mrdreamjeans | Wouldn't It Be Loverly? (Reply)

Wouldn’t It Be Loverly if the banner The Lincoln Center Theater Production of Lerner and Lowe’s “My Fair Lady” had meant a union national tour of the Lerner & Lowe musical? I attended the Thursday evening performance of this classic at The Ordway, the final show in my Broadway@The Ordway subscription. “My Fair Lady” was in St Paul for only five days. The kindest adjective I can attribute to the tour is disappointing.

There was endless talent onstage, much of it in the ensemble; but, the tweaks made to the script to minimize the sexism of that time in England, the changed ending where Eliza stalks off the stage, the direction that made Jonathan Grunert’s well-sung Henry Higgins insufferable didn’t work for me. Accents were all over the place; the touring set was merely servicable; the sound was problematic, especially in Alfred P. Doolittle’s cynically celebratory “Get Me to the Church on Time”, careening from ear shatteringly loud to missed sound cues.

Madeline Powell gave us a well-acted feisty Eliza Doolittle. She has a lovely soprano voice, though her top notes felt pushed. Her transformation from Cockney flowerseller to elegant lady was quite believable. John Adkison’s Colonel Pickering was charming and stalwart. Jonathan Grunert’s Henry Higgins overplayed the character’s mysogyny; a mysogynist is a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women. As audience members, we must believe that Higgins has feelings for Eliza. Without this, the musical’s premise falls apart.

Publicity Photo: Jonathan Grunert (Higgins), Madeline Powell (Eliza) and John Adkison (Pickering)

Let me talk about performance highlights for a moment: The costumes by Catherine Zuber were exquisite. The performances by Nathan Haltiwanger as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Becky Saunders as Mrs. Higgins were outstanding. The lush vocal work by members of the ensemble singing Lerner and Lowe’s iconic score was delightful; a shout-out to the “Loverly” quartet and servants for their harmony work. Also, compliments to Binder Casting. It was refreshing to see an ensemble of all ages, shapes, sizes and races present onstage!

I understand that it’s difficult to update classic shows where the practices of the time don’t jive with how we’ve evolved as a society. “My Fair Lady” is a period piece, set in another century. Tossing drag queens into a chorus number was jarring ... It remains difficult to listen to the lyrics of “We Did It” and “Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like A Man” without cringing.

Troika Entertainment is the producer of the “My Fair Lady” National Tour. Actors Equity Association provides many types of touring contracts, but Troika took this out non-union instead. Presenters, such as The Ordway, purchase the show as part of their season. Ticket prices remain the same for us, no matter the cost to the presenter. The actors make less money, as do musicians; but the local crew and dressers make union wages.The last time I saw “My Fair Lady” on tour Henry Higgins was played by Richard Chamberlin. The Ordway house was nearly full Thursday night. There is an audience for classic musicals. Wouldn’t it be loverly is we had gotten a “My Fair Lady” with star quality?