Somerville residents Emma Boroson, Regine Vitale and David Saunders star in Wellesley Players' My Fair Lady

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 three performers from Somerville: Emma Boroson who stars as Eliza Doolittle, Regine Vitale who is not only the First Maid, but also Dance Captain, and David Saunders who is Cockney #4/Ensemble.

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.

Regine Vitale, who until recently hadn’t been onstage for ten years, returns to her second consecutive show with Wellesley Players after performing in A My Name is Alice in the fall. That experience, which she enjoyed tremendously, coupled with a long-term love for My Fair Lady drew her back to Wellesley Players again. Vitale’s favorite past roles have included Mrs. Muller in Doubt, Sarah in Ragtime and Leading Player in Pippin. One has to wonder how she finds the time for theatre: Vitale works with a disabled couple in Boston as well as for the retail department of a local ballet company. She’s also currently in school in the hopes of earning a Master’s degree in English literature.

David Saunders was drawn to this production after working with the same creative team (director Celia Couture and music director Art Feinstein) last year in Concord Players’ Les Miserables. His favorite past roles have been Lancelot in Camelot and Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods. His dream roles are Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and Jekyll in Jekyll and Hyde. When not onstage, Saunders is a lineman for a major telecommunications company.

Both Boroson and Vitale 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.” Vitale noted she was drawn by “the passion. Say what you will about community theatre, the one thing is always true and truer there than anywhere else: people do this because they genuinely love it. And they show it every chance they get. Sure it would be nice to be paid, but the opportunity to do what you love simply because it gives you joy is no cheap thing--it’s priceless.” Saunders noted how much he enjoys “meeting new people and watching and learning from the incredible talent pool of community theatre actors.”

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.