'My Fair Lady,' 'Color Purple' start new year in New Orleans theaters

Jonathan Grunert as Professor Henry Higgins, Madeline Powell as Eliza Doolittle and John Adkison as Colonel Pickering in the national tour of 'My Fair Lady' coming to the Saenger Theatre in January.

A pair of shows that focus on the changing lives and eventual triumphs of women will start the new year off on Crescent City stages.

In Greek mythology, Pygmalion is a sculptor who becomes enraptured with his artwork and later comes to life.

In George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play by the same name, the creation is a sidewalk flower vendor crafted into a "lady" by a haughty phonetics professor in Edwardian England. 

Fast forward to 1956 and the American theatrical duo of Lerner and Lowe produce "My Fair Lady," the musical version that took six Tony Awards and catapulted Julie Andrews to superstardom.

Staged recently by New York's Lincoln Center on Broadway, the show is now on the road and will make a stop at the Saenger Theatre Jan. 9-14.

Filled with classic compositions of the American stage, "My Fair Lady" is the foundation for "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "Get Me to the Church on Time" and "On the Street Where You Leave." It tells the story of how the professor and his friend decide to transform a "common" flower girl into a princess-like vision able to pass with the regal class.

Packed with quirky characters like the gruff Professor Henry Higgins, the rascally Alfred Doolittle and the leading lady Eliza Doolittle, the show is classic stagecraft with singing, dancing, romance and style. It's a glimpse of the class struggle that was prominent in last-century England, as well as timeless themes like self-improvement, respect and love.

From raucous and rowdy to regal and refined, the action is rather "loverly" as it moves from the opera house of Covent Garden to the Ascot Racecourse and the opulence of the Embassy Ball in costumes that won a Tony Award.

The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9-11, 8 p.m. Jan. 12-13, with matinees at 2 p.m. Jan. 13 and 1 p.m. Jan. 14. Tickets start at $34 at the auditorium at 1111 Canal St. Visit saengernola.com.

With the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker as the source, "The Color Purple" has been made into an Oscar-nominated film and a musical that has captured Tony Awards.

The story of Celie, an African American woman living in the south in the first half of the last century, comes to life at Cutting Edge Theater in Slidell Jan. 5-27 at the playhouse at 767 Robert Blvd. Despite her early years of being trauma, tragedy and hardship, "Miss Celie" triumphs in the end as commander of her own destiny and her loved ones.

Some of the hallmark numbers of the show include the anthemic "I'm Here," the ribald "Push the Button" and the tender "What About Love."

Taking the role of Celie is Brittney Crayton, with Thais Kitchen as Shug and Sam Warren as Mister. Other cast members include Shy Pam, Earl Poole, Que Sanders, Megan Augustine, Brandon Connley, Steven Burke, Shelly Burke, Miss Griffith, Kizzie Fyson, Carlette Hall, Tee Augustine, Drena Jones, Kim McDuffy, Cameron Bradley, Torez Jackson, Dreionne Williams and Malandie McGee.

Directing the production are Brian Fontenot and Suzanne Stymiest. Aaron Turnipseed is musical director for the show.

The show runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, opening Jan. 5. Tickets start at $32. Visit cuttingedgetheater.com.

Megan Hilty brings her talents and style to the River Parishes on Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) for a one-night-only performance at the Lafon Performing Arts Center in Luling.

Best known for her leading spot in the television show "Smash" as Broadway vet Ivy Lynn, Hilty has appeared on the Great White Way as Glinda in "Wicked," Doralee Rhodes in "9 to 5 The Musical" and Brooke in "Noises Off."

Currently touring with a cabaret show, Hilty frequently fronts orchestras with her vocal talents.

The show opens at 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $45. Visit lanfoncenter.org.

"NUTCRACKER! MAGICAL CHRISTMAS BALLET": Opening 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St., New Orleans. The touring production features Ukrainian principal artists, local students from Arabesque Ballet Theater International in Mandeville. Tickets start at $30. saengernola.com.