My Fair
Lady (An Oscar-winning film version was made in 1964) is based on
George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Pygmalion fell in love with an ivory statue he
had crafted with his own hands “Galatea,” and in answer to his prayers, the
goddess Aphrodite brought it to life and united the couple in marriage. The
show's 1956 Broadway production was a smash hit, setting a new record for the
longest run of any major theatre production in history. It was followed by a hit
London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals.
A twist on this theme can also be seen in the story of Pinocchio where a wooden
puppet is transformed into a real boy, though in this case the puppet possesses
sentience prior to its transformation, and it is the puppet and not the
woodcarver (sculptor) who beseeches the miracle.
The power of the play can be seen in the coining of a phrase “The Pygmalion
Effect,” also known as the Rosenthal, this "teacher-expectancy effect" refers to
situations in which some students perform better than other students simply
because they are expected to do so.
In a continuation of this theme---------------