Rose Valley Chorus & Orchestra

Patience satirizes the "aesthetic craze" of the 1870's and '80s, when the output of poets, composers, painters and designers of all kinds was indeed prolific — but, some argued, empty and self-indulgent. This artistic movement was so popular, and also so easy to ridicule as a meaningless fad, that it made Patience a big hit.

All the well-born young ladies in the village, rapturously caught up in aestheticism, are in love with two contrasting aesthetic poets — a "fleshy" poet and an "idyllic" poet. But the poets are both in love with Patience, the simple village milkmaid, who cares nothing for poetry. Patience learns that true love must be completely unselfish--it must wither and sting and burn! The girls' military suitors don't see the point to aesthetics, but they decide to give it a try to win the women's hearts. It is touch and go for awhile, but everyone ends up with a suitable partner, even if it is only a tulip or lily.

This brilliant and well-loved musical is based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. The story surrounds two characters, Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, and Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, and their hilarious and poignant attempts for Eliza to pass “as a proper lady.” A cast of interesting characters, witty dialog, and outstanding music complete this award-winning musical.