For anyone who knows me or Cultural Attaché, they found it surprising I had never seen a production of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady. On a recent trip to New York I rectified that problem when I saw the revival currently playing at the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center.
My Fair Lady is the classic musical that takes George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and throws in such memorable songs as “I Could Have Dance All Night,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”
In 2014 I interviewed Laura Benanti for Los Angeles Magazine. She told me that being in My Fair Lady was her dream role. She also said, “The clock is ticking. I better do this now.” That dream has become a reality as she began playing Eliza Doolittle last October.
Eliza Doolittle is the Cockney flower girl Professor Henry Higgins (Harry Hadden-Paton who originated the role) is convinced he can transform into a proper lady. He makes a bet with Colonel Pickering (Allan Corduner, also an original cast member) to do just that. Things look promising when she finally can say the words “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain” without a hint of her Cockney accent.
Danny Burstein (who played Buddy in the recent revival of Follies) plays Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle. Burstein, who joined the production in January, will be with My Fair Lady through April 28th. He leaves to be rehearsals for the Broadway musical version of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! Alexander Gemignani will assume the role on April 30th.
Christian Dante White (who also joined the cast in January) plays Freddy Eynsford-Hill, the young man who becomes enamored of the newly-transformed Eliza. If only it weren’t so damn obvious that, in spite of the way they treat each other, Higgins and Doolittle are falling in love.
Theatre legend Rosemary Harris, who joined the show in September, is playing Mrs. Higgins. However, she was out the performance I saw and the role was played by Blair Ross.
Bartlett Sher, who directed the recent revivals of The King and I and South Pacific, proves once again that he’s one of our best directors of both classic and new musicals (The Light in the Piazza). This My Fair Lady simmers with just the right tension, drama and humor throughout. Christopher Gattelli’s choreography is beautiful.
Simply put, Benanti is glorious as Doolittle. Her Eliza is no push-over and has firm convictions about the right and wrong way to treat a woman. And when she sings…you know why she dreamt of playing this role. She is going to be mighty hard to replace. when she leaves the show July 7th.
Fans of Downton Abbey will want to see Hadden-Paton who plays chauvinism and stubbornness perfectly. Burstein appears to be having as much fun as his hard-drinking character. And White makes you feel sorry it won’t work out between him and Eliza.
My Fair Lady is about as perfectly executed as a musical can be. Both by its creators (who knew exactly how much Shaw to use) and by the creative team that have made this revival a must-see. And wouldn’t it be loverly if they did a second cast recording?
For information and tickets go here. It’s a good idea to check with the website to find out when actors are taking breaks from the show. Kerstin Anderson plays Eliza on Tuesday evenings. Michael Halling plays Henry Higgins on Wednesday evenings.
Main Photo: Laura Benanti, Allan Corduner and Christian Dante White in “My Fair Lady” (Photo by Joan Marcus)
All photos by Joan Marcus. Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater
Update: “My Fair Lady” will now close on July 7th.
