BWW Reviews: Village's MY FAIR LADY Is Just Loverly

Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady" is one of those enduring classics that when done correctly can amount to a magical evening. But to do it correctly there's a shopping list of elements you must have such as a terrific and upbeat pace, lively and fun choreography, breathtaking costumes and of course a superb cast especially a sweet, strong, and loveable Eliza with the voice that can hit those impossible Julie Andrews notes. Without those elements, really, why bother? Well lucky for us director Brian Yorkey and the folks at Village Theatre seem to have gotten ahold of my shopping list and confidently checked off each item as their current production of the classic amounts in some ways to one of the best I've seen.

Based on George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion", the show centers on the poor cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle (Allison Standley) who's taken in by the egotistical linguist Professor Higgins (Mark Anders) due to his bet with his colleague Col. Pickering (Dan Kremer) that he can pass off this common girl as a refined lady at an embassy ball by teaching her how to talk, walk, and act.

But you know that. We ALL know that. If the show alone weren't iconic enough as being one of Julie Andrews' star making turns then you're sure to be familiar with the Audrey Hepburn film. And while those icons from the original production and film are emblazoned in our brains, Yorkey and his cast and crew have managed to press all our memory buttons we may have about the show without ever stalely mimicking the originals. The tone and the timing beats are all there. The stunning costumes from Cynthia Savage, reminiscent of the film versions are all there. But even while checking off that shopping list and hitting all those buttons they make it all still feel fresh and new like you're seeing it all for the first time and that is no small task. Kudos to Kathryn Van Meter for her stirring choreography especially a hilarious little drunk dance while "getting to the church on time". And Music Directors Tim Symons and Bruce Monroe show their mastery of the music from the very first notes of the perfectly tempo'd Overture.

The cast, all the way from Eliza on down to each and every member of the ensemble, is superb. Anders and Kremer make for the perfect pair of clueless little boys playing with their living doll. Priscilla Hake Lauris and Gretchen Krich each make for wonderfully strong and guiding women in Higgins' life as his Mother and Housekeeper respectively. John Patrick Lowrie and Eric Polani Jensen each hysterically nail the bluster and ridiculousness of Eliza's drunken Father Alfie and the pompous rival linguist Zoltan Karpathy. Randy Scholz takes Freddy beyond the realm of sniggering twit and into a truly believable and likable young man, albeit slightly clueless. And what a voice! And I must mention the rest of the ensemble who nailed every moment, move and harmony so well that they almost outshone the leads.

But it's Eliza's shoulders that the show rests squarely upon and Standley is more than up to the task. Standley is simply a revelation. Not only does she have a voice to rival Julie Andrews (and yes, she does hit that impossible note and holds it during "I Could Have Danced All Night") but she's also got the acting chops to take her beyond the pretty girl with the killer voice. Her expressions and character completely showed through making this one of the most vivacious and honest Eliza's ever. And Standley never once shows any signs of fatigue or difficulty in carrying off this difficult and very demanding role.

It's simply a stellar production in every way that understands and respects what has come before it without ever losing its identity. And so I give Village Theatre's "My Fair Lady" a loverly YAY with my three letter rating system. Whether you're a newbie to the show or a die-hard fan, you're bound to have a wonderful time.

"My Fair Lady" performs at Village Theatre's Issaquah location through January 3rd before moving onto their Everett location running January 8th through the 31st. For tickets or information contact the Issaquah box office at 425-392-2202 or the Everett box office at 425-257-8600 or visit them online at www.villagetheatre.org.

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