Made my way back to the show tonight. This production is just so glorious. I kind of My Fair Lady’d myself out this spring after seeing it at the Beaumont so many times, but revisiting it months later, it still feels fresh, vibrant, and just magnificent. One of my all-time favorite revivals.
Benanti is an excellent Eliza, and I think she’ll develop her performance over her run to make her even stronger. She sounds pitch-perfect and sings the hell out of the score (as expected), but tonight at least, I found her to almost be focusing too much on her vocals and accent. For example, during “I Could’ve Danced All Night,” she hardly smiled once, clearly focused on nailing those notes and changing her way of speaking for the first time. That was a bit of a detriment for me, since that song is kind of supposed to be Eliza’s happiest/most climactic point in the show thus far.
The biggest difference I found between Ambrose’s Eliza and Benanti’s Eliza (besides the color of her “Without You” dress, once blue, now pink) is that there is, indeed, underlying romantic chemistry between Higgins and Eliza. I didn’t find there to be any romance with Ambrose’s Eliza (which I enjoyed), but Benanti’s Eliza is very much digging Higgins. Special shoutout to Harry Hadden-Paton, who is still slaying Higgins and who I still think should’ve won the Tony.
I was extremely vocal about how much I fell head over heels in love with Lauren Ambrose’s performance, and I’m glad to say that I wasn’t longing for her during most of the show. The only scene I kept thinking about her, though, was during “Without You,” when Benanti’s Eliza became visibly emotional at parts (to the near point of tears), and at another point mildly taunted Higgins. I did miss Ambrose’s towering strength and unwavering confidence during that scene. She did not stoop down to Higgins’ low once. (My other small comparative criticism: I also thought Benanti sped through this production’s powerful ending a little too quickly.)
I will be revisiting the show (shocker!) many times with Benanti in the role. I can’t wait to see how she grows. However, her Ascot scene right now is pretty perfect. Hilarious to the point of severe belly laughter.
Edit: Also, I hate to say it, but I did not buy the father/daughter age relationship between Butz and Benanti. I know Benanti's age has always been a question for this role, but I never really thought about it during the performance except during the short Eliza/Alfred scenes.
Updated On: 10/25/18 at 10:25 PM
