Michael Arden's My Fair Lady in Sag Harbor

[GreenSharpie]

Posted: 8/13/16 at 9:34pm

Has anyone here caught Michael Arden's My Fair Lady production at Bay Street Theatre in the Hamptons (with Kelli Barrett and Paul Nolan)? It's getting good buzz and has just been extended, and I'm wondering if I should try to make the trip to check it out, since I loved Deaf West Spring Awakening.

 

Kelli's 'I Could Have Danced All Night" sounds fabulous in this preview video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhBXTk9aVNY

[bk]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 5:04am

It looks completely dreadful - a "new vision" - heaven save me from directors who have to trumpet their "vision."  My Fair Lady doesn't need the help.

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 5:20am

what a weird looking stage....

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 6:20am

is that an anatomical theatre

[sng]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 6:23am

looks like it takes place in a court room

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 7:10am

imeldasturn said: "is that an anatomical theatre

 

"

if it is, they should do Sweeney Todd there lol

[AngusN]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 8:24am

She has a lovely voice, but she doesn't come across as much of an actress: her Eliza, is a ridiculous caricature of the intriguing protagonist. 

The set is all wrong and her ball dress is very underwhelming. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 8:41am

Yikes... Kelli sounds great, but the direction and set look all wrong.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 11:27am

They look so cramped on that awkward little stage and that teeny tiny piano makes it seem like a high school production.  I've enjoyed Arden's direction in the past, but I'm not crazy about this.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 12:36pm

I enjoyed Michael Arden's SPRING AWAKENING so I've been curious to see what he does with this production.  From interviews, it sounds like his concept is indeed for the show to take place in an "anatomy room" of sorts - which is kind of intriguing on a meta-level, though of course, the story isn't about medical science, so it might be a stretch for that conceit to fully work.

The local reviews have been very enthusiastic. It was reviewed by a lesser critic of the New York Times who wasn't as wild about it.

This certainly isn't the first MY FAIR LADY to use a cast of 15 and a two piano arrangement.  Apparently, there has been a script offered by the licensing company for this set up since the 1950s for amateur stagings.  But it was Amanda Denhart, back in 2000, who was the first to present this concept on a professional stage  Her production at Trinity Rep was highly praised, and there has been some controversy as other regional theatre directors have (arguably) "lifted" her idea in the years since.   It's understandable, since this concept is cheaper to stage and can be done in smaller theaters.  The directors usually argue that this concept is 'closer' to the spirit of the original play, PYGMALION.

At any rate Amanda Denhert has gone on to restaged her original concept for several other regional companies. Here is a clip of her production at Oregon Shakespeare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vJlf4gVuzQ

 

And for fun, here are clips from some other regional theatre that have attempted the reduced cast, two piano version. Which do you think looks best?

http://triadstage.org/performance/5/my-fair-lady

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9gVtPpfp-g

 

 

 

Updated On: 8/14/16 at 12:36 PM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 12:41pm

I think over-conceptualizing a show like My Fair Lady is a little pretentious and self-indulgent. Just let the classics be the great works that they are.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 12:55pm

Having sat front row for Dr. Zhivago, she is not an actress. Her voice is fine, but she's not going to win anyone over in the part. The whole design/concept seems awful. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 3:10pm

Thanks for the video. I'm not feeling so bad about missing this one now.

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 3:33pm

If the intent is to get closer to PYGMALION, why not just do the Shaw?  One piano and a small stage? How do they ever stage "Get Me to the Church on Time"?

[Cesare2]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 3:33pm

She's certainly no Pirini Scleroso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMVTbWencYo

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 4:06pm

Oof, and I thought their Grey Gardens set was awkward   

[GreenSharpie]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 7:54pm

... So no one here has actually seen this production? The video is badly edited and filmed from far away, I don't think we can judge thoroughly based on that. Was hoping for any first-hand accounts!

[jessepp]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 8:02pm

Didn't Amanda Denhert do a kick-ass staging of ANNIE several years ago? 

[pupscotch]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 8:12pm

I was planning to head down there next weekend, since the tickets are free for students for Sunday matinees. I'll let you know once I've seen it!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 9:07pm

jessepp said: "Didn't Amanda Denhert do a kick-ass staging of ANNIE several years ago? "

 

Her Annie was the infamous extremely grim "it was all a dream" production at Trinity Rep back in the early 2000s.

[jessepp]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 10:19pm

AEA AGMA SM said: "jessepp said: "Didn't Amanda Denhert do a kick-ass staging of ANNIE several years ago? "

 

Her Annie was the infamous extremely grim "it was all a dream" production at Trinity Rep back in the early 2000s.

 

"

YES!  Didn't Charles Strouse pull the plug on it?  Only then to hire her for his next project?  

Updated On: 8/14/16 at 10:19 PM

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 10:46pm

From what I remember Charnin was the one who hated it and forced Trinity Rep to remove the dream ending. Strouse was more open to it and did indeed hire her to direct his next show. 

[sydney16]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 10:55pm

AEA AGMA SM said: "From what I remember Charnin was the one who hated it and forced Trinity Rep to remove the dream ending. Strouse was more open to it and did indeed hire her to direct his next show. 

 

"
There was a thread about this!
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1016421&page=1 

Anyways, I saw the My Fair Lady production at Bay Street Theatre and I loved (most of) it. I wouldn't exactly say that it's a must-see because it doesn't exactly revolutionize the show (I wasn't a big fan of the whole scientific experiment thing, especially because it didn't really seem to add anything to the story, and even made some parts seem a bit dystopian) but if you're a big fan of the show and/or the actors in this production then I'd try to make an effort to see it. The actors all gave great performances, especially Kelli Barrett and Paul Alexander Nolan who had amazing chemistry together - I liked that they were around the same age because it made a romantic relationship between the two seem very feasible (I wasn't familiar with the ending, so part of me was actually expecting Eliza to chose Henry over Freddy). I actually loved how they had a small cast and two pianos (even though I never actually figured out where the pianos were) - it made the show very intimate, especially because the theater itself is quite small (I sat in the last row, row H, and I could still see very clearly). The video makes the stage look smaller than it is - during the show, it never seemed crowded to me. At the end, the show got a standing ovation!

Overall, I'd say that it has some great moments ("Get Me to the Church on Time" was definitely a highlight) but it wasn't entirely cohesive to me, mainly because of the scientific idea, which came up at some points and disappeared at others, making it a bit jarring. Of course, I saw it on August 4, while it was still in previews, so it's plausible that they may have changed some things since then. If I go back to the Hamptons for Labor Day Weekend then I'll probably see it again and will report back. Sorry for the lengthy post!

Maybe my favorite part of seeing the show was that I sat at the end of an aisle and then, a few minutes before the show started, I saw Michael Arden sit down at the aisle seat right across from me! Kelli actually missed her entrance from one of the aisles at one point at the beginning of Act II (the show was still in previews), which left the ensemble on stage just ad-libbing for a few minutes. I looked over and I saw Michael get up and run downstairs to see what was going on, and a second later she entered! I'm a huge fan of Michael Arden but I was too scared to say anything to him during intermission or after the show .

Updated On: 8/15/16 at 10:55 PM

[FiddleMeThis]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 11:18pm

Finally- a review of the show from someone who has actually seen it, instead of snipey critiques of the b-roll footage! This sounds like a classy production, one worth seeing if not worth traveling for. Bay Street generally keeps the quality pretty high these days, and the buzz on this show has been quite positive. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 

[sydney16]

Posted: 8/14/16 at 11:30pm

This sounds like a classy production, one worth seeing if not worth traveling for.

 

"

Yes, I think that's how I'd describe it - I happened to be in the Hamptons for the week, which is why I saw it and if I go back to the Hamptons before the show closes then I'll try to see it again. I definitely recommend it (the video doesn't do the production justice!) but I don't think that it's a "can't miss" kind of thing. Definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt, though, because I actually knew very little about the show when I saw it (although now I'm in love with the show and have done a lot of research on it since then!)

Updated On: 8/14/16 at 11:30 PM