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There’s something about My Fair Lady that reminds me of Yorkshire Pudding: you start with some pretty unpromising and stodgy ingredients, heat it all up and out comes the most heavenly concoction as light as a feather. This show shouldn’t work – the fusion of wordy solid Bernard Shaw with the sassy Gilbertian/New Yorker lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner and the Viennese lightness and charm of Fred Lowe’s music. It shouldn’t rise, but it does to every occasion.
Then take this week’s offering at the Arts Theatre by the long-established Cambridge Operatic Society (CAOS), for years presenting their annual Gilbert & Sullivan show and now tackling this toughest of Broadway musicals. The ingredients didn't look promising: here is a Professor Higgins seemingly miscast, too avuncular and kindly to be a real rotter, an Eliza Doolittle, lovely of voice but a little too statuesque and lacking the fierce wounded lioness energy required of this most challenging of leading lady roles. Add in the direction of the show: a touch stodgy and unimaginative (often placing the un-miked cast firmly at the back of the stage where they couldn’t be heard above the full-blown and blowing band).
So (you may think) I hated this show. But you’d be wrong. I loved it. Somehow, despite of all the wrong ingredients, it worked and worked a treat. The band was spot on, the choruses were excellent (especially the cockney knees up scenes led by a very wonderful Alfred Doolittle) and despite of all, there was real magic between Higgins and Eliza. Good job because this is vital, this show is so easily mis-read as a sparring match between posh proper-talking society and the lower orders, ‘the undeserving poor’. Above all this is a love story, and that’s why everyone loves the show and will go on loving it for centuries to come.
The painful relationship between the former flower girl and the bookish snob came alive especially in the second half. Higgins’s loss as the wronged Eliza walks out on him, was tangible and was very well played especially in the “I’ve grown accustomed to her face” monologue. Top marks to Richard Braithwaite for holding his audience so well here. I also really liked the final scene, a tricky one, where Eliza returns to Higgins. Both now realise they cannot live without each other and this has to be played with great finesse. Higgins’s half turn of recognition to Eliza was very well done and left a lump in the throat (as it should). This is a long and taxing show (for the cast) and given a few first night nerves, I have nothing but praise for this show – but then I do have a soft spot for great tunes and Yorkshire pudding.
My Fair Lady - Review by Susan Elkin, freelance journalist (Daily Mail, The Stage, The Daily Telegraph etc.)
It was a fine production which really did belie the word 'amateur.' In many ways the exuberance and immediacy surpassed what many professional companies often produce. Most roles were very well sung although there were occasional balance problems with the (excellent) band. Sometimes male soloists, in particular, were struggling for audibility especially from up-stage postions. To single out just two: Catriona Nicol is a fine performer - both musically and dramatically. Alan Hay has bucketsful of meaty stage presence. My Fair Lady is notoriously difficult to get slick because of all those scene changes. The CAOS production had it sorted with impressive speed and precision. The angled Covent Garden set in Act 2 was real tour de force. But the best thing of all was the breathtaking quality of the chorus work - some of the best I've seen anywhere. It sparkled. The singing was musically very accurate and (vital in MFL) the diction always clear. The dancing and use of space was remarkable for its energy, timing and verve. Warmest congratulations to all concerned.
REVIEW
MY FAIR LADY
By Lerner and Loewe directed by Alistair Donkin
Performed by Cambridge Operatic Society at The Arts Theatre Cambridge
Reviewed by Julie Petrucci for Combinations
It is rather difficult to write a review of such a well known classic musical as My Fair Lady. Based around George Bernard Shaw’s play ‘Pygmalion’, Lerner and Loewe’s musical adaptation of the rags to riches story of the East End flower girl who moves West and wins the hearts of her adopted family was made famous in the 1950s with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in the leads. Hard acts to follow.
Of course these days the huge social divide that the original play “Pygmalion” highlights no longer exists so there is no bittersweet irony to the story. Television reality shows such as “Ladette to Lady” ensure the modern day audience is no longer surprised to discover that a street girl is able, given the right education and opportunity, to be a lady. However the sell-out houses for Cambridge Operatic Society’s production proves what a huge draw this musical is and always has been.
Catriona Nicol was totally convincing as Eliza Doolittle. She has excellent comic timing, as she proved in her scene with Freddy, plus a beautiful voice Wouldn’t it be loverly, I could have danced all night and Just you wait were particularly well done. Unfortunately the orchestra drowned her out once or twice.
RICHARD BRAITHWAITE is always a pleasure to watch, he is such a good actor and singer and he gave an exceeding competent performance as Henry Higgins, the smug, self-assured bachelor who unknowingly falls in love with Eliza.
ALAN HAY as Alfred P Doolittle, Eliza’s father, gave an excellent performance. He sings and dances with ease and his enjoyment in his role was palpable.
Also worth a mention are KIRSTY ALAN who almost doubled her current age to play Mrs Higgins which she did with the required grace and elegance: NINA JELLICOE gave a fine performance as Mrs Pearce, Henry Higgins’ housekeeper, bringing out the gentleness and leniency necessary to the character and GRAHAM WICKENS as Colonel Pickering who was the perfect foil for Braithwaite’s Higgins. Of course a great deal of the success of a show of this type is what is lightly called “the Chorus” the importance of which is rarely given the credit they deserve – particularly from those in “the chorus” themselves. Ladies and gentlemen of the chorus of My Fair Lady ‘chorus’ was a misnomer – you were all stars.
I could find no credit for the choreography in the programme but this review would not be complete without complimenting the brilliant staging of The Ascot Gavotte with the stunning black and white ensembles and the exuberant dance routine With a little bit of luck, the sheer energy of those involved was breathtaking.
This was a lovely production but there were a couple of things on the debit side. Costumes were excellent but I feel I have to take issue with the costume team for the lack of gloves and evening bags/dance cards for the ladies at the Ambassador’s reception. Unusually these days the principals were not miked up. With principal singers of the quality COS has it doesn’t usually matter but My Fair Lady contains much more dialogue than most musicals and several scenes were played way back on the stage which meant that it was virtually impossible to hear what was said.
Alistair Donkin is an award-winning director and paired with Brian ‘Tommy’ Thomas as Musical Director the pedigree is impressive. This show was colourful, slick, energetic, well rehearsed and as professional as anything you see on The Arts stage any week of the year.