Yes, you can go to Broadway to see “My Fair Lady,” but you would be hard pressed to find a more energetic, exquisitely directed and rapturous production of this great American musical than that which is on stage now in your own backyard.
And you better hope you already have tickets, or you might not get to see it. Indeed, on opening night, the much-deserved standing ovation and shouts of “Bravo!” shook Riverside Theatre before the curtain call began.
Directed and choreographed by James Brennan, this professional production of Lerner and Loewe’s 1956 award-winning classic is a theatrical feast, serving up humor, strong performances, lusty choreography, impeccable elegance and music that tests the audience’s will to behave.
The stage musical, and its dazzling 1964 movie version, is set in 1912 London, the same year George Bernard Shaw wrote his play “Pygmalion,” upon which “My Fair Lady” is based. Shaw named his play after a mythological Greek sculptor who falls in love with his own ivory sculpture of a woman. Although the musical’s happy ending is different than the play’s cynical ending, much remains the same.
Inspired by hubris, famed phonetician Professor Henry Higgins bets his colleague, Col. Pickering, that he can turn a poor Cockney flower girl, Eliza, into a lady who can turn heads at a fancy ball. He wins the bet, but it leaves Eliza not fitting in anywhere.
She had wanted only to be cultivated enough to work at a flower shop. But now, she’s too good for even that, so her only hope is to marry. At the same time, Prof. Higgins has grown fond of her, but he denies his feelings.
Within this simple set-up are some of Shaw’s progressive themes, such as the injustices of class distinction and privilege and the mistreatment of women.
Higgins is sophisticated, dismissive, misogynistic and superior. This, of course, is what Shaw, a politically energized Irish playwright, wished revealed in “Pygmalion” – the gnawing distinction between classes and gender and the hypocrisy of the upper classes.
But those are the deeper currents, there if you want to swim in them. Riverside’s production has so much entertainment you won’t notice the lesson at all.
The direction and choreography of this show is bold and big, filled with satisfying performances and a snappy pace. It is what we have come to expect from Brennan, who has directed and/or choreographed 10 shows at Riverside, including “Miss Saigon,” “Crazy for You,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” and “Hello, Dolly!”
You’ll whoop with delight at his rococo design, vaudeville shtick and even a can-can line in the vivacious musical number “Get Me to the Church on Time.” There were audible cheers after that number on opening night.
And “woke” audience members will get a #MeToo kick out of his emphasis on an otherwise throw-away line said by Col. Pickering: Higgins says “Have you ever met a man of good character where women were concerned?” Beat. Pickering answers, “Yes. Very frequently.”
He also takes a big chance with timing in the resplendent Ascot Gavotte number where the ultra-bored high society gathers to watch a horse race. You’ve probably never seen such a long bit of silence on Riverside’s stage as in that number, but it pays off with sweet, witty comedy.
But no matter how gifted Brennan is, he can’t deliver without his talented cast, especially its quartet of remarkable performers, who have stage presence from here to Broadway.
An energetic ball of total delight, Kristen Beth Williams gives flesh and fury to Eliza Doolittle. And, like Williams did in her role of Sibella in the first national tour of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” she sings like a dream while exuding character. Her “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “Show Me” are filled with verve. She is also drop dead hysterical when, at the Ascot races, she uses perfect elocution to describe an experience worthy of a Penny Dreadful.
As Henry Higgins, James Ludwig, who was in the original Broadway cast of “Spamalot,” displays comic befuddlement over the aggravation Eliza causes him. We see Higgins’ duality, the war in him between rational thought and human heart, especially in “I’m an Ordinary Man.” And despite his dastardly actions, your own heart will break in his mournful “I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face.”
As Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s drinking and womanizing father, Tom Souhrada is nothing short of perfect. Like many of his cast mates, he has a wealth of credits and it shows in his confident, infectious fun. When this role is done right, like it is here, Alfred Doolittle would come close to stealing the big musical numbers like “With a Little Bit of Luck,” if it weren’t for the overall strength of the standout ensemble.
A Drama Desk Award winner and Broadway veteran with credits as long as your arm, Ed Dixon gives warm lovability to his character of Colonel Pickering, the ideal foil to Higgins.
Other standouts include Kathleen Huber as the stately Mrs. Higgins and John Donovan Wilson who, as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, sings an exquisite “On the Street Where You Live.”
Music director Anne Shuttlesworth gets such rich sound from her nine pit musicians you’ll come close to believing a full orchestra has snuck in.
Scenic designer Paul Tate dePoo III does some splendid work here, although it’s a bit perplexing why Higgins’ grand London home would not have a separate room for Eliza, who here has been forced to sleep on the couch in the study. And she’s a good girl she is, so she deserves a room with a door. Nevertheless, his multitude of drops and gorgeous study for Higgins are winning.
Kurt Alger continues his superior work designing this opulent array of costumes and wigs. And lighting designer Julie Duro makes it all shine so pretty.
With a celebrated production of “My Fair Lady” on Broadway right now at Lincoln Center, area audiences are lucky that Riverside secured the rights long ago.
“My Fair Lady” runs through March 31 with evening and matinee performances at Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach. Tickets begin at $35. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com.