As all the theatres in England closed their doors and the travelling theatre companies stopped travelling, Years 7 and 8 at Winterfold continued to rehearse and gave two wonderful performances of My Fair Lady to the rest of the Prep school. Everyone had worked tirelessly to get the show ready for the performance date, which had to be brought forward by a week. Although sad not to be able to perform to an external audience, the cast and crew were determined to entertain the rest of the school.
My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza (played by Bessy H and Isla C) a “common flower girl” who wants to be “a lady” and sell flowers in a shop rather than “on the corner of Tottenham Court Road”. Professor Higgins (played by Louis M) takes her under his wing and changes how she speaks and behaves so that she is accepted into all of the society events. The piece has lots of comic moments, as well as more emotional ones, as we watch the relationship between Eliza and Higgins develop.
What the Year 7 and 8s created was nothing less than spectacular. Every line was learned and delivered with such clarity and feeling, each song was sung with gusto and even the dances were performed with energy and were engaging (even if there were a few sore toes after the waltz at the ball).
Mrs Stark, Head of Drama said “there were so many wonderful performances that it is difficult to pick out the highlights. The principal cast have been wonderful to work with and have taken direction so well, that it was no surprise that they were brilliant. However, for me, some of the best moments were those when the stage was packed with every child in Year 7 and 8, performing with focus and helping to bring the streets of London in 1912 to life. A special mention must also go to those children who stepped into new roles at the last minute and made them their own. We hope that one day we will be able to share our performance with the wider Winterfold family but for now, we will share the photos of that wonderful day”.
