My Fair Lady

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Two weeks after My Fair Lady opened at Littleton’s Town Hall, the audience enthusiastically jumped to its feet for a standing ovation. Directed by Clive Barlow, music direction by Devrie Fortay and choreography by Cecily, the beloved Lerner and Loewe Broadway favorite debuted in a new gown, although not always appropriate, wigs that didn’t fit, crates, benches, and doorways hastily put together, a stage manager reprimanding his assistant, and actors arguing on stage over costumes not being ready, props missing, and the audience still went wild.

Sara Seever as Eliza Doolittle and David Ambroson as Henry Higgins in Town Hall’s production of My Fair Lady.

Clive Barlow? Devrie Foray? Cecily? Who are these people? Where did they come from? How come Henry Higgins, a coveted role, is played by an unknown actor Cecil Foxworth? Wouldn’t Town Hall bring in someone with high artistic credibility? If not Higgins, certainly Eliza Doolittle who is played by an equally unknown, Grace Vaughn.

Town Hall got wind of a touring company direct from Northumberland UK expanding its North American tour to the west. If they were going to Canon City, certainly they could include Littleton.

The touring troupe wanted to do Pygmalion, in the 1914 open rehearsal style that became every so popular at His Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End. Fortunately Barlow’s Historical Entertainments recognized Town Hall favors musicals, switching productions to My Fair Lady.

Wasn’t that a risk for Town Hall to feature an unknown touring group in primetime spotlight?

Genius is what it is with Breckenridge’s Backstage Theatre’s Christopher Willard behind the brilliant concept, Donna Debreceni providing the music, and Julianna Black designing the choreography. The reality faced by the audience: actors playing actors playing characters in a working rehearsal turning the well-worn but beloved My Fair Lady into one of the most exciting productions to grace the boards of any stage in the Denver Metropolitan area. That’s a mouthful because there have been some thrillingly exciting exceptional musical productions in the past several years.

Entering the theatre, audience members are happily greeted by actors engaging in fun conversation while crew members argue amongst themselves. An actor roams the theatre looking for a replacement for an actor who hasn’t yet showed up. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to step cold into the production? (I’m not sure what they would do if someone actually volunteered.)

On stage left sits a table for Stage Manager Reginald Langsford (Bob Leggett) and his assistant Lilly Youngfield (Rachel Turner) watching with a critical eye on the rehearsal. Much of the attention for Langsford is taken up by Lilly’s lack of attention. Overtaken with young theatre enthusiastic magic, Lilly, unable to contain herself, does back flips right in front of the end of a vital My Fair Lady scene. Langsford indeed has his hands full, but oh how delicious it all is.

And the characters for My Fair Lady? No one has to worry about being cheated out of strong characterizations, and huge gorgeous voices. Behind Foxworth’s Henry Higgins in none other than David Ambroson whose voice nearly melts the ladders he frequently stands on in Higgins’ study. Behind Vaughn’s Eliza is none other than Sara Seever who turns Eliza into an honest believable charming but biting character. Behind Joseph Quites’ Freddy EynsfordÐHill can be found Chris Boeckx, Claude Diener lavishes as Director Barlow who breaks the springs on everyone’s mouths with his Alfred P. Doolittle. Lori Hansen as Kathleen Carter switches characters in a gnat’s breath as an Angry Woman, a variety of juicy characters in the Ensemble, and keeps Higgins in his place as his genteel but compassionate mother Mrs. Higgins even though her wig is slightly cockeyed. It’s a working rehearsal remember?

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady tells the story of Professor Henry Higgins hiding his heart in a pocket while wearing arrogant pseudo-sophistication on his shoulder like a pirate’s squawking parrot accepting a bet from Colonel Pickering, a studied linguistic with a fine-tuned ear capable of nailing a person’s place of origin to an exact address. Pickering takes hammered delight in betting Higgins he can’t take a poor flower girl with a deep-dish accent; teach her to speak correct English passing her off as royalty.

Only when Eliza shows up at Higgins’ residence does Higgins take on the bet. Eliza’s diligence to learn pushes her through the long days and nights to exhaustion.

Each of the memorable songs, including “Why Can’t The English,” “With A Little Bit of Luck,” “I’m A Ordinary Man,” “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,” tell the story while the actors fill in the spaces giving the characters honest believable places in musical theatre history.

Aside from the serendipitous fun and games of an open rehearsal for a traveling theatre troupe, the performance of My Fair Lady becomes one of the finest top-notch productions I have ever seen, and that’s saying something.

Ambroson as Foxworth brings Higgins to detailed life expressing macho attitudes of women, anger, frustration, determination, crowing with puffed up pride over his success ignoring the fact Eliza had a great deal to do with it. Ambroson doesn’t just point to Higgins. He is Higgins.

The same goes for all of the characters: Mrs. Pierce, Higgins steadfast and loyal housekeeper who makes no bones about Higgins’ exaggerated attitude beautifully played by Kimberly Condict playing actor Molly Madigan who also plays Angry Woman, Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, along with a mixed variety of characters in the Ensemble. Pickering, Freddie, Doolittle are all exquisitely chiseled to perfection representing the characters so wonderfully loved for so many years.

Mary June Anderson, as herself, designed the most appropriate as well as the inappropriate costumes. Brian Mallgrave designed the what seems to be piece meal set fitting the requirement of a set not yet completed having to make do with whatever materials avail themselves to a touring troupe. Music Director and magical pianist, Debreceni was joined last Saturday by Adam Galblum on the violin and Austin Hein on Bass filling the air with the familiar enchanting My Fair Lady music.

Throughout the run of the show Mary Gottlieb and Chappell Kingsland will alternate on the piano, Jean Ball horn, and Jean Bolger will alternate on the violin and Rick Thompson on the Bass.

Littleton’s Town Hall deserves to be congratulated for sharing Willard’s dream for taking a much beloved show wrapping it in a new outfit with a decidedly enthralling twist that will be talked about for a very long time.

Graciously, along with several other theatres, Town Hall offers people with Country Dinner’s unused Evita tickets half-priced tickets for My Fair Lady. No matter how many times one has seen My Fair Lady or played the LP or CD Town Hall offers a magnificent, enchanting My Fair Lady experience moving way beyond creative genius with an ultimate cast of enormous talent.

It’s simple. This show is just not to be missed. Guaranteed when you see it once, you will want to see it again. That’s not just being nice. That is the plain and simple Truth.