Needham resident Glenn Bassett and Needham native Emma Boroson star in Wellesley Players' My Fair Lady, April 10-19

The hummable, quotable, wonderfully enjoyable musical for the whole family! The story, the songs, the characters -- you know and love them. A Broadway hit when it debuted in 1956, this fan-favorite musical has gone on to win Tony Awards, launch careers and be adapted into the Oscar-winning beloved film. The Wellesley Players brings together an award-winning team to present this beautiful musical in a manner that speaks to today’s audiences. When Professor Henry Higgins bets he can transform a Cockney flower girl into an aristocratic lady, he doesn’t anticipate that Eliza Doolittle will end up transforming him. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s delightful social satire Pygmalion, Lerner and Loewe’s charming and beloved musical features such unforgettable numbers as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” it’s no wonder everyone — not just Henry Higgins — falls in love with Eliza Doolittle. This show is the standard by which all others are measured. The production will feature the sparkling two-piano orchestration, crafted with the approval of Lerner and Loewe by the show’s original arranger of dance music.

The cast and crew of Wellesley Players’ production are drawn from talent throughout Eastern Massachusetts, from Ashland to Beverly, from Tewksbury to Winthrop, and some hometown Players from Wellesley. The talented cast includes both Wellesley Players veterans and performers who are new to the troupe.

The cast includes two performers with Needham ties: Emma Boroson who stars as Eliza Doolittle is originally from Needham, and Glenn Bassett stars as Eliza’s suitor Freddy.

Glenn Bassett was drawn to this production by the show itself, My Fair Lady being in his opinion one of (or perhaps the) greatest musical ever written. He has been in a variety of shows and roles, his favorite among them Anatoly in ‘Chess’, Pseudolus in ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, Orin (The Dentist) in “Little Shop of Horrors”, Dickon in “Secret Garden”, and Henrik in “A Little Night Music”. Bassett has even performed perform at The Grand Ole Opry.

Emma Boroson has loved theater since she was a child, and has been performing for years. Recent roles include Amy in Company, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Johanna in Sweeney Todd. She was drawn to Wellesley Players, and this show in particular, to work with director Celia Couture and Musical Director Art Finstein. Among her favorite moments in theatre was getting to sing “Not Getting Married Today” in Company. “I had memorized and practiced the super-fast lyrics as I walked home from work every day. I probably looked like a lunatic, but it did the trick! I was really proud of my performance of that song.” In the “real world”, Emma works at the Harvard Business School as manager of Technology and Operations in the Registrar’s Office.

Both Boroson and Bassett are drawn to the camaraderie of the theatre troupe. Boroson loves “working with such amazing people. Everyone is doing something they really love - and that’s an amazing atmosphere to be in.” Bassett commented on this appreciation for the “warm, supportive and fun environment” of community theater.

The show will be directed by Celia Couture with music direction by Art Finstein, choreography by Kelly Murphy and set design by Ruth Neeman. Director Celia Couture has taken shows to the National Drama Festival three times, including once with the Wellesley Players. Her Radium Girls with the Burlington Players won the National Best Show Award in 2013.

My Fair Lady will be performed at the Arsenal Center of the Arts, Mosesian Theatre in Watertown from April 10-19. Don’t miss it! To reserve tickets please visit: www.wellesleyplayers.org. Discounts for groups are available. Order early as seating is reserved.