Mainstays of musical theater open in Seattle

This week's allotment of musical openings includes one that is really big and one that is really little. Both are very, very familiar. The big one is "My Fair Lady." The little one -- miniature one, really -- is "Don Giovanni."

"My Fair Lady" has been around since its Broadway premiere in 1956. The story is based on "Pygmalion," a 1914 comedy by George Bernard Shaw, which in turn was based on a classical myth that has been around forever. The gist of all these tales is that a man, strictly as a professional exercise, more or less creates a woman out of unpromising raw material. And then, most unprofessionally, he falls in love with her.

The current production began in London seven years ago and ran there for 2 1/2 years. A touring version plays the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., starting Tuesday and continuing through May 4. Tickets: $25-$72; 206-292-2787, ticketmaster.com or at the Paramount box office (no service charges on tickets purchased at box office).

The "Don Giovanni" production is one of the Northwest Puppet Center's annual stagings of operas. Puppets do the performing while professional singers do the voice work.

The "Don Giovanni" (Don Juan) story is based on incidents that took place in 14th-century Seville, but the protagonist -- a compulsive seducer who comes to a bad, bad end -- is ageless and archetypal. The NWPC production is based on the most popular version of the tale, Mozart's tuneful 1787 opera.

The Puppet Center is at 9123 15th Ave. N.E. "Don Giovanni" opens there today and runs through May 4. Tickets: $28, seniors and children $25 (the show is not intended for young children); 206-523-2579.

-- Joe Adcock