MY FAIR LADY (2018) Previews- Page 25

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:36am

I have A LOT of thoughts about this production.

First of all, for the most part it is a gorgeously designed production. I didn't love the pub/bar building. It was just really ugly and some of Eliza's costumes could have been prettier. Higgin's study is stunning and the ball scene and the Ascot are as well. The costumes for Ascot are gorgeous, especially Rigg's. The orchestra plays this magnificent score beautifully, also.

Here are the problems however, the cast is just fine, and at times regional theatre quality. The audience barely laughed the entire evening and I'm pretty sure Ambrose was cast because she's friends with the director. She's just boring. Her singing isn't great, at all and she isn't good with the humor. I didn't buy her performance for a second. Harry Hadden-Patton is good and VERY good from time to time. He waaaay oversings the score, which is absurd because he doesn't really have much of a singing voice to oversing with. Butz is very good, but Sher has overstaged Get Me to the Church and it feels REALLY out of place, especially the bizarre drag queens in the can-can costumes. Diana Rigg is lovely but doesn't get much material unfortunately. The actor that plays Freddy is also fine. He also misses the humor and goes flat and thin on the top notes in Street. The production is beautiful and I like this ending. The cast just doesn't have much stage presence and was very low energy.

I know this reads as a scathing review, but I actually did enjoy the production and I would recommend it. It just could have been a lot better if it had been cast with musical theatre performers who could actually fill the theatre. I don't see this beating Once on this Island for the Tony this year.

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 12:36 AM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:53am

Hmm GeorgeandDot, when I saw this production in like the first week of previews I thought Ambrose got the humor ... when she wasn't going up on lines or struggling to maintain a consistent accent. I'm surprised Sher scheduled such a short preview period because I saw some really promising stuff along with things that REALLY needed work -- for example, the accents of the American actors were all over the place and contrasted with Harry Hadden-Patton and Diana Rigg. I have a ticket for the preview right before opening. Hopefully things will have settled by then.

A quick question: did Ambrose do that hunched over, bent-knees posture when she sang? When I saw her she did that quite a bit and it was very distracting especially in the second act when Eliza's body language is supposed to convey confidence.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:02am

She only did that hunch over knee thing as the cockney Eliza tonight. Tonight was REALLY unfunny. No one's performances are specific enough and they're all very one dimensional. They were saying the jokes, but the laughter was extremely light and scattered. They just weren't landing.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 5:17am

I don't think Sher intended for this production to be a "funny" production. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, this production feels closer to Pygmalion than the touring production of MFL that I saw years ago. Shaw's words are there, and Sher really lets them shine. Some humor aside, they are not supposed to be laughter inducing; they are powerful and insightful dissection of the British class system, gender, "middle class morality," the human condition and so much more and still are relevant today. If a production really digs into these aspects, they are not supposed to garner a ton of laughter but actually make you go like "huh" and think. This is also why I feel in this production, some songs just feel unnecessary because they don't add on to the insights Shaw provided nor fit the tone. Seeing the show again, I now appreciate Sher's take on Take Me to the Church On Time more; the over-the-top-ness serves as a satire of the lower class morality, which more aligns with the contemporary understanding of freedom than its middle class counterpart. It still feels out of place in some ways, but Sher did the best he could with the material imho.

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 05:17 AM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 8:59am

My thoughts about the production would be much more along the lines of Somewhere in a Tree. My greatest trepidation was Ambrose. No musical theater experience on the same plane as this. Forty years old. Apparently a directorial favorite. But she was fine. On a couple of occasions I thought I noticed that her voice was not filling the theater, which I would have thought as impossible in the Age of Amplification, but since I was sitting in the first row with the orchestra pit right in front of me, I thought that I might not be in the ideal listening position.

Whether Ambrose was better than just fine, I'll reserve judgment until I've seen the show after its opening. 

Hadden-Patton will receive his Tony nomination. Never thought of Rex Harrison while Harry was in the spotlight. I thought that the confrontational scenes between Eliza and Henry after the ball were splendidly acted and affecting.

The weakest link to me was also Butz. Several times I thought that Jiggs had wandered over from Carousel to play the role. The biggest problem with Butz, though, was that he could not fill the large shoes of Stanley Holloway.

Personally I still consider the ending ambiguous, as neither had future plans and Henry, still a young man, could have changed after his first experience with love. And Henry's mother and Eliza were great friends. I do hope that Henry will change for the sake of his mother. Mrs. Peel. What an effect she had on college age boys oh so many years ago.

One question that will be asked is if this third part of Sher's trilogy of classic musicals will receive the same acclaim as the first two. I think that this will depend greatly on how Ambrose is received by the critics. What this production lacks is Kelli O'Hara, an almost untouchable favorite of critics and audiences. It was last February that she said, when asked directly if Eliza would be her next role, that she answered almost wistfully that, although she loved the role and the score and musical, she was afraid that "that ship had sailed,"  Her great friend and colleague Bartlett gives the role to another 40 year old.

Not surprisingly, Ms. O'Hara received uniformly excellent reviews for her true opera debut in Cossi Fan Tutte. From OperaWire:

Now let’s talk about Kelli O’Hara. Before I mentioned that this had all the makings of a publicity stunt for the company.... 

But O’Hara is who she is because of the stuff she did last night – proving that she is a true artist. If I hadn’t known who she was and had just gone into the opera for the first time in my life, I would have thought she was a really great opera singer.

[pacificnorthwest]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 9:44am

GeorgeandDot said: "...Here are the problems however, the cast is just fine, and at times regional theatre quality. The audience barely laughed the entire evening and I'm pretty sure Ambrose was cast because she's friends with the director. She's just boring. Her singing isn't great, at all and she isn't good with the humor. I didn't buy her performance for a second. Harry Hadden-Patton is good and VERY good from time to time. He waaaay oversings the score, which is absurd because he doesn't really have much of a singing voice to oversing with. Butz is very good, but Sher has overstaged Get Me to the Church and it feels REALLY out of place, especially the bizarre drag queens in the can-can costumes. Diana Rigg is lovely but doesn't get much material unfortunately. The actor that plays Freddy is also fine. He also misses the humor and goes flat and thin on the top notes in Street. The production is beautiful and I like this ending. The cast just doesn't have much stage presence and was very low energy."

Wow, really? I was there last night. I was mesmerized by the cast and felt abundant energy. Lauren Ambrose's voice was gorgeous. The whole production was sumptuous. And I was so enthralled (as usual) by Norbert Leo Butz that I couldn't have cared less whether "Get Me to the Church" was out of place or not.

OK, fire away. Tell me how stupid I am. 

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 9:57am

GeorgeandDot said: "I have A LOT of thoughts about this production.

First of all, for the most part it is a gorgeously designed production. I didn't love the pub/bar building. It was just really ugly and some of Eliza's costumes could have been prettier. Higgin's study is stunning and the ball scene and the Ascot are as well. The costumes for Ascot are gorgeous, especially Rigg's. The orchestra plays this magnificent score beautifully, also.

Here are the problems however, the cast is just fine, and at times regional theatre quality. The audience barely laughed the entire evening and I'm pretty sure Ambrose was cast because she's friends with the director. She's just boring. Her singing isn't great, at all and she isn't good with the humor. I didn't buy her performance for a second. Harry Hadden-Patton is good and VERY good from time to time. He waaaay oversings the score, which is absurd because he doesn't really have much of a singing voice to oversing with. Butz is very good, but Sher has overstaged Get Me to the Church and it feels REALLY out of place, especially the bizarre drag queens in the can-can costumes. Diana Rigg is lovely but doesn't get much material unfortunately. The actor that plays Freddy is also fine. He also misses the humor and goes flat and thin on the top notes in Street. The production is beautiful and I like this ending. The cast just doesn't have much stage presence and was very low energy.

I know this reads as a scathing review, but I actually did enjoy the production and I would recommend it. It just could have been a lot better if it had been cast with musical theatre performers whocould actually fill the theatre. I don't see this beating Once on this Island for the Tony this year."

... Are you schizophrenic or were you arguing with me over a production you hadn’t seen until last night? You’re echoing a lot of the things I was saying- low energy, “church on time” out of place, Harry not having much of a singing voice, weak cast, voices not filling the theater ... what gives?

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 09:57 AM

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:23am

But you were saying that the music istelf was poorly written which is not the case. Although, if this were my firat exposure to this musical I would probably think so too.

Also, the sound was ridiculously quiet in the loge.

I would like to say again that I really didn't hate the production or anything. It's a good production. It's just not great and isn't of the same quality as Sher's previous productions.

I understand that Sher was going for a more political route with this production which I really liked, but it is a comedy and the jokes just were not landing.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:31am

Dancingthrulife2 said: "I don't think Sher intended for this production to be a "funny" production. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, this production feels closer to Pygmalion than the touring production of MFL that I saw years ago. Shaw's words are there, and Sher really lets them shine. Some humor aside, they are not supposed to be laughter inducing; they are powerful and insightful dissection of the British class system, gender, "middle class morality," the human condition and so much more and still are relevant today. If a production really digs into these aspects, they are not supposed to garner a ton of laughter but actually make you go like "huh" and think. This is also why I feel in this production, some songs just feel unnecessary because they don't add on to the insights Shaw provided nor fits the tone. Seeing the show again, I now appreciate Sher's take on Take Me to the Church On Time more; the over-the-top-nessserves as a satire of the lower class morality, which more aligns with the contemporary understanding of freedom than its middle class counterpart. I still feels out of people in some ways, but Sher did the best he could with the material imho."

I think there is plenty of humor in Pygmalion too. Watch the delightful film with Wendy Hiller and Leslie Howard. And when I saw the show, many jokes landed and there were plenty of laughs. But the issue was timing. The cast at that point did not seem comfortable enough with all the dialogue to time them for laughs. I am going back in about 10 days so I will see if the timing has improved.

I think Sher is going for a thoughtful comedy, which is what MFL always was. If that is not reading across the auditorium it's a failure of the direction/cast.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:42am

GeorgeandDot said: "But you were saying that the music istelf was poorly written which is not the case. Although, if this were my firat exposure to this musical I would probably think so too.

 

Where did I say the music was poorly written?

I did say I wished they cut the music, and I meant for this particular production, since the cast was weak in the singing area.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:10pm

There have been some mixed reports about Ambrose’s singing that I wonder how her voice will hold up.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:23pm

broadwayboy223 said: "There have been some mixed reports about Ambrose’s singing that I wonder how her voice will hold up."

I, for one, am rather shocked at the mixed reports about Ambrose's singing. I found her to be a thrilling soprano and a fantastic actress.

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:31pm

Do people who wanted a part and didn't get it ever post nasty things on these chat forums about the actor who got the part?? 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:49pm

I'm not a performer. I'm also about 30 years too old for Eliza, so I can confirm that I was never in the running (lol). My problem lies with the fact that there are many incredible musical theatre actresses here and in London that would have given a far less timid performance and would have been able to vocally fill a theatre. I really can't understand why Sher went with her. She was really struggling last night and the people around me were talking about how she doesn't have the right vocal power. Her acting was good, but very timid. She just didn't have much stage presence.

Also, there was a lot of unmotivated wandering about the stage during some of the musical numbers. Overall, it's a beautiful production with some ordinary performances.

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:55pm

I apologize if it appeared I was specifically referring to you. I wasn't. I have noticed  such a wide range of comments about her singing in particular since the previews started that I wondered whether or not some of it was sour grapes.  I thought your comment was well informed. 

 

[Danielle49]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:13pm

I agree that Ambrose was great, but clearly not of the musical theatre circle. She's a more toned down, cerebral performer - which I love - but Sher's decision to keep Norbert Leo Butz's numbers big and splashy while his leads are doing something more subtle is an odd choice of direction. Such a stark contrast.

Also, yes, Ambrose does have a tendency to move across the stage without motivation. During the confrontation scene between Eliza and Higgins, she was circling the stage for no reason, leaving Hadden-Paton to counter her and wind up looking just as aimless.

[JIMG3]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 2:18pm

GeorgeandDot said: "I have A LOT of thoughts about this production.

First of all, for the most part it is a gorgeously designed production. I didn't love the pub/bar building. It was just really ugly and some of Eliza's costumes could have been prettier. Higgin's study is stunning and the ball scene and the Ascot are as well. The costumes for Ascot are gorgeous, especially Rigg's. The orchestra plays this magnificent score beautifully, also.

Here are the problems however, the cast is just fine, and at times regional theatre quality. The audience barely laughed the entire evening and I'm pretty sure Ambrose was cast because she's friends with the director. She's just boring. Her singing isn't great, at all and she isn't good with the humor. I didn't buy her performance for a second. Harry Hadden-Patton is good and VERY good from time to time. He waaaay oversings the score, which is absurd because he doesn't really have much of a singing voice to oversing with. Butz is very good, but Sher has overstaged Get Me to the Church and it feels REALLY out of place, especially the bizarre drag queens in the can-can costumes. Diana Rigg is lovely but doesn't get much material unfortunately. The actor that plays Freddy is also fine. He also misses the humor and goes flat and thin on the top notes in Street. The production is beautiful and I like this ending. The cast just doesn't have much stage presence and was very low energy.

I know this reads as a scathing review, but I actually did enjoy the production and I would recommend it. It just could have been a lot better if it had been cast with musical theatre performers whocould actually fill the theatre. I don't see this beating Once on this Island for the Tony this year."

Jordan Donica sings that music exquisitely and pitch perfect eight shows per week. I’m here and I hear it. Sorry, flat and thin is a gross exaggeration. 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 2:29pm

I was a bit harsh with him. His voice is stunning, but his voice does get a little thin and flat on the top notes. It may have just been last night however. He still has the best voice in the show. Thinking about it now, I found that his singing seems "angry" for some reason. There's something about his voice that comes off as a bit angry or ferocious. He was good, but I would have preferred a lighter voice that could soar a bit more.

I would also like to add that the show absolutely lights up when the ensemble steps on stage. The Ascot scene is perfect.

[JayG 2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 3:45pm

Gee, do ya  think so, enjoyable2?

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 4:47pm

LOL. I'm old so really don't know how these chat boards operate. 

[raddersons]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 4:52pm

GeorgeandDot said: " I found that his singing seems "angry" for some reason. There's something about his voice that comes off as a bit angry or ferocious. He was good, but I would have preferred a lighter voice that could soar a bit more.."

I bet this is the reason why I found his character so unlikeable. His singing came across as angry and rude the entire time, not just “pretentious” as I (presume) it should come across. When he had his songs, I kept thinking “this ass, mouthing off again” about Higgins. I wonder if this was a choice by Sher as well, to further justify the ending change (which I loved). 

[denali.fire]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 6:24pm

How is the cancellation line going?  are tickets readily available?

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 6:49pm

raddersons said: "GeorgeandDot said: "I found that his singing seems "angry" for some reason. There's something about his voice that comes off as a bit angry or ferocious. He was good, but I would have preferred a lighter voice that could soar a bit more.."

I betthis is the reason why I found his character so unlikeable. His singing came across as angry and rude the entire time, not just “pretentious” as I (presume) it should come across.When he had his songs, I kept thinking “this ass, mouthing off again” about Higgins. Iwonder if this was a choice by Sher as well, to further justify the ending change (which I loved)."

He's not nor supposed to be pretentious by any means. Not in Pygmalion nor MFL, which borrows chunks of Shaw's words without making any significant change. He truly despises the idea of the undeserving poor and middle class morality. 

[Dodge3]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 7:13pm

Freddy was disturbingly flat on his high notes the night I saw it too - third preview.

[jkstheatrescene]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 7:39pm

Dodge3 said: "Freddy was disturbingly flat on his high notes the night I saw it too - third preview."

I have to agree.  He was all over the vocal map last Saturday evening (March 24). I'll be kind and call it "uneven."  And he was still the best male soloist in the cast, Hmmm....