgins.

A good plot… keeps you guessing.

A good plot… surprises you.
A good plot… will have multiple themes.
A good plot… builds on a strong central conflict.

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 Activity Sheet
Character & Relationship
The central character in My Fair Lady is Eliza, as everything revolves
around the relationship of the other characters to her.
For each character listed below, define that relationship and how each
character “transforms” because of Eliza’s growth and change.

Henry Higgins: ________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Colonel Pickering: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Freddy Eynsford-Hill: __________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Alfred P. Doolittle: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Mrs. Pearce: __________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Mrs. Higgins: _________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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 Activity Sheet
Cockney Rhyming Slang
Perhaps the most infamous of all the British slang, Cockney Rhyming Slang is
a richly complicated, in-the-know type of language. It is said that slang was
originally developed by the thieves of London, so that they could communicate
without the bobbies (police) understanding what they were saying.

In Cockney Rhyming Slang, a word is represented by a phrase that ends in a rhyme.

For example, the word mate rhymes with china plate.
So the phrase china plate represents mate.
However, in spoken slang, only the beginning of the phrase would remain.
So the word china means mate.

Here are some other examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang.

Use the slang terms in a sentence as illustrated in example #1.
1. Adam and Eve = believe
Sentence: Would you Adam and Eve it?

2. Apples and Pears = stairs

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3. Bricks and Mortar = daughter

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

4. Britney Spears = beer

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

5. China Plate = mate/ friend

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

6. Dicky Bird = word

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Continue on next page

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7. Dog and Bone = telephone
Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

8. Duchess of Fife = wife

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

9. Pork Pies = lies

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

10. Whistle and Flute = suit

Sentence: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Cockney Rhyming Slang vs. Hip-Hop

How similar are these Cockney Rhyming Slang terms
to Hip-Hop terms used today?

List 3 Hip-Hop terms or phrases and explain their definition and their origin.

Rap Term: ____________________________________________________

Definition or Origin: ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Rap Term: ____________________________________________________
Definition or Origin: ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Rap Term: ____________________________________________________
Definition or Origin: ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

27
 Activity Sheet
British Currency
Today’s British Currency consists of 100p (or “pence”) = £1 (or “pound”)
This was not always the case!
The above equation only came in after decimalization on February 15, 1971.
Prior to decimalization, British currency was a complex series of notes and coins.

Have a look at the Royal Mint’s website for more information.

It is the best source for information as they made and still make British money!
http://www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_british_coin
age/DecimalCoinage/The_old_system.asp

£ (Pound): Symbol for pounds sterling. In 1971 £1 = 100p.

Prior to that, £1 = 20 shillings or 240 pennies!
It was written as £/s/d (“d” was the symbol for pence).
From 1776 till World War II (1939-1945), £1 fluctuated between $3-5 (1864
peak of $12).
£ s d: “pounds, shillings, and pence.”
4 farthings = 1 penny; 12 pence = 1 shilling; 2 shillings = 1 florin; 5 shillings
= 1 crown; 20 shillings = 1 pound; 21 shillings = 1 guinea
¼d (fahdhing): symbol for a farthing, four to a penny, about the size of a
copper cent, went out of circulation in 1956.
½d (haypnee): symbol for a halfpenny, about the size of a thin copper
quarter.
1d (penee): symbol for penny.
2d (tuhpens): twopence, (also symbol for half groat).
3d (threpens): symbol for threepence, threepenny bit, silver (about size of a
dime) until 1920, then 12-sided brass coin like a fat nickel.
4d: symbol for groat.
6d (sickspens): symbol for sixpence, about size of a dime, sometimes called
tanner.
1/-, 1s, 12d: symbol for shilling (12d), about size of a quarter, still in
circulation, equivalent to 5p, syn. bob, shilling bit.
Continued on next page.

28
2/-: symbol for florin, two shillings, about the size of a half dollar, still in
circulation, equivalent to 10p, syn. two bob.
2/6d (too n siks): symbol for half a crown, two-and-six (pence), larger than
a half dollar.
5/-: symbol for crown, five shillings, huge, much larger than a silver dollar.
10/-: symbol for (brown) ten shilling note, syn. ten bob note.
10/6d: ten-and-six, also half a guinea
20/-, £1, 240d, 100p: alternate for £1 (green), pound, pound sterling,
sovereign.
21/-: symbol for guinea, twenty-one shillings.
£1: symbol for one pound note (green), first issued in 1928, new note issued
in 1968, and reverting back to coins in 1983.
£5: symbol for five pound note (blue, though, like the tenner’s, they used to
be huge white sheets inscribed with gold filigree, large enough to wrap up
plenty of money in).
£10: symbol for ten pounds (brown) or ten pound note.
£20: symbol for twenty pounds or the twenty pound note (rainbow colors).

Consult the following web site to convert this American and British
currency: http://eh.net/hmit/exchange/

American British
$180 £_____________ (pounds)
$.18 ______________d (pence)
$____________ £1 million (pounds)
$1 million £_____________ (pounds)
$____________ £3,000 (pounds)
$____________ 100d (pence)

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 Activity Sheet
Who Makes the Show?
It takes a lot of people to put together a theatrical production. It is very
similar to the many people needed to put on a sporting event, like a
basketball game. Below are two lists of only some of the people who are
integral parts to either a theatrical production or to keeping a basketball team
in working order. Using the internet and what you learned from your visit to
The Cleveland Play House, write a brief description of each person’s
responsibilities. Then, draw a line matching the person in column A
(theatrical production) to column B (basketball team).

A-Production Team B-Basketball Team

1. Director:_______________ 1. Fans:_________________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________

2. Stage Manager:_________ 2. Owner:________________

________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________

3. Actor:_________________ 3. Coach:________________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________

4. Producer:______________ 4. Players:_______________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________

5.Audience:______________ 5. Assistant Coach:_________

_______________________ ________________________
_______________________ ________________________
_______________________ ________________________

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 Writing Activity
Be a Theatre Critic
A very strong element in the success or failure of a new production is the Theatre
Critic. Use the following outline to write a review of the Cleveland Play House’s
production of My Fair Lady.

Paragraph 1: ABOUT THE PLAY

1. What was the title or the play?
2. Who wrote the play?
3. Which theatre company produced it?
4. What was your overall reaction to the play?
5. Give a brief synopsis of the plot of the play.

Paragraph 2:
1. What aspects of the production (i.e. sets, costumes, lights, sound,
acting), were similar to how you envisioned them? What aspects were
different? What aspects would you like to have changed and why?
2. What scenes in the play did you find most/least interesting,
entertaining, and enjoyable? What about these scenes made you like or
dislike them so much?
3. Did the production move too slowly, quickly, or at the right speed?

Paragraph 3: ABOUT THE CHARACTERS/ PERFORMERS

1. Did any characters touch you personally? Who was your favorite?
2. Were the character's motivations clear? In other words, could you
understand what each character wanted?
3. Which actor do you think gave the best performance? What did this actor
do that made you think s/he gave the best performance?
4. How did the way the actors use their bodies onstage enhance their
performances?

Paragraph 4: ABOUT THE SET

1. Did the set provide the right environment/atmosphere for the production?
If so, how? If not, why not?
2. Did the set reflect the themes and style of the play?
3. Were there any interesting details in the set? If so, what?

Paragraph 5: ABOUT THE LIGHTING AND THE SOUND

1. Did the lighting establish the right mood and atmosphere for the
production? If so, how? If not, why not?
2. Did the music/sound add to the mood and atmosphere of the production or
take away from it? How?

Paragraph 6: ABOUT THE COSTUMES

1. Were the costumes appropriate for the mood and style of the production?
If so, why? If not, why not?
2. Did any of the costumes reflect a character's personality or wealth? What
clues did the costumes give about the characters?

Paragraph 7: CONCLUSION
Would you recommend this production to someone? If so, to whom? If not, why not?

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 My Fair Lady
by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe
Can Professor Henry Higgins transform a poor flower girl named Eliza
Doolittle into a lovely young woman of high society? With “Just You Wait,”
“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night,” this Lerner
and Loewe musical is among the most honored and best loved in the history
of American musical theatre. This special, intimate two-piano version of the
production was approved by the authors years ago, but is rarely performed.

Standard: Social Studies

Benchmarks: Grades 6-12
People in Societies - Students use knowledge of perspectives, practices and products of
cultural, ethnic and social groups to analyze the impact of their commonality and
diversity within local, national, regional and global settings.

Standard: Language Arts

Benchmarks: Grades 6-12
Literary Text Standard - Students enhance their understanding of the human story by
reading literary texts that represent a variety of authors, cultures and eras. They learn to
apply the reading process to the various genres of literature, including fables, folk tales,
short stories, novels, poetry and drama. They demonstrate their comprehension by
describing and discussing the elements of literature (e.g., setting, character and plot),
analyzing the author’s use of language (e.g., word choice and figurative language),
comparing and contrasting texts, inferring theme and meaning and responding to text in
critical and creative ways. Strategic readers learn to explain, analyze and critique literary
text to achieve deep understanding.

32
 Standard: Music
Benchmarks: Grades 5-12
Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts Standard - Students demonstrate knowledge
and understanding of a variety of music styles and cultures and the context of musical
expression or events, both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of
composers and performers to music heritage. Students analyze the historical, social and
political forces that have influenced the function and role of music in the lives of people.
Analyze and Responding Standard – Students listen to a varied repertoire of music and
respond by analyzing and describing music using correct terminology. Students evaluate
the creating and performing of music by using appropriate criteria.
Valuing Music/Aesthetic Reflection Standard – Students demonstrate an understanding
of reasons why people value music and a respect for diverse opinions regarding music
preferences. Students articulate the significance of music in their lives.

Standard: Drama/Theatre Standards

Benchmarks: Grades K through 12
Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts - Students understand and appreciate the
historical, social, political and cultural contexts of drama/theatre in societies both past
and present. Students identify significant contributions of playwrights, actors, designers,
technicians, composers/lyricists, choreographers, directors, producing organizations and
inventors to dramatic/theatrical heritage. Students analyze the social and political forces
that have influenced and do influence the function and role of drama/theatre in the lives
of people.
Analyzing and Responding Standard - Students respond to dramatic/theatrical texts,
experiences and performances by describing the distinguishing characteristics and
interpreting meaning, themes and moods. Students analyze the creative techniques used
in creating and performing dramatic/theatrical works and evaluate dramatic/theatrical
works using appropriate criteria.
Valuing Drama/Theatre/Aesthetic Reflection - Students demonstrate an understanding
of reasons why people value drama/theatre and a respect for diverse opinions regarding
dramatic/theatrical preferences. Students develop personal drama/theatre philosophies
and articulate the significance of drama/theatre in their lives.

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 Answers to:
Activity Sheet
A Good Plot
Here are sixteen plot points from the script of My Fair Lady.
Put them in the order they take place in the script
by placing a number (1 to 16) in the space at the left.

7 - Eliza finally “gets it”.

15 - Higgins realizes he has deep feelings for Eliza.
11 - Eliza is a success and her feelings are hurt.
2 - Eliza asks Higgins for lessons.
3 - Higgins and Pickering make the bet.
1 - Higgins meets Pickering and Eliza outside Covent Garden.
9 - Freddie comes to visit Eliza.
10 - Eliza is presented at the Embassy Ball.
6 - Higgins works Eliza very hard.
16 - Eliza returns to Higgins.
13 - Freddy tells Eliza he is in love with her.
4 - Eliza’s father finds out she is living with Higgins.
8 - Eliza is tried out at the Ascot Races.
14 - Eliza is not recognized by her old friends.
5 - Eliza’s father takes money from Higgins.
12 - Eliza leaves Higgins.

34