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My Fair Lady in the Sofia Music Theatre

БНР Новини
Photo: Music Theater archive


One of the most loved titles on the theatre and operetta stage is Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. The musical version - "My Fair Lady” is a work by Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner. The music of the show has a number of fans across the world and the audience in Sofia would now be able to enjoy it. The premiere of “My Fair Lady" in the Musical Theatre took place on January 24th and earned long applause from the audience. They heard the work with new Bulgarian translation by Milen Mitev. Language of the musical is close to modern, lively speech. "Our performance is not limited to the aspect of phonetic war. Language is what gives a start to human behavior,” director Dimitar Sharkov says.    

For the first time the orchestra performed the musical using original score that came from London. A dynamic, multimedia décorcomplemented the action on stage. All this turned "My Fair Lady into a "magic pill for good mood and smiles”.
 
Katerina Tuparova and Lyudmila Kozareva play Eliza, which they say is their dream role. "To build a rich, colorful and bright image, partnership on stage is very important," they say. Professor Higgins is performed by Alexander Mutafchiyski and Marcello Apostolov, while the character of Colonel Pickering is recreated by Dragomir Stoykov and Ivan Panev. Here is more from Alexander Mutafchiyski:

“I am extremely happy that I have played this role. It is truly dramatic and deeply psychological. I rarely play such characters in the theatre – they are usually more comic. I am happy about my meeting with Professor Higgins. When I found out that director was going to be Dimitar Sharkov I felt respect. It turned out this was a man with whom works goes smoothly. Mr. Sharkov gives the actors specific tasks and he is very critical but at the same time gentle.”

We do not have a recording of the new show so we offer a gem from the BNR fund. Listen to Aria of Freddy Eynsford-Hill,performed by Aron Aronov.

Conductor of My Fair lady is Yuli Damyanov. He told us he saw the work in 1972 when Lilyana Kisyova played Eliza.  Many remember her wonderful performances and Lilyana Kisyova, who recently passed away, will always have a legendary status.

“My brightest memory related to Lilyana Kisiova is from the times of my first steps on the theatre stage,” Alexander Mutafchiiski says. “I went to the Mimi Balkanska operetta contest, where she was in the jury together with Vidin Daskalov, Donka Shishmanova, Ruslan Raichev, Svetozar Donev. A colleague of mine told me to look towards Lili Kisyova when I am on stage. She looked like a person who wanted to help me, to make me smile, knowing that I was just starting to walk on her path. That is why we all called her Mother Lili. This show is dedicated to her – the first Eliza Doolittle in Bulgaria.

English version: Alexander Markov




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