★★★★☆

It isn’t often that I go to see what you would call a ‘classic’ musical. With two teenagers I’m more likely to be at Dear Evan Hansen or Six than something like this. So it was great to take advantage of some rush tickets and head to The Colosseum to see the transfer of the Lincoln Centre production of My Fair Lady. I have fond memories of doing this show at university so I was interested to see how it would have stood the test of time.

For those that are not aware, My Fair Lady was written by Lerner and Lowe, and premiered in on Broadway in 1956, starring the then largely unknown Julie Andrews. It is based on the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, and tells the story of a young Cockney flower seller, Eliza Doolittle, who is taught how to speak and behave like a lady by Professor Henry Higgins. 

The Colosseum is of course an amazing theatre. The usual merchandise shop in the foyer had been turned into a florist, in keeping with Eliza’s profession in the musical. This did make the hunt for merchandise a bit tricky though! When we entered the auditorium the splendour of the decor and the huge orchestra pit was in sharp contrast with the minimalist set of a blue surround and curtain with the London skyline faintly painted on it. Other than that there was a solitary lamp post and a basket of flowers.

As show started (I’d forgotten how much I love a full overture as so few shows have them these days) the stage was quickly transformed into Covent Garden and this was where the minimalism ended – largely, onto Ascot Races later.

Eliza – played at this performance by understudy Charlotte Kennedy – was exactly how you would expect. She mastered the switch of dialect as the show progressed. However, and this is not unique to her, but I think it is how the show is written, the switch is sudden rather than a gradual ‘learning’. 

Standout performance for me was Harry Hadden-Paton as Higgins. Harry played the role in America and so transferred over with the production. Everyone is of course familiar with Rex Harrison’s portrayal and it is nice to see someone who can sing the role. He is infuriating, as indeed he should be. However he certainly showed his softer side towards the end of the show.

Malcolm Sinclair was delightful as Colonel Pickering. This isn’t difficult as the character is so charming. He really displayed his soft side when showing concern for Eliza and was a great foil for Higgins.

I have always found the part of Freddy Eynsford-Hill to be a tricky one and Sharif Afifi did the best with what he was given. His rendition of ‘Here on the Street Where you Live’ was very good – this was a young man in love.

The only disappointment for me was Stephen K Amos as Alfred Doolittle. I felt his singing was a bit weak compared to the other principles, but I do think there were sound issues in general. I was also disappointed with ‘I’m Getting Married in the Morning’ which was not the showstopper I was expecting.

Talking to my son afterwards and we agreed that two of the highlights were the set design (by Michael Yearn) and the costumes (Catherine Zuber). As I said before, the minimalism that greeted us when we entered did disappear and that couldn’t have been more noticeable than with the main set piece of Higgin’s house. I won’t say too much about how this worked, but it was definitely impressive. Ascot left me a bit underwhelmed as it returned to the largely bare blue set, but the scene as a whole was clever – complete the Eliza’s gravity defying hat – and the colour palette was effective.

I do want to say a little about the controversial ending of this new production. Even back in the early 90s I found the ending problematic and in today’s climate it is even more so. I have read views on this new ending and there are definitely people in both camps. I have also read some more about George Bernard Shaw’s original intentions with Pygmalion. It is highly likely that he would have approved of this new ending as he was certainly not a romantic in the say way that Lerner and Lowe were.

So yes, it is visually stunning, and is definitely a ‘luverly’ evening out. Is it perfect? No. But it is a fresh take on a classic.

My Fair Lady is playing at The Colosseum in London until the 27th August

Photo © Marc Brenner