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| Alistair McGowan as Henry Higgins (photo Manuel Harlan) |
I don't think I have ever seen the play before, although of course I've seen 'My Fair Lady' many times.
The evening didn't start well, as there was a road closure which meant I was late getting to the theatre, but once I was in, it was very entertaining.
This production starred Alistair McGowan as Henry Higgins, Rula Lenska as his mother, and Rachel Barry as Eliza.
It was a very good production - Rachel Barry did an excellent job of showing not only Eliza's determination and strength, but also her vulnerability.
I felt that McGowan's Professor Higgins was a little overdone - the character is obviously supposed to be gauche and irritating, but I think a little more restraint would have improved the production.
Despite this, the production is over all excellent - witty and entertaining, but not obscuring the underlying points which Bernard Shaw was making about class and inequality, and Eliza's determination to better herself and to become independent. It's a little sad that, in the play's centenary year, the issues of inequality still resonate..
Jamie Foreman made an excellent Albert Doolittle, self-proclaimed member of the Undeserving Poor, and later victim or unwanted wealth!
I hadn't appreciated how much of the dialogue of 'My Fair Lady' was taken directly from the original play, which gives it a feeling of familiarity, but (in this production at least) you don't miss the songs.
Special mention should also go to Rula Lenska, as Higgins' clear sighted and long-suffering mother.
The production is touring until June. If you're in the right place, it is well worth seeing.
It was a very good production - Rachel Barry did an excellent job of showing not only Eliza's determination and strength, but also her vulnerability.
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| Jamie Foreman and Rachel Barry |
Despite this, the production is over all excellent - witty and entertaining, but not obscuring the underlying points which Bernard Shaw was making about class and inequality, and Eliza's determination to better herself and to become independent. It's a little sad that, in the play's centenary year, the issues of inequality still resonate..
Jamie Foreman made an excellent Albert Doolittle, self-proclaimed member of the Undeserving Poor, and later victim or unwanted wealth!I hadn't appreciated how much of the dialogue of 'My Fair Lady' was taken directly from the original play, which gives it a feeling of familiarity, but (in this production at least) you don't miss the songs.
Special mention should also go to Rula Lenska, as Higgins' clear sighted and long-suffering mother.
The production is touring until June. If you're in the right place, it is well worth seeing.
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