Eliza Doolittle could've danced all night, and I could've watched Barlett Sher's beautiful production of My Fair Lady all night.
I am not the warmest person. I'm a bit cynical and not sentimental in the slightest. I roll my eyes when people talk about how hard they cry over shows that should not bring anyone to tears. But sometimes a production just comes along and is so perfect and stunning, like My Fair Lady, that it is a joy to watch, that prove that underneath that cynical shell, I am at heart a sentimentalist.
My Fair Lady isn't a perfect musical. Sure, it can be problematic, and yeah, Higgins is a real jerk, and maybe it is a bit dated for 2018 (I assure you, it is not Carousel) but Barlett Sher really can work magic to make these familiar, old, even creaky musicals so fresh, and well, magical.
Sher's magic begins with his casting. Eliza is played by the splendid Lauren Ambrose. Ambrose's Eliza has great agency, and feels like an equal to Higgins. She's smart, and always seems in control of her situation. After the Embassy Ball, during "You Did It," Ambrose shows an Eliza that understands right away what is happening to her. There's no way this Eliza would ever end up with Higgins (as she shouldn't.) She looks beautiful and sings beautifully; her "I Could've Danced All Night" was absolutely a joy to listen to. Sure, there may have been more "exciting" choices for Eliza Doolittle but we should all trust Sher at this point; he knows what he's doing. His casting is always appropriate, and he values the ability to act and create a character over anything else. He is perfect at getting amazing musical theater performances from actors who don't have a musical theater background.
Which leads me to his current leading man, Harry Hadden-Paton. People were upset Sher didn't cast a better known actor but I was excited the minute he was announced (I love Downton Abbey after all). Well, Hadden-Paton is giving one of the best performances of the season. He's a tremendous actor, and his Higgins is a neurotic man-child. While he's constantly belittling Eliza and making her feel downright stupid, he is never imposing. He doesn't seem threatening. I think that has to do with Sher casting and directing his leads to be equals. And yet, Hadden-Paton shows that his Higgins really cares for Eliza. His facial expressions are heartbreaking, especially as he watches her dance with other men at the Embassy ball. But instead of being a huge brute, his Higgins just doesn't have it in him to understand relationships, especially with a woman he believe he is too good for. In this production when Higgins says he's a confirmed bachelor, it's not because he's pig-headed and arrogant, it's because he just can't connect with another person well enough to be in a relationship. We see this Higgins try to connect with Eliza towards the end of the musical but he may understand how people speak but doesn't understand what they're saying. Hadden-Paton's "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" is heartbreaking because you can see he already knows Eliza is never coming back.
Diana Rigg and Allan Corduner are perfect as Mrs. Higgins and Colonel Pickering. Jordan Donica as Freddie has a crystal-clear voice and sings one of the best versions of "On the Street Where You Live" I've ever heard. Norbert Leo Butz is the one weak spot in the cast. He seems to be in a different show altogether, and is way broader than the rest of the principals. It doesn't help that his material is so far removed from the rest of the plot but still, "Get Me to the Church on Time" is a ton of fun.
And everything else is so so beautiful. The set is gorgeous and made me say "wow" out loud. The costumes are wonderful, the orchestra is huge and lush, and the three hours just fly right by. In a season full of duds, especially musical ones, My Fair Lady was a refreshing and very welcome change of pace.
Barlett Sher did it, he did it, he said he'd do it and indeed he did.
I am not the warmest person. I'm a bit cynical and not sentimental in the slightest. I roll my eyes when people talk about how hard they cry over shows that should not bring anyone to tears. But sometimes a production just comes along and is so perfect and stunning, like My Fair Lady, that it is a joy to watch, that prove that underneath that cynical shell, I am at heart a sentimentalist.
My Fair Lady isn't a perfect musical. Sure, it can be problematic, and yeah, Higgins is a real jerk, and maybe it is a bit dated for 2018 (I assure you, it is not Carousel) but Barlett Sher really can work magic to make these familiar, old, even creaky musicals so fresh, and well, magical.
Sher's magic begins with his casting. Eliza is played by the splendid Lauren Ambrose. Ambrose's Eliza has great agency, and feels like an equal to Higgins. She's smart, and always seems in control of her situation. After the Embassy Ball, during "You Did It," Ambrose shows an Eliza that understands right away what is happening to her. There's no way this Eliza would ever end up with Higgins (as she shouldn't.) She looks beautiful and sings beautifully; her "I Could've Danced All Night" was absolutely a joy to listen to. Sure, there may have been more "exciting" choices for Eliza Doolittle but we should all trust Sher at this point; he knows what he's doing. His casting is always appropriate, and he values the ability to act and create a character over anything else. He is perfect at getting amazing musical theater performances from actors who don't have a musical theater background.
Which leads me to his current leading man, Harry Hadden-Paton. People were upset Sher didn't cast a better known actor but I was excited the minute he was announced (I love Downton Abbey after all). Well, Hadden-Paton is giving one of the best performances of the season. He's a tremendous actor, and his Higgins is a neurotic man-child. While he's constantly belittling Eliza and making her feel downright stupid, he is never imposing. He doesn't seem threatening. I think that has to do with Sher casting and directing his leads to be equals. And yet, Hadden-Paton shows that his Higgins really cares for Eliza. His facial expressions are heartbreaking, especially as he watches her dance with other men at the Embassy ball. But instead of being a huge brute, his Higgins just doesn't have it in him to understand relationships, especially with a woman he believe he is too good for. In this production when Higgins says he's a confirmed bachelor, it's not because he's pig-headed and arrogant, it's because he just can't connect with another person well enough to be in a relationship. We see this Higgins try to connect with Eliza towards the end of the musical but he may understand how people speak but doesn't understand what they're saying. Hadden-Paton's "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" is heartbreaking because you can see he already knows Eliza is never coming back.
Diana Rigg and Allan Corduner are perfect as Mrs. Higgins and Colonel Pickering. Jordan Donica as Freddie has a crystal-clear voice and sings one of the best versions of "On the Street Where You Live" I've ever heard. Norbert Leo Butz is the one weak spot in the cast. He seems to be in a different show altogether, and is way broader than the rest of the principals. It doesn't help that his material is so far removed from the rest of the plot but still, "Get Me to the Church on Time" is a ton of fun.
And everything else is so so beautiful. The set is gorgeous and made me say "wow" out loud. The costumes are wonderful, the orchestra is huge and lush, and the three hours just fly right by. In a season full of duds, especially musical ones, My Fair Lady was a refreshing and very welcome change of pace.
Barlett Sher did it, he did it, he said he'd do it and indeed he did.
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