My Fair Lady

Synopsis

Based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Lerner and Loewe's multi-award winning musical became one of the greatest successes of the New York and London stages, and paved the way for the hugely popular film version in 1964. Henry Higgins, an opinionated linguistics professor and confirmed bachelor, makes a wager with a colleague that within six months he can transform a cockney flower seller, Eliza Doolittle, into a lady who can take her place in high society. He wins the bet, but doesn't bargain for the profound effect she has on his life. The musical includes such hits as 'I Could Have Danced All Night' and 'On The Street Where You Live'.

Our Review:

25 March 2003

When this revival of My Fair Lady first opened at the National Theatre, I grouched only that it was opening at the National, not in the West End where it belonged and was indeed headed all along. There was, too, subsequently lots more grouching about the reliability of the much-heralded star, Martine McCutcheon, who I noted in my original review had already missed the final preview and went on to miss more performances at the National than she actually gave.

But all of that is history now; and with the show long installed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane - the same address that the original production was seen at in 1958 - it now moves onto its second cast change since it opened as seamlessly as it accomplished the first.

The Olivier-award winning McCutcheon and Jonathan Pryce were first succeeded by Joanna Riding and Alex Jennings, both of whom went on to take Oliviers this year for their performances as a result. Now it's the turn of a viva...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.223.5.222) - 15 August 2004:

superb!! mccutcheon was outstanding and outacted hammy price of the stage!! a brilliant show!...

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