MY FAIR LADY (2018) Reviews — Page 5

MCfan2 said: "I like that NYT review very much, especially the way it points out that female strength has always been a prominent element in MFL. But I'm a bit amused that the reviewer seems to think (unless I'm misreading him) that the suffragist march and Alfred being carried off as if on a bier are new touches. They're definitely not."

Seriously. You don't have to watch the original Broadway production to know that, it's in the movie! Although it's sort of played for laughs there.

Updated On: 4/19/18 at 10:58 PM

Washington Post oddly stacks MFL and Carousel review in one, but favors My Fair Lady:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/women-in-classic-musicals-have-to-put-up-with-a-lot-exhibits-a-and-bmy-fair-lady-andcarousel/2018/04/19/d7e567e2-4190-11e8-baaf-8b3c5a3da888_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4128172cbd9b

I'm so glad somebody else talked about having Audrey Hepburn's shrill cockney accent so etched in their memory that it took a step to get used to Ambrose's much less ear-piercing version of the accent, and I loved Audrey Hepburn in the role despite what others say about it.

Updated On: 4/19/18 at 11:45 PM

haterobics said: "ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "MOST of them are finally singling out HHP's performance and giving it the credit it richly deserves."

Finally? This is the first time any of them reviewed it..."

You aren't getting what this thread was like as the reviews were coming in one-by-one. There was an earlier post worried that HHP wasn't getting any "praises" and their was a long wait before the slew of reviews starting with the NY Times review came out and they were giving HHP more mentions than the reviews that came before it. Sure you can pick on my usage of the word "finally", but I was obviously using it in context of grouping the reviews together. It's not that hard to figure out if you were reading the thread in order.

Updated On: 4/19/18 at 11:53 PM

Amazing reviews. I think the Tony frontrunner is clear after tonight.

It's a good thing that London is still diligently covering New York theater. With the departure of Linda Winer from Newsday, I think the Times is the only local newspaper left with a full time theater critic. We are asked to accept criticism of our theater from tawdry publications such as Entertainment Tonight and Hollywood Reporter.

Let me deliver Eliza from any imputations of prostitution. In Shaw's play, in the final scene between Eliza and HIggins, she tells him:

And don't you be too sure of yourself or of me. I could have been a bad girl if I'd liked. I've seen more of some things than you, for all your learning. Girls like me can drag gentlemen down to make love to them easy enough. And they wish each other dead the next minute.

Sher is receiving credit for tinkering with the relationship between Eliza and Higgins to bring it more in line with the resolution of Pygmalion, which is fine. Some may not be quite sure of what Shaw had in mind for the couple after the embittered parting in the last scene. As he wrote in his prose Epilogue to the play, written in response to theater managers tacking a romantic ending on to the play to please the audiences, although marriage between Eliza and Higgins was out of the question, nevertheless

Eliza's instinct tells her not to marry Higgins. It does not tell her to give him up. It is not in the slightest doubt as to his remaining one of the strongest personal interests in her life.

Even after Eliza marries the helpless Freddy, and the two of them finally reach financial independence, after being carried along largely through the largesse of Colonel Pickering, she is still no stranger to Wimpole Street.

It is astonishing how much Eliza still manages to meddle in the housekeeping at Wimpole Street in spite of the shop and her own family. And it is notable that though she never nags her husband, and frankly loves the Colonel as if she were his favorite daughter, she has never got out of the habit of nagging Higgins that was established on the fatal night when she won his bet for him. She snaps his head off on the faintest provocation, or on none.

It is fine for the relationship between Eliza and Higgins to continue, and Higgins is little changed, but Shaw insists that Eliza now gives as good or better than she receives.

If you are curious about the fate of the characters after the final curtain has come down, the Epilogue is an interesting read, although it may disappoint you.

willrolandsframes said: "Re: Haden-Patton vs. Henry

Has everyone forgotten about Ethan Slater? Out of Slater, HHP, Henry, and Shalhoub, Slater is the only one of the 4 to receive raves across the board. He is truly giving the best performance of them all. I think it’s wrong to discount him because of how the show is presented."

I agree that we definitely shouldn't rule out Ethan Slater as a possible winner. Though we should also keep in mind that not every single critic is a Tony voter. Only members of the Drama Critics Circle are allowed to vote, but they do not make up the majority of the 800+ voters.

Broadway World gives it a rave...
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Review-Bartlett-Shers-Contemporary-Spin-On-MY-FAIR-LADY-Allows-Lerner-and-Loewes-Musical-To-Speak-For-Itself-20180420

OlBlueEyes said: "

If you are curious about the fate of the characters after the final curtain has come down, the Epilogue is an interesting read, although it may disappoint you.

"

Not necessarily, as I think we all know by now that that's how Shaw chose to end his version. If anyone in here doesn't know that by now, they REALLY haven't been paying attention!

When I attended, one youngish guy behind me with his group of guy friends (not sure of their opinion) seemed a bit tiffed about it but the women (ages ranged from late 20s to middle aged) seemed to love it. One comment I heard during intermission from various people was about Ambrose and not expecting her to be able to sing the songs and being surprised in a good way about it. They thought she was absolutely wonderful. That seems to correlate with the reaction to the ending I'm seeing here.

Updated On: 4/20/18 at 12:38 PM

enjoyable2 said: "Question to anyone who saw this recently. How does the audience react to the ending? I read some twitter comments from women who took their young daughters and they were all quite enthusiastic about it. Just wondered about other observations."

I’ve seen the production twice and it was the same audience response both times: a few seconds of shock and head-turning, then thunderous applause as Eliza makes her way out of the theatre and Higgins’ study retreats into the stage. So, initial surprise, then joyous support.