Working-class flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Charlotte Kennedy) takes up an offer (or rather, bet) by renowned phonetician Professor Henry Higgins (Michael D. Xavier) saying that in six months he can teach her to pass for a member of the aristocracy enough to fool royalty. If they succeed, they will prove accents are a real but surmountable limitation on one’s condition in Edwardian London and may improve one person’s prospects, but if they fail, more than one life may be ruined.
The musical, based on the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play and 1938 film Pygmalion (which was in turn based on the Greek myth of the same name about a sculpture who fall in love with Galatea, a statue of his creation), has been hailed as a classic since its 1956 stage and 1964 film premieres, with many classic songs (written by lyricist and music writer Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) such as “Get Me To The Church On Time” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”.
This production, which was directed by Bartlett Sher, therefore stands in some illustrious company, with previous incumbents of these roles including the likes of Rex Harrison, Julia Andrews (who originated the leading lady’s part in her breakout role), Jeremy Brett, Martine McCutcheon, Jonathan Pryce, John Lithgow, Roger Daltrey, Diana Rigg, Vanessa Redgrave, Kelsey Grammer, Alex Jennings, and Dominic West. As a touring show, it is also in-of itself an interesting product, revolving entirely around the importance (subjective, socially forced or otherwise) of a certain accent, albeit in a different time and place), and yet being solely performed in the places the show launches a few friendly jabs at, though these are entirely taken in the spirit they are intended.
Which isn’t surprising based on the overall quality and expert delivery of a show which is, on paper, already very strong. In fact, this show betters some of these previous productions, improving with their musical ability on those previous productions impressive but slightly more stunt-castery advantages. The main cast here make these iconic parts their own, with Xavier as a patrician professor, Kennedy a fiery flower girl and a lot of humour added in subtle moments and bigger gestures all round, including in the choreography by Christopher Gattelli and dance arrangements by Trude Rittmann. Adam Woodyatt’s Alfred Doolittle is a standout as this part often us, but even the much smaller roles get their moments, with a suffragette march during “With A Little Bit of Luck” and Mrs Pearce’s (Lesley Garett) overt disapproval of her boss’s behaviour.
They are aided by Michael Yeargan’s wonderful revolving set, allowing the cast to move through 3-5 sets during a single number and hinting at the different stories being lived by characters who, in this one, don’t even have names. These extra voices are made literal with the strong emphasis on beautiful harmonies during the group numbers, an important part of Robert Russel Bennet and Philip J. Lang’s musical arrangements.
A great musical expertly done with laugh out moments. What more could you wish for?
Playing until 7th January 2023, https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/
Reviewer: Oliver Giggins
Reviewed: 15th December 2022
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★