By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Singing and dancing on Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s stage is certainly a direct opposite of what Wyoming resident Kallie Piette does during the day.
She works for her family’s company, the Great Lakes EMS Academy on Division Avenue in Wyoming, where she works with new students coming in and also teaches CPR and first aid.
“It’s hard work to do a show,” Piette said. “It’s three months of Monday through Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. rehearsals and then you have the shows on top of that.
“But for me, it’s almost like play time because I get to pretend and I get to sing and dance along with being with friends.”
This week, Piette marks her 15th production with Grand Rapids Civic Theatre as part of the ensemble cast of the company’s winter production “My Fair Lady.”
“I love the music,” said Piette, who is a cockney woman and a servant maid in the production. “It’s classical musical theater and it has been awhile since anyone around here has presented it. What makes ‘My Fair Lady’ so unique is the music is complicated but it doesn’t sound difficult once you get it.”
The 1956 Broadway musical starred Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, who would later reprise his role as Professor Higgins in the 1964 film which also starred Audrey Hepburn. The story centers on the snobbish phonetics professor Higgins who agrees to a wager that he can take a flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and make her presentable in high society. The musical features one of the most famous lines in theater —which is also a song — “The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plane” along with such songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” Wouldn’t It Be Lovely?” and “Get Me To the Church on Time.”
“‘Ascot Gavotte’ is amazing,” Piette said of the songs in the musical, “That is one of my favorites.” The song features the ensemble, which Piette is part of, dressed to the nines at a horse race track where Professor Higgins presents Eliza for the first time.
“The talent is amazing,” Piette said. “The performers are incredible, and the costumes, well, from what I have seen, they are pretty amazing.”
At the time of this interview, Piette had not seen the full costumes but was scheduled to later in the evening. We both, however; agreed costumer Bob Fowle would certainly wow with “My Fair Lady” as it calls for some impressive designs.
“My Fair Lady” runs through March 18 at Grand Rapids Civic Theater, 30 N. Division Ave. Show times are 7:30 p.m Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m Sunday. Tickets are $18-$37. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit grct.org.
