The University of North Dakota Theatre Department is continuing their 2025-26 performance season with the beloved musical “My Fair Lady”. Running Nov. 7-9 and Nov. 14-16 at the Burtness Theatre on campus, this production is one that you will not want to miss.
With the script written by Alan Jay Lerner and music written by Frederick Loewe, this musical has won many awards and has been performed by companies all around the world. The UND cast and crew have been working diligently to create a strong version of the story that accurately represents the production’s longevity and relevancy over the years.
The story follows main character Eliza Doolittle, played by Madi Watts, who is a Cockney flower girl living in an Edwardian society. She meets and interacts with various other characters, including Professor Henry Higgins, played by Isaac Anderson, and Colonel Pickering, played by Blake Storbakken, along her way to becoming a proper lady. Her journey to becoming a lady is something that she dreamed of, but the professor only agrees to teach her because of a bet made by the Colonel. This leads to a tricky and unlikely student/teacher relationship resulting in a comedic and heartfelt story.
UND’s production of “My Fair Lady” is directed and choreographed by Emily Wirkus with the music directed by Justin Montigne. From cast, crew, and creative staff, there are so many moving parts that go into such an intricate and entertaining production as this. In just a few short weeks, this team of individuals came together to create a strong performance that truly reflects that talent that the UND Theatre Department houses.
There were many stand out moments and individuals throughout the production but most notably the leading lady, Madi Watts, a junior student, led a strong and powerful performance both vocally and visually captivating the audience. Along with this, Rowan Campbell, a freshman student, as Alfred P. Doolittle, captured the audience’s attention with his comedic timing, strong onstage energy and powerful vocals. The rest of the cast was full of life and energy showcasing strong ensemble and individual vocals. It is clear that each cast member put a large effort into crafting their own characters.
A notable musical number that seemed to be a crowd favorite was “With a Little Bit of Luck”. This song occurs at the beginning of the show with Alfred P. Doolittle leading the comedic number and comes back as a reprise shortly after. This number especially highlighted the intricately energized choreography of this production. Along with this “Just You Wait” is the first number that really highlighted Watts voice as Eliza Doolittle.
Two other notable performances were given by the actors playing the characters who were kindest to Eliza. Blake Storbakken’s Colonel Pickering was the perfect balance of hilarious and understanding. While Bethany Shipley’s Mrs. Pearce was a gentle and caring motherly figure to Eliza during her time spent living with Higgins.
UND’s production of “My Fair Lady” is a strong and accurate representation of the hard work and dedication that exists in the UND Theatre Department. It is a lovely and comedic show that appeals to all sorts of audiences and is a must-see performance.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
