It’s easy to see why this first major revival of the classic MY FAIR LADY has been such a hit with audiences and critics everywhere. It has it all – beautiful singing, a fantastic cast and a stunning set which seems perfectly at home on the stage of the Wales Millennium Centre where it’ll stay till Saturday 26th November.
This BARTLETT SHER (acclaimed for the Award-winning Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I and South Pacific) production of the Lerner and Loewe classic musical, first made it to Broadway back in 2018 and thanks to the pandemic that we hate mentioning, we’ve had to wait for a while to see it here. It’s also just finished a limited run in London’s West End.
Let me tell you now, this touring production is every bit as good, if not better, than what we saw in London. Why better? Because it’s here in Wales on one of our finest stages.
In any case, this is a review of the show, not the theatre, so let’s kick off with some reaction from last night’s audience – who in unison were enthralled by this sumptuous production. They talk about the show, Adam Woodyatt (yes him from the telly) and the set, which is something special.
Just in case you don’t know the story of My Fair Lady, it follows Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is it that is really being transformed?
In a show packed with songs which truly are musical classics in themselves – I Could Have Danced All Night, Get Me to the Church on Time, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, On the Street Where You Live, The Rain in Spain, and I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, it was loverly to watch the audience lip-syncing along to these Lerner and Loewe greatest hits.
The cast is crammed with talent who are right at the top of their game, and more than a few faces you’ll recognise, and maybe even surprise you.
Our two main character are played by MICHAEL D. XAVIER, who is Henry Higgins, and CHARLOTTE KENNEDY who brings a nice traditional, and yet somehow updated feel to Eliza Doolittle.
Michael is charming and funny in the role of Henry and brings a nice twist to one of my favourites in the show ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.’ It’s not a belt it out number at all, but feels like a man coming to realise he has feelings for young Eliza.
In the original movie, which incidentally picked up 8 Academy Awards, there was something like a 35 year plus age between Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. That’s certainly not the case in this production.
In Charlotte’s hands Eliza is something new yet familiar. You need to remember that My Fair Lady comes from the 1912 George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, a time when attitudes were very different. Of course, you need to retain the heart of the story, but Charlotte’s Eliza is superb, and boy can she sing.
There was the briefest of moments, in the Eliza entrance scene (when you see the show you’ll know what I mean), when I felt there was a young Audrey Hepburn standing on the Donal Gordon stage. She embodied that most famous of Eliza’s.
You may well have seen EastEnders’ actor ADAM WOODYATT on his visit to the New theatre in ‘Looking Good Dead‘ but here he steps away from the drama to play Alfred P. Doolittle (Eliza’s Dad). In the movie version it was Stanley Holloway who took on the role, a lot to live up to, but Adam does it superbly. He can sing, dance, and he does ‘cockney’ superbly……..
I checked out the IMDB description for Alfred and they came up with Cockney, Working Class, Comedian, Clown. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Some of the best routines come when Adam is on stage.
JOHN MIDDLETON will be well known by any fans of the soap Emmerdale, where he played Ashley Thomas. He is Colonel Pickering , who is key to the story as he is the one who suggest Henry take on the challenge of transforming Eliza. He’s kind and considerate and as we learn later in the story it’s something he says to Eliza that encourages her to change. No spoilers here…..
And then we have Mrs Pearce, Henry’s housekeeper. She is custodian of all things proper in the Higgins household. No profanities at the table with young ladies present, she also reminds Henry that people can’t be treated as objects, as if you were picking a pebble up from the beach. As I heard this line again it made me think it’s something we should all be adopting now.
What is a real joy about this Mrs Pearce is that we have one of our best-known sopranos playing the part. LESLEY GARRETT commands a real presence whenever she’s on stage, and you could sense the excitement around the auditorium when she first stepped out.
Lesley, we loved you prior to My Fair Lady and even more so now – superb.
The sets are stunning, there’s no other word for it. MICHAEL YEARGAN has created some of the best, including The King and I, but My Fair Lady is next level good. Having seen a lot of productions over the years, there’s something about the design of My Fair Lady which puts it right up there with the best of them. It’s big and beautiful and seamlessly flows like a carefully choreographed performer.
The costumes from CATHERINE ZUBER really stand out and capture the period in all its elegance and London grit. With colourful, flowing dresses, to the finest of Ascot hats in the day at the races scene. At the other end of the scale, we get some good old cockney finery as Alfred ding-dongs his way around the stage. The show is classically glamorous and filled with East End charm in equal measures.
With a world-class cast and some of the best songs you’ll find in any musical, you need a first rate orchestra to pull it off. There’s a large team behind the arrangements, orchestrations, musical supervision and direction. ALEX PARKER lead the finest sounding orchestra through some of Lerner and Loewe’s best work.
If you’re a fan of the movie, then fear not, this production of My Fair Lady is perfectly preserved and brought back to life with all its vintage charm and style on stage at the Wales Millennium Centre. It’s almost three hours long but passes in a heartbeat and I guarantee you won’t be able to take your eyes off the stage, it looks incredible.
MY FAIR LADY has never looked or sounded any better. We had a ‘LOVERLY‘ night and you will to at this first-class production. This is a magnificent revival of one of our most loved musicals.
MY FAIR LADY is at the Wales Millennium Centre till Saturday 26th November. Performances are at 7pm, Tuesday to Saturday, with 2pm matinee performances on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. To find out more, and get tickets go HERE.
Take a look at our full feature on this production HERE.
Photography: MARC BRENNER
