My Fair Lady

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Even after all of this time, the spectacular movie My Fair Lady beams a picture through my brain as though I just saw it for the first time.

Christopher Cazenove as Henry Higgins and Lisa O’Hare as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Photo by Joan Marcus.

When Boulder’s Dinner Theatre produced the Lerner and Lowe production several years ago, I held my breath. How could BDT overcome the crisp, striking image? It did. I was knocked out.

Last year, Christopher Willard’s (Artistic Director for the Breckenridge Theatre) innovative production at Littleton’s Town Hall turned me upside down and sideways with a brilliant creative twist. Not with My Fair Lady as such, but with the mock touring company he implanted with the cast. At the same time, the My Fair Lady portion was exceptionally well executed.

When it was first announced the National Theatre of Great Britain re-invented the glorious Grand Dame of musicals, it immediately tickled my imagination as to how? The why question didn’t need to butt in. Called the most perfect musical ever written by far more “theatrical-knowledged” minds than mine, I concur wholeheartedly for its brilliant book, singable songs, memorable characters, and engaging story. I never intended to memorize the lyrics. It just happened.

Denver Center Attractions’ production at the Temple Buell Theatre, that unfortunately closed Sunday, is the most spectacular, most gorgeous, most awesome Broadway musical I have ever experienced on stage anywhere anytime, any place, and there have been skillions of knock out productions.

Matt Kinley’s scenic design for a touring production was simply mind blowing. The colors, the detail, the smooth set changes, the grandeur, the engraved pictures left in the mind outdid the movie. That’s a mouthful, but a truthful one.

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, which was adapted from a story by the Greek writer Ovid, the story of an arrogant man turning a poor uneducated flower girl into a lady lies deep within the human psyche. Maybe it’s a live fairy tale dream of human nature wanting Someone or Something to turn us into a prince or princess in ways that can’t be accomplished by our own volition.

Flaunting a perfect cast with perfect voices, Lisa O’Hare and Christopher Cazenove seemed born to play the roles of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins providing them with an added dimension into the human experience.

Arrogant, self-centered, impatient, brilliant, self-serving, demanding, self-absorbed, Higgins’ sense of perfectionism storms his world of “cacooned” linguistics. Cazenove takes Higgins further, deeper than anyone has dared to go. Shy on social graces, he cloaks Higgins with a high strung pompous energy imprinting his mother, Mrs. Higgins, richly played by Marni Nixon, with humorous disgust treating him as her little boy, which indeed he is, a little boy in a stout flamboyant well-to-do Englishman’s body.

O’Hare gives Eliza spit and fire coated with indignity, determination, seizing an opportunity to better herself from the poor uneducated common flower girl she became. She’s a good girl, she is, and not about to take any nonsense, but oh, it would be nice to become a lady. With her crystal clear gorgeous voice and perfected dialect, O’Hare illustrates in full force Eliza’s wishes with the song Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.

Colonel Hugh Pickering, who Higgins accidentally meets when analyzing Eliza the poor struggling flower girl, has been given a heightened role rhyme, reason, and purpose. Played by Walter Charles, Pickering embraces a renewed sense of purpose, dignity, go-between and peacemaker between Higgins and Eliza. He knows when to disagree with Higgins and speaks for Eliza’s frazzled nerves. His ego doesn’t suffer much either. Following the Ball, following the success of his endeavor, Higgins and Pickering spend the greater part of the night congratulating each other, ignoring Eliza completely, giving her no credit whatsoever. The attempt to take the characters out of structured characterizations turning them into honest human beings mixing pride and foibles, turned this British make over from perfection to pure perfection.

Higgins show no concern, no interest in the well being of Eliza except for giving her a roof over her head, plenty of food, and all the chocolates she can eat. His sole interest, of course, lies on the bet between he and Pickering and his success as a linguist. Pushing her to the breaking point of exhaustion, the catastrophic relationship sizzles with frustrated anger that isn’t just pointed to but fully embraced. When the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain in clear concise perfect English, Higgins’ ecstatic explosion centers on his own brilliance. Forgetting himself for a moment, he actually dances with her. Eliza’s joyeous burst of song with I Could Have Danced All Night tumbles through the theatre. Of course, she’s happy. Not because the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, but he paid attention to her and danced with her. The thrill could be sensed throughout the theatre and up the spine.

Although the role of Freddie Eynsford-Hill has been a matter of necessity, Justin Bohon changes that aspect. In this production Freddie becomes a major player showing honest humanity. An immature playboy, Freddie falls madly in love with Eliza. His signature song On The Street Where You Live takes on substance with his huge purposeful voice. Having Freddie drunk at the Ball adds to the personality as well as having him drinking himself into a stupor at Higgins’ home following the Ball and into the next day. It’s a logical step for the lovesick Freddie, providing further insight into his soul. His reprise of On The Street Where You Live, although he can hardly stand up, shows how desperately in love with Eliza he really is. Spoiled and immature, the love bug captures him in an inescapable snare.

To test his success, Higgins takes Eliza to the Ascot races. Dressed in black? Everyone? A brilliant change with a character running across stage holding a placard The King is Dead. Of course, everyone in mourning would be dressed in black. An exceptional scene with eye pooping precise choreography stealing the breath.

The role of Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle, has always been a favorite to play and to watch as a celebratory free spirit and his “deloverly” songs With A Little Bit of Luck and Get Me To The Church On Time.

In the past 50 years since My Fair Lady grabbed Broadway’s attention, technology has come a long way. The development of stage direction, and the expansion of choreography allowed this production to move into areas beyond Lerner and Lowe’s wildest imagination. The choreography for A Little Bit of Luck became a magnificent heart stopper.

With the large cast, every singer, actor, dancer proved themselves to be at the top of their game. Matthew Bourne’s choreography took not only My Fair Lady, but also every musical from here on out to new heights and expectations.

Higgins’ housekeeper, Mrs. Pierce knows her place, knows how to handle the pseudo snobbery of Higgins, but she also lets her guard down forgetting to keep her emotions in check when the flower girl first shows up at Higgins’ doorstep. When Eliza’s self-confident alcohol smelling father appears at the front door. Barbara Marineau plays her with honest emotion, honest reality and is magnificent. Of course, she quickly warms to Eliza taking her under her wing. For Doolittle, that’s a different question.

The songs were sung as though they had never been sung before, Why Can’t The English; I’m An Ordinary Man; Just You Wait; Without You; I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face with power. The familiarity left an awesome sense. To experience something so well known with such a new, fresh, exciting thrill. Even Michael J. Farina provided George the Bartender with human personality and pizazz.

In the past, the sound system in the Buell has stuttered with annoying indignities. Not this time. The sound system matched the perfection of everything else from Tervor Nunn’s ingenious stage direction, to William David Brohn’s orchestration, to James Lowe’s musical direction and conducting of the top-flight orchestra, to David Hersey’s gripping lighting design.

Would that everyone involved in this production could be named, including every single cast member, but that never works.

My Fair Lady may have been classified in the 1950’s as the most perfect musical, the National Theatre of Great Britain has taken perfection to the stars with “dizzyish” expectations.

Every Broadway director, choreographer, and producer needs to watch this production with a keen creative eye. My Fair Lady raised the bar. Anything less now will only disappoint.

The only disappointing factor is the run had to be cut so short. Hopefully, Denver Center Attractions with its charismatic appeal will be able to lure My Fair Lady, this production of My Fair Lady, back into the Buell in the not too distant future. Two years would be good.