Nixon now appears as Mrs. Higgins. Nixon doesn't have any solos, which is a shame, but that is a minor quibble. She is regal as Higgins' mother and she gives this production a nostalgic link with the musical's rich history.
As Eliza, O'Hare has the waiflike appearance and doe-like eyes of Hepburn and a similarly stately posture, but her expressive eyes suggest a comedic kinship to Lucille Ball. Cazenove's Higgins has a similar attack and growl as Harrison did, but his Higgins is much more vulnerable. This and Nunn's humorous twist at the end make the romantic ending more acceptable.
Shaw, who died in 1950, found that some productions of Pygmalian re-wrote his ending. He wrote an essay about the fate of the main characters and how illogical this other ending was. Despite this, Lerner and Loewe constructed this musical as a romance - perhaps believing love never is logical.
Yet does one really go to musicals for a plausible storyline? This show is about the wonderful and often witty tunes — from the sweetly wistful "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" to the earthy "Get Me to the Church on Time" (led by the dynamic Tim Jerome as the lovable good-for-nothing, Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father) — and the imaginative costumes of the British aristocracy of a by-gone era.
This gorgeous production delivers all this and more for a delightful evening that will leave you humming and wishing you too could go to an embassy ball and dance all night.
My Fair Lady continues through April 27.
Page 1 — Page 2
Article comments