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My Fair Lady
Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Based on Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion
Directed by Trevor Nunn
Produced by Cameron Mackintosh
Broadway In Chicago
At the Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL
Call 312-902-1400, tickets $25 - $75
Thursday, Jan 24 at 7:30 pm
Friday, Jan 25 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, Jan 26 at 2 & 8 pm
Sunday, Jan 27 at 2 & 7:30 pm
Tuesday, Jan 29 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, Jan 30 at 2 & 7:30 pm
Thursday, Jan 31 at 7:30 pm
Friday, Feb 1 at 8 pm
Saturday, Feb 2 at 2 & 8 pm
Sunday, Feb 3 at 2 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 50 minutes with intermission
Through February 3, 2008
Nostalgia reigns in superb production of My Fair Lady
I saw the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the late 1950’s. The show left me wide-eyed and totally enthralled. Featuring witty lyrics, a lush score with marvelous melodies together with terrific comic moments, My Fair Lady just maybe the “perfect” musical—it sure has my vote (see list of the top musicals). My Fair Lady is one of those rare musicals that memories are made of—this 2008 National Touring production has enough of the look, feel and production elements to catapult me back to the original.
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Christopher Cazenove looks and sounds like Rex Harrison, the original Henry Higgins. Cazenove has the charisma, the arrogance and presence to command the role. He also possesses a fine singing voice. His Higgins is first class. So is Lisa O’Hare as Eliza Doolittle. O’Hare has the rich voice, the natural beauty and the comic chops to make her Eliza empathetic. She stands up to Higgins as we see her emerge for a simple dirty flower girl into a proper lady. Walter Charles is delicious funny and stuffy as Colonel Pickering. Marni Nixon’s Mrs Higgins and Justin Bohon’s Freddy were charming and effective.
Tim Jerome’s Alfred P. Doolittle, the dustman father of Eliza, offers comic relief and leads the music hall style anthem and march (“With a Little Bit of Luck” and “Get Me to the Church on Time”). Jerome is a marvelous effective showman as the lovable philosophizing free-spirit. Those rousing songs were pure fun.
From the opening “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” we get a glimpse of the lower class English society as Eliza and the workers sing this well know show tune. The staging of that number and the subsequent show-stoppers were vividly striking, danced expertly and sung with fine harmonies. Later, we see the opulence of the English upper class nicely satirized in the “Ascot Gavotte” minuet and the embassy ball. All the glitz and glamour are present in Christine Rowland’s colorful Victorian costumes featuring large hats and full dresses.
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This ageless romantic musical comedy still holds up in the 21st Century with its powerful book, melodic score on stinging lyrics. Combine Bernard Shaw with Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and you get a splendid evening of musical theatre. Cameron Mackintosh’s National Tour is a wonderful treat with its fine sets and tight production values. Take a teen to see this production of My Fair Lady so he/she can discover the magic of this iconic gem. Do that and years from now, they’ll have the sweet nostalgic moments like I experienced with this special show.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2008
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