My Fair Lady: Simply Loverly

There are some shows which you catch and then forget, and there are shows that you catch which strike such a chord that they remain with you for the rest of your life. For me, My Fair Lady is definitely one of the latter.

My first introduction to it was, interestingly enough, entirely through my mother’s re-telling of the tale. My Fair Lady was (and I think, still is) one of my mother’s favourite musicals and I can still remember her relating the tale of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl with the dreadful accent. Eliza encounters Professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, who wagers that he can turn her into a “proper lady” within three months. She moves into his home and spends days and nights learning how carry herself like a lady and to speak with a posh English accent. Naturally this proves to be more difficult than anticipated. Then one day, she finally gets it and can finally pronounce that magic phrase: “The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain!“

The wager is won but as both Eliza and Professor Higgins find out, being a lady and a gentleman is much more than just your accent and your carriage.

It was many years later that I finally managed to watch the film adaptation of the story but before that, I was already singing “The Rain In Spain” and “Wouldn’t It be Loverly” because my mother loved those tunes.

So I can’t tell you how much of a treat it was for me to finally hear these well-loved tunes brought to live on stage by the lovely Aurora Florence (as Eliza Doolittle) and the rest of the players in the US National Tour of My Fair Lady, which opened this week at the Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands.

American they might be, but their English accents were flawless, as we the audience were drawn back in time Edwardian London. This production, being a re-staging of the classic Broadway musical, would be familiar to those who have watched the oscar-winning film adaptation starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in the titular roles. But the stage brings with it a certain energy and the actors here certainly brought the story to life. Both Florence and Chris Carsten (as Professor Henry Higgins) slipped seemingly effortlessly into their roles, and injected a lot of fun into the story with their flair for physical comedy and good comedic timing.

Of course, what would a musical be without the songs? “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” was my favourite song of the night and Florence’s beautiful soaring voice made it a delight. Similarly, her treatment of “I Could Have Danced All Night” was nuanced and managed, I felt, to capture Eliza’s delight and vulnerability at the turning point in the story. Special mention must also go to Michael Brian Dunn in his supporting role as Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza’s often drunk father. His rendition of “With A Little Bit O’ Luck” got feet tapping, and together with the ensemble cast, he pulled off a rollicking good show in “Get Me To The Church On Time“.

These and the good chemistry between the leads managed to keep the audience interested, though I must admit that the run-time of 3 hours (with a 20 minute intermission) did feel rather long towards the end. For that reason I would hesitate to bring the little ones as it might be more than they can take to sit down for so long! If you have young children, I think the better plan is probably to leave them at home and make it date night at the theatre. You wouldn’t regret it.

My Fair Lady is playing at the Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands from 11 February to to 2 March 2014 at 8pm on Tuesday to Sunday, with additional matinee shows at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are priced at $145, $125, $105, and $95. Get your tickets from the Marina Bay Sands website, or through Sistic.

* We received a media invite to watch and review this production. All opinions remain strictly my own.