MY FAIR LADY (2018) Reviews — Page 12

I don't think she was off, at all, because I had the same experience. She just kind of went stone cold when the songs happened. "Loverly" should have been such a sweet moment, but it felt painful. I just didn't get her portrayal or how she could have beat out so many actresses for the part. I don't get it. Everyone else was great - sans Freddie.

So I went to see today's matinee. This is the second time I watched the show since the preview period where I able to procure a third row center orchestra seat during a blizzard (as I overheard a classy older lady say, 'this is the only way New Yorkers can see My Fair Lady for a decent price'. When I first saw it, I felt the show was in great shape for where it was in the preview stage and that there were things that needed to be worked on.

Now that it's been a few months and we're in the post-Tony season in the middle of summer and the cast had a few months of performances under their belt, it felt like such a different show. Yes, this is a more grounded, human version of MFL still. However, the pacing was was much quicker, the actors were way more comfortable in their roles, and the timing and even physical cues of some jokes (especially Ambrose during the Ascot scene) was so much more on point and got tons of laughs from the audience.

One woman in the front row where I was sitting gave Ambrose a standing ovation after "I Could Have Danced All Night" and people were even more enthusiastic about that number than they were in March. I think it was both the fact that Ambrose has really settled into the role, but also we're more in a mood to stand up and applaud than we were during a cold wet blizzard.

This time, I sat in the far left side orchestra (4th row) and this time I saw it with a bunch of my friends and my brother (last time I saw it alone) and this was actually their first time hearing and seeing the material (with the exception of one of my friends who used to do choir and my brother who I made watch the Rex Harrison/Audrey Hepburn film countless times as children). The last time we all saw a show together as a group was The King and I, which they all loved even though most of us were Asian and made plenty of jokes about the orientalism of the piece but recognized it came from a real sincere and non-racist place. I was surprised at how much they loved My Fair Lady. I was worried that they were more used to modern Broadway pieces and wouldn't be into a 3 hour musical that is HEAVY on the book scenes and social commentary of George Bernard Shaw but they really got it and loved all the commentary on class and "middle class morality".

I know this is going to sound false for a lot of you who have been dogging Ambrose and I know I'm one of her big defenders, but I asked them what they thought of her performance. Keep in mind my friends were not familiar with the material so they have no point of reference for comparison nor are they knowledgeable about the current Broadway scene to compare her to other Broadway veterans, but they were shocked when I told them she lost the Tony. To say they were impressed with her is an understatement and that includes my brother who saw The Band's Visit with Katrina Lenk and Tony Shalhoub. We were all in agreement that Ambrose's acting in the book scenes was perfection. For me, compared to when I saw her in March, she seemed a lot more in-character while singing and she was much more comfortable hitting those notes while minimizing that hunched singing face I saw back in March (there was a lot less hunching going on this time around). I felt she had so much energy. I also think it helped that we were sitting on the far left side orchestra, and to me I actually preferred where I sat this time than last time even though on paper the seat I had previously should have been better. This time, I felt more like a voyeur who somehow was able to eavesdrop on the going ons of the characters and that added a level of intimacy. I also didn't realize how much Sher directed the piece in our direction because we really saw every facial expression, every physical movement so vividly. They were just on.

One thing I was distracted by when I saw it this time was that during the Hungarian scene with Higgins at the Ball, I got super distracted because I was overhearing Diana Rigg having an in-character conversation off to the side with the other Ball attendees and she said "your carriage was late?" so loudly that I wanted to hear the rest of the conversation that I think I missed key dialogue in the Hungarian/Higgins conversation. It was ok for me because I know this book inside-out, but my friends said they also overheard it and their attention went that way that they missed a chunk of that dialogue as well. That just added to the voyeur aspect of this show.

Me and my female friends all thought Freddy was super handsome and dreamy (of course it's Jordan Donica). One negative of where I was sitting was that my friends didn't get see all the extra stuff Donica was doing as Freddy when Eliza returned to Convent Garden and how he was listening in and letting the wheels turn inside of his head. I think that adds so much to his performance that missing it, we missed a lot of the performance. Another negative of where I was sitting was that one angle of the House...the entrance...our view was blocked by the giant staircase and we were all so grateful when Ambrose went on the stairs to sing a part of "Just You Wait" because we were able to see her clearly). One more negative is that we lost a lot of the bathroom/shower scene.

Harry Hadden-Paton is even better than I remembered him. He just hit his cues perfectly and even added more intensity to the role than I remembered. Also, compared to the cast recording and last time, this time, he let more the lines land which got the intended laughter I felt was missing in previews. His "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and the scene preceding it between Eliza and Henry was even better than in previews. There was a lot more little touches and looks and such he gave to Ambrose this time around and she reacted to it that thought it was just a little difference, it added more of a connection and even romance between the two compared to March. The audience was also on because they were just reacting to everything perfectly. My brother, who remembers the Rex Harrison portrayal, said he didn't remember Higgins being that mean and nearly brow-beating and nearly abusive to Eliza in the movie. I was surprised as I felt Hadden-Paton played him sort of softer, and my brother said it was because Harrison was so loud and bullying that it sort of comes off comical, while Hadden-Paton's Higgins seems much more real and somebody who'd you deal with in real life where he seems soft and nice and well-spoken but then has moments of seriously covert abusive behavior that women would stay. He works in mental health counseling and deals with clients in abusive situations, so he said this portrayal sort of triggered that.

For those of you curious, regarding the ending, I told them how the original musical ended after the show and asked them what they preferred, and they said they really loved the Henry/Eliza dynamic BUT they were SO happy Eliza left. They think at that point of the musical where it ended, it made no sense for her to come back to the house, and they didn't think an ending where she stays with him made sense with the way the show was written preceding that scene.

All and all, I am so happy I revisited the show again, and this performance confirmed what I felt about it the first time around except it was even better than before. I also understand all the super ecstatic and positive reviews Ambrose got this time around. I know people have an idea about Eliza being this charming, energetic, almost spunky 20 something year-old who wins your heart at the start and is full of sass. I think Ambrose's more mature, pained, and grounded portrayal does lose a bit of that, but I think what we gain is worth much more than the typical Eliza performance we all come to expect. This time she did add more energy to the performance which worked well. Yes, when she does sing low it's not as strong as a better singer would hit, but she really knows how to build the song up from that point and I wouldn't trade her book scenes for anybody else's. Her and Hadden-Paton together are simply magic.

One last note, they all loved Norbert Leo Butz. My friend even turned to me after the first "Little Bit of Luck" and asked "who is that? He's really good." By the time the reprise occurred, he had us eating at the palm of our hands. During previews, I wasn't very impressed with him in the first act and I thought his scene with Higgins about middle class morality, and being men of the world and all that was a missed opportunity. This time, he really nailed it.

Updated On: 7/21/18 at 10:25 PM

You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and thank you so much for taking time to read my incoherent review.

Great to hear these updates! One of the things I love about Bart Sher's work is that somehow, his productions seem to only get better the more they run. Often, several months into a run, you'll see cast members starting to ham it up and sacrifice moments to get cheap laughs, or the excitement early in the run just seems to wear off. In interviews he has said that he tries to create productions that allow the cast to dig deeper rather than grow broader after he leaves and rehearsals stop. I have truly no idea how he does it, but it's really incredible, and a big bravo must be said for this great company of actors!

Itonlytakesajourney said: "I saw My Fair Lady at yesterday night’s performance...

...Jordan Donica was a very sweet Freddy. He sang On The Street Where You Live beautifully...”



Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review. And “On The Street Where You Live” is my favorite song on the OBCR. Can’t wait to hear it live!

I’m seeing the evening show this Saturday, was wondering if anyone remembered what song ended Act 1, and began Act 2? Thank you! :)

^ ^ ^ VERY cool! Thank you! :)

EllieRose2 said: "My only critque was Lauren was literally whispering her songs. I was in the second row and I could barely hear her.She had a slightly pained look on her face and had to force her voice.Her book scenes were strong and had excellent chemistry with everyone, I just couldn't believe anyone could hear her past maybe the 5th row.When I went to the restroom a few older ladies were complaining about not being able to hear her either, so I guess it was not just me.Has anyone else had this experience on here? I know she had to preserve her voice, I just figured she would do that off stage on her days off."

That's exactly what I experienced when I saw her. At intermission, every person in my group agreed that she was wildly disappointing. I really wish I could've seen the Eliza everyone is talking about here, but as of late June, she didn't seem at all settled in the role.

RippedMan said: "Agreed. I think she was crazy good in her book scenes and those scenes zipped along, but her voice was not great. I'd like to see her understudy just to get a reference point."

Of the nine productions I saw on my June trip, this was my least favorite. Not sure why except I didn’t feel emotionally invested and that new ending makes no sense in regard to the scene that preceded it. It felt...redundant and nonsensical.

I was in Row L Orchestra and could hear Lauren just fine. Some have commented her portrayal (not necessarily her voice) doesn’t reach beyond the second row. Maybe that was it. I don’t know. The only one I was disappointed in was Rigg (this was prior to the brouhaha) although after the first scene, her portrayal grew on me a bit. Granted, the book doesn’t give her much to work with.

I didn’t hate it and I am glad I saw it if only for Butz who is a national treasure. I just realized my two least favorite shows on my trip (MFL, OOTI) both put women in the roles of either being transfigured into a man’s fantasy (the new ending, as I said, tried to fix this, but it didn’t work for me) or a young girl who surrenders her life for a boy who doesn’t love her. No wonder Spongebob (the only other musical I saw; the rest were plays) was my favorite musical of my trip.

Updated On: 8/17/18 at 11:21 AM