MY FAIR LADY (2018) Previews — Page 9

After Eight said: "Mildred,

You disappoint me.

Why not try using a little common sense, for once?

If I truly wanted to lie about having seen a production I hadn't, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for me tomake up an opinion ofactor's performance, the set design, or anything else, just based on previous comments, or on nothing at all.

"

If you had given more details perhaps you’d have more credibility. Your only purpose on this board is to be a contrarian. You want to stir the pot and make people feel like unintelligent sheep for not agreeing with you. You assert your opinion as fact. You don’t even try to have a reasonable discussion with others on why you feel the way you do. If you tried to be civil about your opinions perhaps you’d appear more credible, and we wouldn’t doubt if you even saw the shows you loathe. But you managed not to bring up Sunday in the Park with George or Fun Home in this rant, so you get a point for progress.

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "...In Shaw's mind there's no way the statue should go back to Pygmalion."

You bring up a fair point about further subversion--Shaw's original play is a subversion of original Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Shaw subverted the myth by saying that were Pygmalion able to create the perfect woman, that perfect woman would see through all his flaws and reject him, rather than live in continual service to him. Then Shaw's adapters subverted him, and now contemporary directors subvert those adapters. The act of subversion is threaded deep into every version of the text. One cannot blame this latest production for not being faithful enough to the text when every iteration of the text was defiantly unfaithful to the version that came before it.

WhizzerMarvin said: "blm, I believe this can be seen as a happy ending too, at least for Eliza. Do you think A Doll’s House has a happy ending? I guess one could see it as a sad ending for Torvald and the kids, but it’s so liberating for Nora that I’ve always viewed it as a happy ending.

"

Whizzer - In A Doll’s House a definitively see it as a happy ending. I haven’t read it in awhile so I can’t make a complete analysis / comparison on it

I guess I didn’t like the MFL ending here because in my idealistic heart I want them to be friends, because as vile as HH has been, I have hope for redemption - on her terms of course :)

Anyway, it’s been great listening to everyone’s thoughts! I am fully aware that my views are colored by the show I grew up seeing, and the twist at the end can be jarring. After a full night’s rest I’m not bothered by it as much haha

This thread convinced me to get tickets when I was going to skip this. Thanks all!

SomethingPeculiar said: "It seems like from these early reports, Ambrose is emerging as Katrina Lenk’s biggest competition? (And Ambrose has the much showier role.)"

I was thinking something similar about Butz and Ari'el Stachel, who I would have considered a strong contender for Featured Actor. Haled is the showiest role in The Band's Visit, I suppose, but it's VERY different from Doolittle.

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "SomethingPeculiar said: "It seems like from these early reports, Ambrose is emerging as Katrina Lenk’s biggest competition? (And Ambrose has the much showier role)."

It at least looks like Ambrose could more easily be able to win the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards since Katrina Lenk won't be competing at any of those groups given thatThe Band's Visitwas already eligible last year when it was off-Broadway."

I think Hailey Kilgore could give her some competition for that one, especially considering the rapid fan response for Once on This Island.

Musical Master said: "Sorry for asking the same question twice: For those who have seen it, how was Christopher Gattelli's choreography for the numbers that require dance?"

The waltz at the top of act two is lovely. Other than that, it’s all pretty standard. It’s not a choreography-heavy show. Gatelli’s work serves the story only when it needs to, unlike Justin Peck’s choreography for Carousel, which is obtrusive at every turn.

Musical Master said: "Thanks for that. Also, how are the sets for the Ascot Racecourse and Embassy Ball? I know that Higgins'house got a lot of praise for how gorgeous it us, but I wonder how those two locations are handled."

The Ascot scene is a bare stage for the song section and some chairs and small tables for the scene. The combination of the openness and the all-white/pink-hued costumes is a striking image.

The Embassy scene is actually something I don’t want to discuss, personally, because the reveal of it was such a “WOW” moment. I don’t want to spoil it. It’s nothing as spectacular as the Higgins house and is largely dominated by the massive staircase, but it’s extremely effective.

I saw the final dress of MFL at Lyric last year. I loved the ending: After "Where the devil are my slippers?" Eliza snapped her fingers and the servants came in and instantly redressed Higgins' study, turning it into a dining room with flowers and candles, etc. and, if I'm remembering correctly, they both laughed.