Inside Rehearsals: MY FAIR LADY, London Coliseum

With just days to go until Bartlett Sher's dazzling revival of My Fair Lady raises the roof on London's Coliseum, it's Vanessa Redgrave who says it best. "There are many shows," she smiles. "But there is only one My Fair Lady."

In fact, Redgrave reveals that she has always loved the musical - ever since watching it decades ago starring none other than Julie Andrews. "I'll never forget it," she says.

Now Oscar-winning Redgrave is stepping into the elegant shoes of Mrs Higgins, while Harry Hadden-Paton is reviving his Henry Higgins - a role he played on Broadway and for which he received both Tony and Grammy Award nominations.

"The writing in My Fair Lady is so good that it's eternally relevant and perpetually entrancing," Hadden-Paton says. "There aren't many shows that can achieve that decade after decade, but this one can. It's as relevant today as it was when it was written, and it makes so many important points that we must all be reminded of - it just does it in the most beautifully entertaining way!"

Broadway certainly was entertained. The pre-pandemic run at the famed Lincoln Centre played for nearly 550 performances and was nominated for a gaggle of Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Choreography (with a win for Catherine Zuber's fabulous costumers).

Sher has been enthusiastically celebrated for his direction, which he calls a 'study in cultural history'. "What I did first was go back to George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and restore the author's ending, which I believe truly does justice to the extraordinary story of Eliza's transformation," the director says. "Challenging societal perceptions was important then and it's critical now. This is a show that encourages its audience to think, just as much as it encourages them to have a brilliant time."

And then, of course, there's the music; some of the most beloved songs in musical theatre history, such as "On The Street Where You Live" and "The Rain In Spain" are about to be brought to life by 36 musicians from the English National Opera's award-winning orchestra. "The audience are going to love the spectacle," enthuses Amara Okereke, who shines as Eliza Doolittle. "The music, the costumes, the sets, the choreography... this production is a treat for all the senses."

With a cast that includes Stephen K Amos, Malcolm Sinclair, Maureen Beattie and Sharif Afifi, One thing is for certain: My Fair Lady is going to be absolutely 'loverly'!

My Fair Lady is at the London Coliseum until 27 August, before embarking on a major UK tour.

Photo Credit: Jo Caruana