For Aurora Florence, 2011 is a year that will be tough to duplicate.
The 22-year-old singer-actress graduated from Brigham Young University, landed the lead role of Eliza Doolittle and married fellow thespian Jeffrey Dickamore -- all within the span of a summer.
Florence’s road to playing the sassy flower-girl-turned-well-groomed-lady began in February, when she performed in an unrelated workshop at BYU with the casting director of “My Fair Lady.” When auditions for the touring production of the beloved musical began, Florence sent her resume to that same casting director, missed a couple of days of school for callbacks and earned her first post-graduation part.
Since the production launched last month, Florence has been steadily traveling -- a theater reality made more palpable since Dickamore also performs in the show as part of the ensemble.
“We’re pretty much together all the time,” Florence said earlier this week, calling from a tour bus on its way to Niceville, Fla.
The newlyweds keep an active blog (http://adventuresofhusbandandwife.wordpress.com/) documenting their travels, which, for now, serve as a honeymoon of sorts.
Come March, when the “My Fair Lady” road show ends, the couple plans to anchor in New York and, said Florence, “We'll see what comes up.”
But first, she shared some thoughts on playing the spunky Doolittle:
Q: This is one of the iconic musicals. Were you at all intimidated taking it on as your first major role?
A: The two people you always associate with the show are Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn, two beloved icons of the 20th century. So I tried to find pieces that worked for me and tried to savor the text as well, the script and the score and all of that, to really find the character. I'm sure Audrey influenced me tons. I grew up watching the movie; I just adore her. I think one of the things I enjoyed most about her performance -- which is a quality in all of her acting -- is her vulnerability. She captured the emotional journey that Eliza goes through beautifully.
Q: Do you think you’re like Eliza at all?
A: I do, actually, in some ways. I think she's a very smart girl in very humble circumstances, but she has dreams and aspirations and when she sees opportunities, she moves forward. But what I love about the show is that [Eliza] isn't just cute and sweet. She goes on this journey of trying to find truth and herself and who she really is.
Q: What is your favorite number to perform in the show?
A: I really love "I Could Have Danced All Night." For me as an actress and as a performer, I love when I can feel I'm connecting with my audience. With that song, I feel I can talk right to the people sitting in front of me, expressing these emotions, what she's going to experience for the very first time in her life, feeling jittery and excited and beautiful. I personally get a real high from getting to sing this beautiful song.
Theater preview
“My Fair Lady”
8 p.m. Dec. 8-9; 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 10; 2 p.m. Dec. 11. $25-$54. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
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