My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady — that beloved musical that has delighted several generations — is back, with its endearing story and songs such as “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”, “I Could Have Danced All Night”, “On the Street Where You Live”, and “Get Me to the Church on Time”.

In the more than capable hands of Free-Rain’s talented director Anne Somes, and musical director Alexander Unikowski, My Fair Lady is brought joyfully and movingly to life.  The superb 22-piece live orchestra was inspiring: impeccable in timing and tuning, tight, and with a musicality that brought a remarkable, relaxing freshness to these familiar tunes.  The leads were all in good voice, and Dan Maloney as the gruff phonetics professor Henry Higgins, Steph Bailey as the poor flower girl Eliza Doolittle, and Pippin Carroll as the besotted Freddy were in especially fine vocal form. And if a single ensemble member’s voice was having an off night on opening night, the rest more than made up for it.

Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle were of course the centres around whom the action revolved, with Pat Gallagher as the sympathetic Colonel Pickering splendidly providing a much-needed balance to Higgins’s casual cruelties.  And Isaac Gordon as Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle, provided energetic light relief that 66 years after first being staged hasn’t worn thin.

But I’m pleased to report that in this marvellous production every lead and every secondary character was played exactly right, with natural entrances, exits, and body language and none of the exaggerated intonations and intensity that can easily mar a production — a wonder of direction that was enhanced by interesting set design and lighting and perfect props and enriched by well-rehearsed, amusing, complex choreography and especially by exquisitely detailed costumery and of course the superb live orchestra.

This is a show you can go all out for and enjoy without reservation.  Don’t miss it.

John P. Harvey

Images: [clockwise, from centre] Dan Maloney, Pat Gallagher, Pippin Carroll, Stephanie Bailey, and Alice Ferguson, in My Fair Lady; and [L–R] Dan Maloney and Pat Gallagher, in My Fair Lady. Photographer: Janelle McMenamin.