Eliza? - My Fair Lady Revival 2018 — Page 23

GeorgeandDot said: "There's nothing wrong with wanting to see big name A list stars on Broadway, especially when ticket prices are as high as they are. I'd rather not pay $200 to see an actor with a couple of regional theatre credits and maybe a couple of minor roles on Broadway play Henry Higgins. People need a reason to shell out that much money to see a show live. Why pay that much money to see some random people do My Fair Lady when I saw my community theatre's production last year for $20? People think like this. LCT is going head to head with Rudin's Carousel which has a brilliant cast of seasoned professionals, they need to show up with a great cast."

I get the financial aspect of it, but not at the expense of talent. I'm sure LCT is well aware of what you say about great casting for this. I only hope they can swing it.

JIMG3 said: "Oh yes, it's going to happen.I can assure you."



Thanks for this reassurance! I'm sure it will be a marvelous production, even though the casting process has been...interesting to say the least.

BroadwayBaby6 said: "What I'm hearing from an unconfirmed source is that Lauren Ambrose is their choice for Eliza but that they have yet to find an actor for Higgins, their top 5 choices (including Firth and Kline) passed and now they're still desperately seeking a "name". At the rate this is going, we will end up getting an old TV name like Barry Bostwick or a Bristish stage actor like Douglas Hodge or Henry Goodman. I personally think Robert Sean Leonard would be ideal as Higgins, but his name recognition is fairly low.
"

That basically mirrors what I've been hearing. I completely agree about RSL. He's a brilliant actor.

There are several other interesting choices. Hugh Laurie, for example. He's a musician and singer besides being a brilliant comedic actor.

RSL's name recognition isn't THAT low. Plenty of people remember him, mostly from House and Dead Poets Society. He may not be A list, but he's not exactly unknown.

A lot of these gents have probably been offered Higgins a few times now (the Julie Andrews production last year in Australia, the 2001 Cameron Mackintosh UK production that later toured the US, and various regional/concert productions.)

Michael Sheen, Mark Strong, or Dan Stevens would be good if they can't get a star.

Barry Bostwick sounds like summer stock casting.

Mark Strong is exactly the kind of actor that would make for an exciting choice. Please keep Benedict Cumberbatch far far away from this.

miminy said: "I can picture Mark Rylance as Higgins. Maybe it's the hats."

Rylance would be a great Doolittle, but he's already booked.

For Higgins, Ralph Fiennes could work...Joseph is too pretty and likely busy with Handmaid's Tale anyway.

Just get some dude from the RSC and be done with it already.

I actually think Rylance could be an interesting and completely different Higgins. It would be a complete experiment that would either work and shatter all molds of Harrison or be a complete disaster with people (older subscribers and the type) scratching their heads why the Higgins was so "off."

Jefferson Mays did something new with Higgins when he was in Pygmalion that I really was fascinated by. He was a completely spoiled "brat" man-child who was given a new toy, as it were. I think he also leaned into the homosexual undertones of "confirmed old bachelor" so you wouldn't root for them to be together and be disappointed by the ending.

I'm sorry to be sounding like a broken record, but given Bartlett Sher's amazing track record with revivals, My Fair Lady is already my most anticipated show for the spring. And that's coming from someone who considers Carousel to be one of his all time favorite musicals.

Updated On: 9/11/17 at 12:38 PM

The problem with a lot of A list star power for Higgins is that those powerhouses might not even be available. I'd love to see Robert Downey, Jr. or Oscar Isaac or Daniel Craig or Eddie Redmayne as Higgins (and the first two in particular strike me as great opposite Ambrose - Isaac was already her Romeo!) but what would be the chances of them being able to do it if they wanted to?

I also kind of like the idea of Damian Lewis.

MIchael Fassbender!

Updated On: 9/11/17 at 12:44 PM

Honestly, at this point I hope it's Jefferson Mays. He may not be a "name" but I'm struggling to think of anyone quite as perfect. Surround him with great Broadway performers like Danny Burstein, Mary Beth Peil, and Bryce Pinkham or Lucas Steele and I think the production will be just fine. I'd rather see that then have them cast someone like Hugh Jackman who isn't right for the part at all, but will sell tickets. I'm still a bit disappointed by Ambrose. I've never thought she had a very good voice. Maybe she will prove me wrong, but I would have much rather have seen a Broadway lady get the part or a complete unknown.

Realistic expectations please. Who was the last movie star you saw headline a musical at LCT?