Why Has MY FAIR LADY Never had A Successful Revival on Bway?- Page 2

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 10:58pm

Well, Dancin Thru Life, I was willing to sit through the Nunn production with three different casts. No improvements were necessary: just artistry and showmanship.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 11:01pm

It's very difficult to find an Eliza. Almost every actress that has played the role professionally, including Julie Andrews, has had severe vocal problems. In fact, it's where Julie Andrews developed her lazy habit of speaking notes that she should sing.

Eliza is also an acting challenge. The character starts off as rough and rowdy cockney girl and by the end of the show she must be polished and charming and refined. Not as easy as it looks.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 7/20/10 at 11:02pm

Thanks again, sparrman. Three then. Somehow I'd never noticed that it's a G at the end of "Show Me." And it never sounded that high to my highly imperfect ears.

Still, not anything for which a high soprano is needed.

[D2]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:02am

"... I think that productions problem was that it was too soon after the original..."

20 years after the original is too soon? I can think of quite a few other shows that were revived far sooner, and several that have had revivals of revivals within minutes.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:08am

Dear Bartlet Sher,

Please mount a revival of My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center starring Kelli O'Hara.

Thanks,
Barbie

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:12am

I'll second that, Barbie!

[byebyebaby12]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:13am

She is the only one I could see doing it, right now.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:14am

Or Audra, or Laura Benanti, or Laura Osnes or Anne Hathaway or some unknown.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:14am

I think Stephanie Block would be an amazing Liza. I'd live to see her reprise that role in this show.
Updated On: 7/21/10 at 09:14 AM

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 9:26am

With Huge Ackman as Henry Higgins?

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:04am

I did not get to see the concert at Lincoln Center. But I did get to see Ms. O'Hara sing several of Eliza's songs at Carnegie Hall this past spring. And I think there is no one better for the role. She still looks quite young. And the absolute ease with which she sang was astonishing. She was nothing short of thrilling.

And...I'll say it out and out. I think she sings it better than Julie Andrews.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:14am

Oops, I had my years mixed up- I thought it was only about 10 years.
Dancin, I couldn't disagree more with your post. I'm only 20 (21 tomorrow) and I love everything about the show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:22am

I saw the Mackintosh revival in London with the original cast and while I was never a huge fan of the show, I was entranced by the production and McCutcheon's Eliza was a revelation. It's impossible to tell from the CD, but even though her singing voice was thinner than that of her predecessors in the role, her acting more than made up for it and I doubt I will ever see an Eliza that will thrill me as much as hers. Dennis Waterman was equally outstanding as Alfred Doolittle. Sadly, Jonathan Pryce was the weakest link in the show and delivered n affected performance I found irritating and distracting. The recent US tour did a good job of making that massive Drury Lane set portable, but I think it was a HUGE missed opportunity not bringing the Drury Lane production to Broadway. In London, it was about as close to perfect a production the show could get.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:22am

I think Higgins is a far more difficult role to cast, and the only person I can see in the role is Hugh Laurie.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 11:32am

I could kind of see Rupert Everett, oddly enough, as Higgins.

[theeatah]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:24pm

You can see Rupert Everett as Higgins, if you're able to make a trip to the Chicester Festival Theatre. He's doing Pygmalion at the moment.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:28pm

I can also see Colin Firth making a marvelous Higgins.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:32pm

Is Lansbury too old for Eliza?

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:49pm

If I get my way, and Hugh Laurie is cast as Higgins, I'd LOVE for Maggie Smith to play his mother.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 12:52pm

Maggie Smith as Mrs. Higgins in either Pygmalion or My Fair Lady would be heaven.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 1:19pm

The Drury Lane proction was brilliant and the sets eye popping. Martine was great (though missed many many perfomances).

The UK Tour did not downscale and we had it for 3 months at the Palace Theatre in Manchester where i worked with Amy Nuttal playing the lead (she did a great job). They filmed the show at the Palace (6 cameras and amazing looking) that i managed to get a copy of.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 1:32pm

It still comes back to the fact that the show is a snore during the parts where nobody is singing and by the modern standards of Broadway, there is not a great deal happening. Visually, it can be a ravishing feast for the eyes, but do audiences really come to just watch singing in pretty settings?

[keithp]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 1:56pm

Sorry but you obviously don't understand the difference between a fact and an opinion. Or are just incredibly arrogant? It is your opinion that the book is a snore. It certainly isn't a fact.
I think the whole show works extremely well. I didn't see the original but have seen the last 2 major revivals in the UK and thoroughly enjoyed them including the bits between the songs.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 2:00pm

I have to say that after sitting through the show about 60 times when i was working at the show i have to agree the book is overlong, the whole show is over long. We had many people getting restless in the audience. I think act 1 came i around 90 mins which was far too long

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/21/10 at 2:07pm

With no disrespect intended, I'm not sure how credible I find the comments who seems bothered by having worked on it. Great material, handled well, doesn't seem long. This is a great show, and it deserves to be revived. With any revivals, changes should be considerd, but they should be done for the right reason, and in my opinion, the length of My Fair Lady is not a valid reason.