Watertown resident Nancy Berger performs 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.

Nancy Berger would be one of the veterans. She joined the Wellesley Players back in 1981 playing Marsinah in Kismet. Since then she has performed with the Players as Golde in Fiddler in the Roof, Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly and Lilli in Carnival. Her long career with other groups includes a wide variety of roles spanning the spectrum of musicals, dramas and comedies.

What she particularly loves about community theater is the “camaraderie of cast, making those connections as you build the show- and the acting, creating a character, making it real to the audience... a true craft when done right, and getting the chance to do that is fabulous!”

Among her favorite moments in her years on stage: “getting a full three-minute laughter from the audience for one line’s delivery in Steel Magnolias- every time it looked like it was finally going to subside, it would start up all over again.”

When not on stage, Berger has a busy career as a singer in in several different genres of music. She also writes contemporary Christian songs and is in demand as a speaker, teacher, and worship leader at events across North America.

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.