My Fair Lady Tour — Page 2

Let me know how it works out for you. I like the option of sitting in my seat and not be worried in the back of my mind that I am going to be moved. BTW.. if I remember correctly.. the balcony at the Dolby involves a separate escalator or elevator. Not 100% sure.

Went tonight, and I have mixed feelings. I saw it on Broadway way back when with Lauren Ambrose. I do miss the lush feel of the Broadway revival, but the design is still the same idea.

I just found this Higgins to be overly whiny, and I didn't realize he calls Eliza SO many terrible names throughout.

It's just a weird show to me, and I don't really get why it is so popular. A few pretty songs, but the overall message I don't get. Like, they basically "She's All That" Eliza and then are done with her. But then she comes back to him? For what? They aren't lovers. It's just a very interesting story to me, which is why I went.

The Dolby isn't as big of a barn as I thought. I didn't feel too disconnected. I loved the space and knowing the Oscars are there was kinda cool.

RippedMan said: "Went tonight, and I have mixed feelings. I saw it on Broadway way back when with Lauren Ambrose. I do miss the lush feel of the Broadway revival, but the design is still the same idea.

I just found this Higgins to be overly whiny, and I didn't realize he calls Eliza SO many terrible names throughout.

It's just a weird show to me, and I don't really get why it is so popular. A few pretty songs, but the overall message I don't get. Like, they basically "She's All That" Eliza and then are done with her. But then she comes back to him? For what? They aren't lovers. It's just a very interesting story to me, which is why I went.

The Dolby isn't as big of a barn as I thought. I didn't feel too disconnected. I loved the space and knowing the Oscars are there was kinda cool."

RippedMan - Also, in the original, in the penultimate scene Eliza does leave Henry, but then in the last scene, she does return to him and (I haven’t seen the original stage version or the film so someone correct me if I’m wrong) they embrace as lovers.

In that way, her returning makes that scene make more sense than it does in this revival. It adds something new, more information. But of course it can also be seen as problematic now that a woman who is mistreated throughout the musical now falls in love with her abuser to give the audience a “happy” ending.

I get what Bartlett Sher was going for with this tweaked ending. He wanted to stay true to the original book of the musical (he also may not have been given permission by the estate to make substantial changes) while giving Eliza more self-possession & independence.

The problem as you seem to be pointing out is that as presented in this revival, that last scene seems non-sensical. She’s already stated her piece in the penultimate scene so the final scene seems like a less effective, somewhat non-sensical repeat of that penultimate scene.

At least on Broadway, Eliza had that whole aisle through the orchestra to make her exit, lending it an air of drama. At least as presented on the Oklahoma stop of the tour, Eliza just walks off stage. I get that possibly due to logistics and Covid-related concerns, this was the prudent decision, but it does rob that moment of some needed drama.

Just my opinion of course. I did like seeing it again on tour especially from a much closer seat. There is a lot to like. It was my first live theatrical experience in 19 months.

RippedMan said: "Went tonight, and I have mixed feelings. I saw it on Broadway way back when with Lauren Ambrose. I do miss the lush feel of the Broadway revival, but the design is still the same idea.

I just found this Higgins to be overly whiny, and I didn't realize he calls Eliza SO many terrible names throughout.

It's just a weird show to me, and I don't really get why it is so popular. A few pretty songs, but the overall message I don't get. Like, they basically "She's All That" Eliza and then are done with her. But then she comes back to him? For what? They aren't lovers. It's just a very interesting story to me, which is why I went.

The Dolby isn't as big of a barn as I thought. I didn't feel too disconnected. I loved the space and knowing the Oscars are there was kinda cool."

I agree with you about Higgins. And I guess you are more ok with the Dolby than I am. Did you notice one of the shows main back drops has a big piece of shmutz in the middle? BTW.. it is LGBTQ night at MFL a week from Tuesday. And Egyptian night this Tuesday. Discount codes on their Instagram page.

Just caught the tour at the dreariest theater in Los Angeles, the Dolby.

The show is in great shape and the leads are really superb. All the nuances Bartlett Sher got into the LCT production are on full view in this edition. Laird Mackintosh is channeling Rex Harrison more than many, but of course that approach worked great back in 1956, so... Shereen Ahmed's soprano is easily an improvement over Lauren Ambrose's, and she commands the stage throughout. Sure, she struggles a little with the accent (actually with both), but her disbelief as she first nails the words "The Rain in Spain..." is delicious and moving. Adam Grupper is pure brilliance as Doolittle, a big step up from Leo Norbert Butz's middling take. The ensemble's singing is glorious, with a shoutout to the male trio that starts "Loverly"-- just wow! The only weak note in the cast was the Mrs Higgins we saw, who seemed neither upper crust, nor even the least bit British.

Sure, the sets are scaled down a smidge-- the physical look is still the gorgeous equal of any Bway production. I still abhor the inclusion of drag queens in "Get Me to the Church On Time". And that final moment of Eliza's exit that worked well at LCT falls apart completely on tour when Eliza simply exits into the wings stage right, like she's moving to another room of Higgins' house. But that sour note aside, bless their hearts, this company has once again made that old warhorse sing and dance like a colt :)

Dupe

Updated On: 10/21/21 at 12:53 PM

Miles2Go2 said: "I saw the My Fair Lady tour tonight.

Some thoughts:

I saw the LCT revival with Lauren Ambrose. From what I remember, Shereen Ahmed sells the comedy more in the first act than Ambrose did.

I think it’s partially attributable to the sound mix and most of the cast leaning into their cockney(?) accents, but especially in Act I I had a hard time deciphering a lot of what was said or sung. I don’t recall having this problem at LCT.

Despite this I really liked the performances, particularly Ahmed, Kevin Pariseau (Colonel Pickering), Laird Mackintosh (Henry Higgins), Sam Simahk (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Gayton Scott (Mrs. Pearce), Adam Grupper (Alfred P. Doolittle), and Leslie Alexander (Mrs. Higgins).

I was worried they’d tone down the “Get Me To The Church On Time” diversity of gender expression in that scene, but to my pleasant surprise, they didn’t.

The new ending still doesn’t work for me. I applaud that they wanted to end with a feminist spin while also largely adhering to the original script. But I think it actually works less well on tour. At least at LCT, Eliza exited down the aisle in the orchestra. Tonight she just walked off stage. A lot less dramatic.

Despite my reservations, I was thrilled to be seeing live theater again after 576 days away."

This wasn’t my first show since the pandemic started. I saw a play, The Song of Summer, in July. But this was our classic musicals weekend, as my wife and I saw a local production of A Little Night Music on Friday and the My Fair Lady tour stop in San Francisco on Saturday night.

We saw it on Broadway, with Laura Benanti in May 2021 so it was interesting, if a bit unfair, to compare. Even at its best, the touring production didn’t match the highs of the Lincoln Center revival. The Orpheum is somewhat notorious for its sound issues and that was a problem early in the show. Between that and the accents, I too often had trouble understanding the lyrics, and was saved by the fact that I knew most of them from having seen it two years ago. This improved as the show continued (the sound was adjusted). Still, Shereen Ahmed does well as Eliza, and our fortunate TodayTix draw (Row G, center-left) gave us a good opportunity to see excellent acting work by her and the rest of the cast.

Adam Grupper is a real standout as Eliza’s father. His comic delivery was terrific. Laird Mackintosh makes a good Higgins, though he comes off in the end as more of a jerk. That seemed deliberate, or perhaps I just noticed it more the second time around.

The show retains the handsome set design and turning house, and it only pales a little compared to the Broadway version due to its unique advantages at Lincoln Center.

The tour staging does hurt the final scene, which ends up seeming like a pale replica of Eliza’s pointed rejection of Higgins just a few minutes before. Ahmed starts less confident than Benanti, but she’s just as powerful by the second act, and the chemistry between her and Mackintosh isn’t strong enough to make that last scene work.

But between the staging and the requirement to keep all the book dialogue, the actors are given a near-impossible task.

I was impressed at both shows this weekend by how seriously the theaters and audiences took their obligations regarding vaccines and mask-wearing.

And don’t let my quibbles discourage anyone from seeing My Fair Lady on tour. You won’t get the opportunity to see such a big-budget revival of this musical in a long time, if ever. It’s a wonderful show that has been revised just enough to put a feminist spin that reflects the original play while keeping the romanticism and beautiful music.

Updated On: 11/8/21 at 04:06 AM

I caught the show for its Thursday evening performance last week, Shereen was truly remarkable as Eliza! Also, love that she included the note in her bio she graduated with a criminal justice degree. The house looked almost as big as the house on Broadway, but I don’t remember it being that loud. I’ll be curious to see how the restage that for the non-equity tour going out this fall. The rest of the production and cast seemed kind of stale, I kind of blame that on the touring being nearly complete.