We speak to the gorgeous Aurora Florence who stars as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady
By Cheryl Chia
In the film My Fair Lady, the lead character, Eliza Doolittle, was portrayed by the iconic Audrey Hepburn and her musical lines were sung by Julie Andrews. Aurora Florence sure has big shoes to fill in the musical on stage.
Aurora has already played other prominent roles such as Penny in Hairspray. She is also an aspiring singer-songwriter and has recently released her debut album, It’s Wonderful.
We met the multi-talented beauty on the set.
What did do you do in preparation for your role?
We had lots of rehearsals in New York City, I did a lot of research, and a lot of reading about what life was like for women at the time, both on the lower-class end as well as the high class.
All of which helped me create my emotional journey and what she (Eliza) went through.
Eliza Doolittle is such an iconic role. How do you feel about having such big shoes to fill?
I try not to think about it too much! I don’t want to get intimidated by it.
What I love about both those women (Hepburn and Andrews) in the role is that they brought so much of themselves into the role. I can’t be them, but all I can do is bring as much as I can of myself.
Has performing always been in your blood?
I’ve always loved this show and performing, growing up. This role is definitely my dream role, for sure!
Tell us about the antics you get up to backstage.
A fun thing that Chris Carsten (Henry Higgins) and I do after the curtain comes down after the show: We go around back and come up the stairs to take a bow.
We always race to the bottom of the stairs… and I always win. Hahahaha!
How is it like working with “Henry Higgins”?
Chris a lovely man and a friend, and I trust him completely. It makes my job so much easier. He is a dream to work with.
You’re lucky; Rex Harrison was a nightmare!
That’s right! Haha! I am verrry lucky. Maybe it would work if you hated Higgins off stage when you’re on stage! But I am lucky to have a great scene partner. [Smiles]
You were once a founding member of Imagine Dragons. Have you spoken to them since their success at the Grammys?
I am very happy for them. It’s really exciting as they are doing so well!
At this point, we haven’t talked about collaborating but they were a really big help with advice for my debut album.
Ah, yes, you funded It’s Wonderful with crowd-funding site Kickstarter.
You know, I wanted to record an EP and so I decided to try Kickstarter as I didn’t have a ton of money to do it. So, I kind of threw it together and everything worked out.
We made twice than what we were expecting. We made about $2,500.
What would you like to say to fans of the musical?
Come, watch My Fair Lady! You’ll laugh, cry and enjoy your evening.
My Fair Lady runs until Mar 2 at the MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. Tickets from Sistic.
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