MY FAIR LADY Revival Back On For Next Spring?- Page 17

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 5:37pm

The more I hear about this possible MFL the less excited I get. If they are going to revive this, not exactly "dinosaur" of a show, I think the word I should use is "pedigree", they are going to have to do an all out, spare no expense production.

Sure, I'm too young to have seen Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, but the sheer rags to opulent riches in this show, would require, imo, another "Hello Dolly" type of treatment, cast, sets...and I just don't think there are producers ready to line up and bankroll this kind of production.

Then, you would have to find not only a good cast but a great one. Eliza, Henry Higgins, yeah, but then you have a supporting cast of characters that also need the right touch. Mrs. Higgins, Freddy and his mother, Eliza's father, Mrs. Pearce, Zoltan; every one of those characters would have to fit in and shine. And while it would be great to see and hear all this on stage, I just don't know. The second act costumes, a big orchestra, new orchestrations, sure it would be stunning but are we willing to pay $500 a seat for another "legacy" production? 

(I just wouldn't want it to be like the R&H "property owners"; do we need another Carousel or Oklahoma every 5 years; when the R&H shows, like SP, K&I, top notch and usually gorgeous...but)   

I do agree that it would be stunning to see Laura Benanti as Eliza; she's got the chops and her acting and comedic charms would a no brainer, if they could sell a "stellar" cast they might have a chance.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 5:45pm

I'm not sure I follow, Steve. This upcoming revival is being mounted by Lincoln Center Theater, which A) is non-profit, meaning they're not needing to hunt down commercial investors, and B) has a track record for some pretty all-out amazing revivals at the Beaumont, such as South Pacific and The King and I.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 6:04pm

Steve C. said: "The more I hear about this possible MFL the less excited I get. If they are going to revive this, not exactly "dinosaur" of a show, I think the word I should use is "pedigree", they are going to have to do an all out, spare no expense production.

Sure, I'm too young to have seen Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, but the sheer rags to opulent riches in this show, would require, imo, another "Hello Dolly" type of treatment, cast, sets...and I just don't think there are producers ready to line up and bankroll this kind of production.

Then, you would have to find not only a good cast but a great one. Eliza, Henry Higgins, yeah, but then you have a supporting cast of characters that also need the right touch. Mrs. Higgins, Freddy and his mother, Eliza's father, Mrs. Pearce, Zoltan; every one of those characters would have to fit in and shine. And while it would be great to see and hear all this on stage, I just don't know. The second act costumes, a big orchestra, new orchestrations, sure it would be stunning but are we willing to pay $500 a seat for another "legacy" production? 

(I just wouldn't want it to be like the R&H "property owners"; do we need another Carousel or Oklahoma every 5 years; when the R&H shows, like SP, K&I, top notch and usually gorgeous...but)   

I do agree that it would be stunning to see Laura Benanti as Eliza; she's got the chops and her acting and comedic charms would a no brainer, if they could sell a "stellar" cast they might have a chance.

 

"

Um… sorry, what exactly is your point? You seem to be rambling and contradicting yourself. What are you trying to say? It's going to be a big splashy production of a masterful, iconic show. It's in very good hands with this team and theater. 
 

Updated On: 5/5/17 at 06:04 PM

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 6:18pm

What I'm trying to say is if they are going to do it I hope they do it "great". I didn't know it was Lincoln Center so that gives me hope.

I like Sher and what he did with South Pacific. I liked K&I to a certain point. I don't think I'm rambling; I guess I just should not get invested this soon. Thanks for the tips.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 7:41pm

icecreambenjamin said: "If they were to cast someone at Park's age (yes she would be fantastic) it may be best to have someone younger like Benedict Cumberbatch play Higgins.  If Firth were to be cast along someone so young, it would have a major ick factor.

I think that depends on whether you see a romantic angle to their relationship. That doesn't have to be there if you don't want it to be. It's been a little while but I'm fairly sure there's nothing specific in Pygmalion or My Fair Lady in the text that suggests specifically romantic feelings. 

To me, it's more important to cast an age-appropriate Eliza because of what it means for character. You want to feel like she's at a point in her life (especially given the time period) when she's open to possibility and she could go off and be with Freddy or find another advantageous position with her new manners and persona. I do think there could still be some "ick" in the power dynamic between Higgins and Eliza. As for casting a younger Higgins like Pygmalion, I think it's just a difference in how his arrogance comes across. In one, he's a privileged, pompous younger man puffed up by his own self-importance and sense of his knowledge and abilities. In the other, he's a privileged, pompous older man whose habits and stubbornness and sense of self-importance seem more ingrained with age. Not a huge difference.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 8:07pm

Audrey Hepburn may not have been the best pre-transformation Eliza, but I simply loved the way she shone on camera with "I Could Have Danced All Night". Of course her being one of the most camera-friendly actresses ever meant she shone on camera frequently. It's probably the only song where I prefer Marni Nixon's version (with Audrey lip synching) to Julie Andrew's version. I know I'm in the minority on that one.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 9:23pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2, I think most people on the board are fans of the film and Hepburn. I find her to be lost at sea in that role with no idea of who Eliza is or the experiences the character has been through. She is more successful in the post-transformation scenes, but if an actor can't convincingly play pre-transformation Eliza, the whole thing is ruined. Again, this is my personal and unpopular opinion, most of my musical-loving friends are huge fans.

And yes to the suggestion of Ashley Park as Carrie in CAROUSEL! Her "Mister Snow" would be unreal, perhaps even come close the perfection of Audra McDonald's, whose rendition of the song on the 1994 cast recording ranks up there with the all-time great renditions of a song in a cast album in my book. Talk about a soprano who gets how to act a song and be funny at the same time.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 10:23pm

Steve, you almost referred to My Fair Lady as a dinosaur that shouldn't be allowed out of the museum any more. To me, My Fair Lady represents the best of musical theater. It takes a play by one of the best and most popular playwrights of the first half of the 20th Century, George Bernard Shaw, and enhances it with music without throwing out the message. (In this case it was probably lucky that Shaw was still around when the musical was being planned or we might have recognized little of his play Pygmalion in the musical.)

Shaw was an original. An irascible playwright who took on complex societal issues such as prostitution (Mrs. Warren's Profession) and the military establishment (Major Barbara) not by advocating for one side or the other, but by throwing the hypocrisy of both sides into their faces. If you wanted a quick sampler of Shaw, read the mini-play Don Juan in Hell that is inserted into the middle of Arms and the Man.

As Alan Alda made the point in the course of hosting the 2010 live broadcast of one of the final performances of South Pacific, the musical art form is special because it is a play that is amplified by the music. That's why I don't consider jukebox musicals or musicals based on comic book characters to be members of the musical theater, unless they have some depth to them. They may be fine public entertainment, but are not musicals.

Long ago when I was in high school and college they gave courses like the one that I took on G.B Shaw and Oscar Wilde. Today do they study Batman and Spiderman? There goes that long-winded guy typing and typing some more.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 10:33pm

All I know is if Lincoln Center is helming My Fair Lady with Sher directing, then I'll be saving up all my money now to see it. 

I find her to be lost at sea in that role with no idea of who Eliza is or the experiences the character has been through. 

I can see that. After seeing other portrayals of pre-transformation Eliza, including clips of Julie Andrews and the Pygmalion film with Wendy Hiller, I think there's a certain grit and hardness Eliza has that Audrey didn't portray despite all the hardship she went through including when she was starving under Nazi occupation during World War II. 

I have a soft spot for Audrey in My Fair Lady because that was my first exposure to her and I was simply captivated. I also didn't mind that the transformation wasn't a total 180 even if the effect is a bit lost because I like to think Eliza had those qualities inside of her so the transformation was a bit more organic.

Updated On: 5/5/17 at 10:33 PM

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/6/17 at 12:23am

Hi OBE, long time no see; by no way did I mean MFL is obsolete or too old to be revived. My only sincere thoughts are that if they are going to do it, they better respect the works and do it properly. I think both Pygmalion and MFL are both essential works and deserve that respect.

I'd love a decent sized "real" orchestra, a talented cast, real sets and costumes. I've never seen a full scale production other that the films. (I mean on stage, Pygmalion, yes; MFL no). I totally agree with everything else in your post. The "classics" are still that; I do know my theater history, and again...since I'll never see Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison on stage, I just want them to at least try to re-imagine and produce an "outstanding" piece that can stand on its' on merits.

Being LCT helps a lot; I hope Bartlett Sher doesn't "over-produce" it. I loved the South Pacific; hopefully a great production will be heading our way. 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/6/17 at 3:44am

ray-andallthatjazz86 said: "ScottyDoesn'tKnow2, I think most people on the board are fans of the film and Hepburn. I find her to be lost at sea in that role with no idea of who Eliza is or the experiences the character has been through. She is more successful in the post-transformation scenes, but if an actor can't convincingly play pre-transformation Eliza, the whole thing is ruined. Again, this is my personal and unpopular opinion, most of my musical-loving friends are huge fans.

And yes to the suggestion of Ashley Park as Carrie in CAROUSEL! Her "Mister Snow" would be unreal, perhaps even come close the perfection of Audra McDonald's, whose rendition of the song on the 1994 cast recording ranks up there with the all-time great renditions of a song in a cast album in my book. Talk about a soprano who gets how to act a song and be funny at the same time.

She  sounded  great in The King And I (Although her Lord And Master is problematic IMO, though it is a difficult song) , but I highly doubt that her vocals for Mister Snow  could come close to Audra's version, which indeed is immaculate and ravishing. 

 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/7/17 at 4:01am

Oh, this production will most certainly be gorgeous and an absolute must see- Any updates on WHEN WE'LL KNOW WHO'S IN THE CAST? I can hardly wait!! 

[sorano916]

Posted: 5/9/17 at 3:49pm

Not much but the casting notice listed these dates:

• First Rehearsal: O/A February 1, 2018
• First Preview: O/A March 22, 2018
• Opening Night: O/A April 19, 2018 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 1:01am

We'll find out soon. 

[Greenfinch4]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 12:46pm

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/video/ct-bryce-pinkham-my-fair-lady-video-20170508-story.html

Bryce Pinkham from the Chicago production singing 'On The Street Where You Live' 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 6/15/17 at 8:22pm

Bumping this because MFL is popping up again in some unrelated threads, and I feel like some people need to get their feelings out.

[pupscotch]

Posted: 6/15/17 at 8:30pm

All I need is for Danny Burstein to be Alfred Doolittle. That's all I need. I'd also like him to win a Tony for it, ideally, but I'll take what I can get. Apart from that, I have virtually no ideas, especially for Higgins.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/15/17 at 10:46pm

Bryce Pinkham performed On The Street Where You Live at a recent 92Y concert. While I think they could definitely find someone who would bring more to the part, he would be a very good straightforward Freddy. That same concert convinced me that Lauren Worsham would be a fantastic Eliza.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 12:20am

Well, he did just do the show at the Lyric Opera Theater production with his other GGTLAM costar Lisa O'Hare who got rave reviews.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 12:20am

Well, he did just do the show at the Lyric Opera Theater production with his other GGTLAM costar Lisa O'Hare who got rave reviews.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 12:42am

The Lyric Opera Production was gorgeous.  Pinkham and Worsham were perfect (even though I've always wanted to see Benanti play Eliza).  I would be happy to see that production transfer.  Just add Colin Firth and Danny Burstein.

[Speed]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 12:49am

Is Laura Benanti too old?  She would've been perfect 20 years ago.  Maybe the best ever.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 1:12am

I don't think that she would read too old.  There isn't really any actual reference to her age in the script as far as I can remember and in the Vivian B., she'll look like she's in her twenties.  She's a beautiful woman with a brilliant comedic gift and a lovely singing voice.  She's perfect.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 1:30am

I believe Pickering describes her age as around 20 when reporting her as "lost," but I'm sure that line and his physical description of her get changed all the time (with permission or not).

That said, Eliza really should appear to be in her twenties. And Higgins should be in his forties, 50 tops, otherwise it's a little creepy.

If they can get a big star for Higgins like Colin Firth it would make the most sense - and be more interesting - to go with an "unknown" newcomer as Eliza.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 6/16/17 at 1:38am

They will use an actor with TV or film credits for the male lead and the female lead will be someone with solid theatre credits. Similar to what they did with The King and I. It would be great it the male lead had a fabulous voice.