Pygmalion

Predstava za šole

Narodni dom Maribor, 13. december 2023, 9.00, 13.00

TICKETS: 9 €; 1 € reduction with bookings of around 100 or more; teachers free
RESERVATIONS: adge.theatre@gmail.com 

Introduction: Pygmalion story briefly told: the Greek myth of the sculpture who hated women who fell in love with his female statue, which came to life.

Convent Garden market in London about 1910. It is a poor area in the heart of a rich central London, the market sells mainly vegetables. A scene of market life to music, it starts to rain. People of different classes gather under the cover of the church doorway in the centre of the market.

An aristocratic woman who has come out of the theatre is annoyed that her son cannot get a taxi cab as so many people want them to avoid the rain. She is forced to mix with common people as they all want shelter from the storm.  A poor flower seller, Eliza Doolittle, is also sheltering. She tries without success to sell flowers to the  waiting people. A well dressed but secretive man is taking notes on the accents and dialects of the people forced together by the rain. He is Professor Higgins.  The poor folk notice he is taking notes and mistake him for a policemen. Eliza objects, Higgins tells the people where they are from, his ability to know which accent is from where is extraordinary. Another man observes this, Colonel Pickering. He and Higgins start to talk and realise that they are looking for each other. The Colonel is an expert on Indian languages and vowel sounds and shares his fascination  for language with Higgins. Higgins invites Pickering to stay with him in London. Eliza hears all this and realises that Higgins is a teacher who can transform anyone he wishes to by changing the way they speak English.  The rain stops.  The rich woman walks off leaving her son to waste his time looking for a taxi cab. Eliza begs Higgins to buy her cheap flowers, he is about to curse her as a beggar but feels pity and gives her a large amount of money for flowers of little value. Eliza cannot believe her luck and takes the  taxi that the son did not need. She feels like a rich woman, with her few shillings . But it plants as idea in her mind.

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