Photo Flash: First Look at Cal Shakes' PYGMALION

California Shakespeare Theater continues its 2014 season with George Bernard Shaw's brilliant Pygmalion, directed by Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone. Pygmalion plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from now through August 24. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Based on the Greek myth of the sculptor who falls in love with the statue he creates, Shaw's tale of the poor Cockney flower girl and the professor who wagers he can pass her off as a duchess has captivated audiences for more than a century. The play premiered in London in 1912 in a production directed by the author, then made its first US appearance in 1914. Shaw adapted the play for film in 1938, winning the Oscar for his work and becoming the first and only person ever to win the Nobel Prize for literature and the Academy Award. Most famously, the screenplay for Pygmalion, with its romanticized ending, became the inspiration for the 1956 musical and its 1964 film adaptation, My Fair Lady.

The company of Pygmalion includes Anthony Fusco, last seen at Berkeley Rep in Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide... and at Cal Shakes in 2012's Blithe Spirit, as Professor Henry Higgins; and Irene Lucio, who appeared as Juliet in Yale Rep's Romeo and Juliet, making her Cal Shakes' debut as Eliza Doolittle. Others in the cast include L. Peter Callender, who appeared in 2013's A Winter's Tale, as Colonel Pickering; James Carpenter, who recently appeared in Aurora Theatre's American Buffalo and Cal Shakes' Lady Winderemere's Fan, as Eliza's father, Alfred Doolittle; Sharon Lockwood, last seen at Cal Shakes in American Night: The Ballad of Juan José, as Mrs. Higgins; Catherine Castellanos, who appeared in Cal Shakes' all-female touring production of Twelfth Night earlier this season, as Higgins' housekeeper, Mrs. Pearce; Nicholas Pelczar, last seen in A.C.T.'s Major Barbara, as Eliza's suitor, Freddy Eynsford Hill; Julie Eccles, who played the title character in Cal Shakes' Candida, as Mrs. Eynsford Hill; and Elyce Price*, also seen in A.C.T.'s Major Barbara, as Freddy's sister, Clara Eynsford Hill. Rounding out the company are Ponder Goddard* (Parlormaid/Ensemble); Catherine Luedtke (Ensemble); Caitlin Evenson (Ensemble);Charles Lewis III (Ensemble); and Liam Callister (Ensemble).

The creative team for Pygmalion includes set designer Annie Smart, designer of numerous Cal Shakes productions including Lady Windermere's Fan, Blithe Spirit, Othello, and Man and Superman; costume designer Anna Oliver, whose work has appeared at Welsh National Opera, Seattle Rep, Old Globe, B.A.M., San Francisco Opera, andDallas Theatre Center, to name a few; lighting designer Stephen Strawbridge; who has designed more than 200 productions on and Off-Broadway, as well as Cal Shakes' 2009 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream; and sound designer Jake Rodriguez, who has designed for multiple theaters across the Bay Area including A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, and the Magic.

Single tickets for Pygmalion range from $20 to $72, with discounts available for seniors, students, military families, persons age 30 and under, and groups. Prices, dates, titles, and artists are subject to change. For information or to charge tickets by phone with VISA, MasterCard, or American Express, call the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666. Additional information and online ticketing are available at www.calshakes.org.

Photo Credit: Kevin Berne