Bartlett Sher’s revival of ‘My Fair Lady’ has landed at the Edinburgh Playhouse for Christmas. Lerner & Loewe’s classic musical follows Eliza Doolittle’s rise from the gutters of Covent Garden in 1913 to the grandeur of an embassy ball, all under the watchful eye of Professor Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering. Playing the Playhouse until Sunday 7th January 2023.
Michael D. Xavier bring so much energy and humour to Henry Higgins. The complexity with this role and the amount of dialogue that needs life breathed into is a momentous task however Michael does it seamlessly, bringing a very strong performance. Michael’s performances of ‘Why Can’t the English?’ and ‘A Hymn to him’ are delivered with such nuance and truly amplify Higgins’ demeanour.
Charlotte Kennedy is absolutely loverly as Eliza Doolittle. The development from Eliza being a working class woman selling flowers in Covent Garden to a woman who could be mistaken for a Duchess is portrayed stunningly by Charlotte. Her performances of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’ and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ are the diamonds of this production, the vocal precision and sheer emotion each of her performances hold is a treat to watch.
Adam Woodyatt is cheeky and cunning as Alfred P. Doolittle. While Alfred is a supporting character, Adam wrings the comedy from someone who may be considered as the catalyst within ‘My Fair Lady’, bringing farcical joy each time he steps on stage. Of course the highlight of Adam’s performance is ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’, while vocally it isn’t a complex performance from Adam, this is a raucous and hilarious number which is lapped up with help from the ensemble.
Heather Jackson brings stern grandeur and some beautiful humanity to Mrs Higgins. Heather does well to initially present a cold upper-class matriarch who eventually blossoms into a caring woman who is frayed by her son’s antics. John Middleton brings great humour and a warmth to Colonel Pickering. John’s approach to this character leaves him open for the audience to easily embrace him. Lesley Garrett is brilliant as the housekeeper Mrs Pearce. Her operatic vocals lift each number she features in, whilst the guidance she gives Henry and Eliza is portrayed with humour and kindness.
Tom Liggins also features as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, the upper-class boy who is attached to Eliza’s charm and wit. ‘On the Street Where You Live’ is performed beautifully by Tom.
The ensemble within this production embrace all of the rumbustious characters featured in ‘My Fair Lady’, tackling stunning musical numbers and beautiful waltz choreography. The ensemble are as follows; Dammi Aregbeshola, Bernadette Bangura, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, Jamie Cruttenden, Francesca Daniella-Baker, Barry Drummond, Bethany Huckle, Emma Johnson, Sinead Kenny, Jenny Legg, Rebekah Lowings, Carl Patrick, Tom Ping, Dominique Planter, Joseph Poulton, John Stacey, Joshua Steel, Oliver Tester, Adam Vaughan, Annie Wenak & Paul Westwood.
Bartlett Sher’s direction of ‘My Fair Lady’ brings so much energy to this classic musical. Sher embraces the grandeur and splendour of 1913 while also not shying away from the darker sides of London during this period. Alan Jay Lerner’s book is one which carries an infamous tale of rags to riches, each character is oozing with comedy and complexity. However, the narrative is stretched out longer than it needs to be with a 90-minute first act and a 75-minute second act, there are clear moments which just don’t need to be there. The musical is from 1956, and that shows within the text which should perhaps have been adapted or cut down by Sher. Despite Eliza Doolittle being the main character, you feel she is given very little dialogue in comparison to her male counterparts. And some of the dialogue and context does raise a few eyebrows in regards to the treatment of woman, which goes beyond comic nuance, which leaves audiences questioning if this musical is something which holds up within 2022. Lerner’s lyrics along with Frederick Loewe’s music in ‘My Fair Lady’ are some of the most iconic with film and musical theatre history, each number is rich in versatility and also pushes the character’s development along nicely. Christopher Gattelli’s choreography helps lift these musical numbers by making the movement appropriate for the setting and tone of the scenes.
Michael Yeargan’s set design and Catherine Zuber’s costume design are both equally as stunning as one another. This is undoubtedly the best designed theatre production touring the UK currently, the set and costume are so intricately detailed that you are truly emersed in the time. They are both lifted by Donald Holder’s effective lighting design.
‘My Fair Lady’ is the crème de la crème of a musical revival. Despite there being a few flaws in the original text, Bartlett Sher delivers a beautiful piece of theatre, lead by a talented cast and one of the best creative teams within recent years.
Get your tickets for ‘My Fair Lady’ here:
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/my-fair-lady/edinburgh-playhouse/
Theatre Scotland 
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