Date of performance: 16th February 2023
Venue: Bristol Hippodrome
One of the main reasons why I love musical theatre so much is the sheer diversity of it – I firmly believe that there is, quite literally, a musical for everyone. To wit, as much as I love the more recent hits (Wicked, Mamma Mia, The Lion King, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, Hamilton etc. etc), I also have a real soft spot for the classics. And, by classic, I mean really classic. Timeless oldies but goodies like The Sound Of Music, South Pacific, Oklahoma, The King and I, Carousel – and My Fair Lady. Lerner and Lowe’s evergreen musical (which, in itself, is adapted from Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion) is universally loved by theatregoers of all ages and temperaments – and it’s hard not to see why. The glorious songs, usually elaborate costumes and fully – realised characters alongside the central ‘Cinderella’- esque story is irresistible. It’s one of my very favourites, so my expectations before yesterday’s production of the Lincoln Center revival (which had a summer run at the London Coliseum last year prior to going on tour) were exceedingly high. Would this classic still measure up?
Plot
Many who have seen My Fair Lady (on stage or, most likely, on screen) will describe the plot as a ‘Cinderella’ or ‘ugly duckling turns into beautiful swan’ type. Others may see it as an elaborate social experiment gone wrong. Whatever it is, it’s set in 19th century London, and begins when Cockney flowergirl Eliza Dolittle (who dreams of becoming ‘a lady in a flower shop’) overhears linguistics professor Henry Higgins make a bet to fellow linguistics professor Conel Pickering (visiting from India) that he could teach her to speak like a lady and pass her off for a duchess at the Embassy Ball in six months. Eliza’s interest is piqued at this, and before Higgins knows where he’s at, she’s at his house, demanding lessons.. Finding the idea of morphing this ‘squashed cabbage leaf’ into the ‘ideal’ woman too appealing to miss, Higgins agrees to take her on – but it’s Eliza who needs a bit more persuasion. She’s got grand ambitions though (to become ‘a lady in a flower shop’), so she eventually assents. This isn’t a simple ‘ugly duckling’ story though – Eliza and Higgins find themselves clashing many a time during the process (this teacher – student relationship is far from ideal), and when the ‘transformation’ is done – their lives will never be the same again. This plays out amongst a backdrop of colourful characters – her boisterous father, his shrewd mother, a lovestruck suitor, a no – nonsense housewife, and a houseful of exhausted servants.
Cast
Eliza Dolittle is probably one of my favourite characters in musical theatre history – she seems so much fun for any actress to play (she just happens to be one of this reviewer’s dream roles) but also a real challenge (that accent switch!). Audrey Hepburn’s portrayal in the classic 1964 film adaptation was iconic, but, in the performance reviewed, Charlotte Kennedy was an absolute delight in the role – emphasising Eliza’s key characteristics that make her so relatable as a character (determination, eagerness to please, ambition, kindness) as well as showcasing breath-taking soprano vocals (as demonstrated in all of Eliza’s solo numbers, but particularly ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’) that filled the theatre. Kennedy also has a remarkably keen sense of comedic timing – an ability she used to her advantage to bring out the comedy in Eliza’s funniest scenes (often through no fault of the character herself), such as the speech lessons with Higgins and the hilarious scene at Ascot, to make them even funnier. One aspect that I found particularly refreshing about her interpretation was that when this Eliza is ‘transformed’ – it isn’t that far away from her former self. In many productions of the musical, the distinction between ‘Cockney Eliza’ and ‘Lady Eliza’ is made so pronounced that it’s almost like the two are separate people – which is rather unrealistic. With Kennedy’s Eliza, the change is much more subtle; even when her accent and outward manner change, she’s always the strong – willed flowergirl underneath. If I had one fault about her performance – I’d say her ‘posh’ accent could do with some work (her Cockney, on the other hand, was exceptional) – her vowel placement was slightly iffy in some places. Also, some of her lines seemed a bit rushed to my ears – so sometimes it was difficult to make out what she was saying. But overall, a very good performance indeed.
Experienced West End and Broadway actor Michael D. Xavier provided the perfect foil as I – am – so – perfect, Prof Henry Higgins – who prizes himself (probably too much) on his ability to discern where someone is from by their accent alone. Although he may think of himself as an ‘Ordinary Man’ – to everybody else he’s arrogant, pompous, totally oblivious and a tad immature – oh, and he doesn’t understand females nowhere near as much as he thinks he does. Xavier provided a slightly more amiable Higgins (to everyone but Eliza that is) than is, perhaps, traditional (I’m looking at you Rex Harrison)- but he still brilliantly showed Higgins’s arrogance, self confidence, and childish manner when things don’t go his way (the latter was particularly well conveyed during the interactions with his mother). Although a great vocalist in his own right, Xavier also adopts a ‘speak – sing’ style (a la Rex Harrison) that adds an extra dimension to his solo numbers. And, most importantly, his chemistry with Kennedy’s Eliza (and Conel Pickering and Mrs Pearce) was great.
As for the rest of the cast – EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt stood out as Eliza’s boisterous yet charismatic father, Alfred P Dolittle – with charm by the bucketload. With infectious joy, he led the ensemble in a wonderfully rambunctious rendition of ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’ – so much fun to watch. Internationally renowned soprano, Lesley Garett, showed off her acting chops as Higgins’s no – nonsense but wonderfully warm housewife, Mrs Pearce. Given who she is, Mrs Garett could have easily let her role overshadow the others, but she refrained from doing so – which I think was wonderfully humble. Perhaps as an award for this, perhaps simply because she’s so incredibly well known for it – she earned herself a mid – song round of applause for her small but exceptional solo in ‘I Could Have Danced All Night.’ I just wish that she could’ve has more stage time. Elsewhere – John Middleton was a likeable Conel Pickering (whose ‘hurray! we did it’ interaction with Xavier’s Higgins during ‘The Rain in Spain’ was great fun), Heather Jackson was brilliantly shrewd as Mrs Higgins, and Tom Liggins was simply adorable as Eliza’s rather moony suitor Freddy. The ensemble were quite splendid too.
Music
I firmly believe that ‘My Fair Lady’ has one of the most beautiful scores in musical theatre history – it’s the proud owner of ‘On The Street Where You Live,’ (Liggins’s rendition of this one was stunning) and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night.’ We also have the so – much – fun – to – sing ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’ (Cockney alert), ‘A Little Bit of Luck’ and ‘Get Me To The Church On Time and less familiar gems (Eliza’s ‘Just You Wait’, ‘Show Me’ and ‘Without You’) and Higgins’s realisation ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face.’ All of these standards were played to perfection by the competent orchestra (which might have been smaller than at its’ original London run, but still managed to create a wonderfully rich sound), conducted by Alex Parker.
Costumes, Set and Technicalities
I loved Michael Yeargan’s sets that effortlessly transported the audience from London’s Convent Garden to the Embassy Ball, and made clever use of every inch of the stage – particularly the life sized ‘Higgins’s house’ (with stairs and everything!); the seamless way in which it, and the action, rotated to show the going ons in the different (lavishly kitted out) rooms was so well done. However, it’s Catharine Zuber’s sumptuous costumes that were the real visual showstoppers – particularly those worn in the Ascot scenes (I’d go as far as to say that they looked just as grand, if not better, than those worn in the film – and that’s saying something). The hats were just something else, and were totally worth the price of a ticket alone!
The JazzyHands Verdict
All in all, this was a wonderfully polished night of entertainment; it was stylish and doesn’t stray too far from the traditional – the only exception to this being the ending (mild spoiler alert ahead for those who don’t like that sort of thing). The final scene shows Eliza returning to Higgins’s study and finding Higgins listening to recordings he made of her voice. The original implies that she stays with him, but in this production……. you’d have to book tickets to find out. Some might see it as sending a message of female empowerment, others might be left feeling confused as to what it’s trying to suggest. Overall though, ‘My Fair Lady’ sounds (and looks) just as gorgeous as ever, and has an important message to share – nobody should be treated as ‘property’ regardless of social status. Just the ticket for fans of classic musical theatre!