LANHAM, Md. (CBSDC)- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that it would be a bad flu season, but who could have predicted the problems it would cause for the Arena Stage production of My Fair Lady?

On Saturday, 75 percent of the cast was sick. The leading lady had the flu, and the understudy lost her voice. An ensemble cast member who had never rehearsed the role of Eliza Doolittle, Hannah Willman, was tapped to fill in just two hours before the start of the show.

Willman carried a script, but the audience was on its feet by the end of the show despite the circumstances, according to venue spokeswoman.