Bartlett Sher’s revival of ‘My Fair Lady’ has arrived at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until April, being a huge fan of the original 1964 film with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison I had high hopes and an inner excitement to watch this newly revived production. I was also intrigued to see how my 15-year-old daughter would interpret the musical as a representative of our modern-day youth.
Director Bartlett Sher has mostly stayed true to the original Lerner and Loewe book, itself based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, the story of ‘My Fair Lady’ is that of Eliza Doolittle (Charlotte Kennedy), a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins (Michael D. Xavier), a linguistics professor who after a chance meeting with Eliza makes a bet with his associate Colonel Pickering (John Middleton) that he could transform this girl from the gutter in 6 months to be a ‘proper lady’ who could be mistaken for a Duchess. The bet is agreed and through their arrangement of Eliza being a live in student, there are highs and lows, trips to Ascot and enunciation lessons, but the question is who is really being transformed? In the end Eliza and Henry become a little fonder of one another than they had anticipated, and not surprisingly everyone that meets Eliza throughout her transformation is overcome by her beauty, wittiness, and charm.
Loewe’s score includes classic songs such as ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’, ‘With a Little Bit of Luck’, ‘The Rain in Spain’, ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, ‘On the Street Where You Live’, ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’, and ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face’.
From start to finish the production is a colourful spectacle on the largest scale with striking effects which leave you in complete wonderment, you are also witness to a magnificent set design that switches between Higgins’ book-lined study and rotates to display the full house inside and out, the steps at the opera house, the slums of London and it’s public houses, a lamp-lit street and Ascot racecourse. Unfortunately, with modern technology and more and more elaborate set designs they are only spectacular when they function, on press night in Act 2 the set failed, and the curtains had to be pulled until the malfunction was fixed adding a further 15 minutes on to an already long 3-hour production. Regardless of the malfunction on the evening Michael Yeargan has done a phenomenal job in his set design!
The costumes are a huge credit to Catherine Zuber as the complete casts wardrobe is exceptional in its elegance and grandeur including the authenticity of the era. The dance routines are lavish, graceful, and refined making the show a visual delight, Christopher Gattelli’s choreography is most definitely a highlight of the show.
Charlotte Kennedy is unquestionably ‘loverly’ as Eliza Doolittle, her performance is sublime as the working-class flower seller to the elegant lady who passes as a duchess at the Embassy Ball. Her performance of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’ and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ was full of sheer emotion and vocal excellence, her remarkable voice was a delight to listen to and her stage presence was sensational Kennedy was clearly made for the role of Eliza Doolittle.
Michael D. Xavier brings bundles of energy and humour to Henry Higgins, the coupling is perfect with Kennedy as they seem to flow seamlessly together and display a believable love hate relationship throughout. Michael D. Xavier delivered a powerful performance and his rendition of ‘Why Can’t the English?’, ’I’m an Ordinary Man’, ‘A Hymn to him’ and ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face’ were humorous and equally captivating, tremendous casting as he is undoubtably a perfect Henry Higgins.
The rest of the cast was just as impressive as the leads were, from the delightful Colonel Pickering (John Middleton) to Heather Jackson’s portrayal of a histoic Edwardian lady with a soft heart as Mrs Higgins, to Lesley Garrett as the dutiful Mrs Pearce, then to my daughters favourite Tom Liggins as the adorable love-struck Freddy Eynsford-Hill to the entire ensemble cast who showcased their vocal and acting range to the uttermost making it a truly professional polished performance.
My personal criticism would be that of Adam Woodyatt casting as Dolittle’s mercenary and vulgar father Alfred P Doolittle, I understand that he is notorious for his role in Eastenders, however, it is becoming increasingly frustrating that roles are allocated to popular names not for their ability. I found Woodyatt the weakest link in the chain as it was evident that he is not a polished performer, and his rendition of Eliza’s father was inept and that of an incompetent thespian, I found his acting skills overemphasized and cumbersome. A big disappointment for me as an individual, but I do understand the need to have familiar names in the casting to entice bums on seats at the theatre to increase the revenue.
The show is a visual and audible delight, it has all the elements of a perfect evening and by the response of my 15-year-old companion it seems to be a hit for the youth of today, as she thoroughly enjoyed the show and remained captivated from start to finish. The enchantment of my daughter throughout indicates to me that My Fair Lady is a timeless classic for all the family to enjoy and is a perfect opportunity to engage the whole family in a night out at the theatre!
Well done to all involved in this glorious production, the show runs until the 1st of April 2023 at Manchester’s Palace Theatre so grab your tickets as I promise you will not be disappointed.
https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester/
Reviewer: Katie Leicester
Reviewed: 23rd March 2023
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★