The touring production of My Fair Lady opened in Hershey recently. It coasts heavily on the nostalgia and reputation of the award-winning film and Broadway production of sixty-plus years ago. Seasoned audience members will leave the theater with Audrey Hepburn-induced warm fuzzies. The younger crowd might view the verbal abuse and constant threats of assault towards Eliza Doolittle to be problematic, or at the very least, dated.
Madeline Powell stars as the Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower girl who transforms into a lady of elegance and class. Powell is a proficient singer, and conveys deep emotion through her songs, especially "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?". However, her acting choices downplay the fierceness and boldness needed to convincingly serve as a worthy opponent to Higgins and her father. Therefore, we end up feeling sorry for her more than we probably should.
Jonathan Grunert plays the arrogant and chauvinistic, Henry Higgins. Grunert doesn't get much sympathy from the audience, but then again he probably shouldn't. Ironically, due to sound issues, his dialogue was also very hard to comprehend at the beginning of the show.
Michael Hegarty serves as some comic relief, as Eliza's dad, Alfred. Hegarty was enjoyable whenever he appeared on stage. Some of his numbers seemed to wear out their welcome, but that is an issue with the composers, not the performer. This is a long show.
Sets were well-designed and attractive, especially for a road show. Higgin's living quarters was especially regal, including his handsome spiral staircase and picture window. A great deal of time and effort (and money) were spent on the costumes for this show. Even the "common guttersnipes" of the cast wore clothing that were well-designed, appropriate and eye-appealing.
While this touring production of the show was not, by any means bad, it was nothing new. Broadway revivals are currently pushing the envelope to explore the content in new and creative ways. The Hebrew version Fiddler on the Roof , and 1776 featuring America's founding mothers comes to mind. This production of My Fair Lady instead, rests comfortably on its laurels.
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