Students perform ‘Pygmalion’ play

Since the debut of the classic play “Pygmalion,” 100 years have passed and to commemorate the occasion, the Theater Department at Oklahoma Christian University performed the show last weekend.

The play, based on the mythological tale of the sculptor who fell in love with his own creation, will take the stage again on Friday and Saturday night.

“The actors did a great job,” sophomore Kennedy McAlister said.

McAlister saw the play on Saturday, and said she enjoyed the performance and would encourage others to see the show.

Junior Morgan Lindsay plays Eliza Doolittle. She said the cast is one of the best aspects of the performance and they are a seasoned team.

“The cast is pretty great,” Lindsay said. “I’ve worked with most of them before on previous shows and they’re all cool, so it’s been a lot of fun in that sense.”

The play, written by George Bernard Shaw, has strong thematic messages about identity, particularly about women. Director Phil Regan said Shaw’s ideals are relevant still today.

“I think that the play has a lot to say to our current and contemporary audience, especially to college students,” Reagan said. “The play is really about what it means to be independent, what it means to be someone who has a sense of who they are and it says a lot about self identity.”

Throughout the story, Doolittle becomes a student of professor Henry Higgins, who sets out to transform the flower girl into a refined lady through speech lessons.

“It is a comedy of manners…about how by simply changing the way a person speaks they can completely change their whole personality, the way they see themselves, the way the world sees them,” Regan said. “It’s going to lead to people perceiving Eliza Doolittle from a flower girl to a duchess, a woman who [Higgins] says is a consort for a King.”

Sophomore Alex Wiggs portrays Higgins in the production. Wiggs said he likes the comedic approach at a story with more serious undertones.

“With any comedy, it always keeps the audience more interested,” Wiggs said. “Every now and then, when some kind of moral teaching is slipped in there among the jokes, the audience will catch it and it will give them something to think about.”

Regan said he hopes the audience, particularly students, can learn from the story while they are also entertained.

“Our key point in the show is to give them something that will entertain them and something that they will laugh about and be a break from academic studies,” Regan said. “But, also we hope that they will take something away from it.”

Along with the dual presence of comedy and morality, Wiggs said he likes how the storyline is able to demonstrate both wickedness and goodness within his character.

“I like the way that even though my character is kind of a jerk to Eliza, there [are] still ways for you to like him,” Wiggs said. “He’s human and he’s not terrible and evil.”

Lindsay said she enjoys playing a female character with an ambitious and individual nature.

“Eliza she’s obviously strong and independent,” Lindsay said. “She goes to great lengths to get what she wants out of life, [and] she doesn’t let social standards keep her down in any sort of way.”

The play also shows Doolittle’s triumph over poverty that, according to Lindsay, is one of the most empowering aspects of the production.

“I think that’s important for people to know, especially if you were born into poverty doesn’t mean you have to stay in poverty,” Lindsay said. “It’s nice to have an uplifting story.”

Wiggs said he encourages everyone to see the play because it can relate to almost any audience.

“It is very funny…and it’s something that would be good for anybody to go see because it shows real people doing real things,” Wiggs said. “Everybody likes to people watch.”

Reagan said he hopes the audiences will take away valuable concepts from the play but also have an enjoyable evening.

“I think [the audience will] enjoy the comedy the most,” Regan said. “We hope the audience will laugh a lot, but also we hope that they’ll enjoy some of the themes that Shaw was writing about.”

“Pygmalion” has an encore run on Feb. 27-28 at 8 p.m. in Judd Theater.

Tickets are $8 and may be purchased online at www.oc.edu/pygmalion or at the box office. Oklahoma Christian students have free admission with their valid student ID.

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