My taste in Broadway musicals definitely runs the gamut from the most rocking modern musicals to the old standards. And I was all about the old standards when I got the chance to checkout the North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimed production of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady at my favorite theater in San Francisco, The Orpheum. Returning to my favorite theater was like coming home, especially to celebrate the first new show to play there in almost three years (after Hamilton’s extended residency pre-COVID).
What made this particular show a special treat for me was that I had never seen it (despite being considered “the perfect musical”). I had never seen the movie or any version of the musical over the years. Though I was generally familiar with the plot as it has been a RomCom standard for most of my life. Like most people my age, I’ve seen Pretty Woman 1,000 times, which is a remake of the musical. The musical itself a remake of the play Pygmalion the play by George Bernard Shaw. The most notable difference between the two (the musical an the play) is the ending.
In My Fair Lady, our two leading characters Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins, end up together, thinking Pretty Woman, She’s All That, Can’t Buy Me Love… any modern variation of the story. But this traits from the original ending in Shaw’s Pygmalion. The strong feminist ending, where Eliza basically says, ‘No thanks’ and walks away on her own. And THAT is the ending THIS version.
And I am here for it.
An all star cast rounds out the beauty of this production; Adam Grupper as Alfred P. Doolittle, Gayton Scott as Mrs. Pearce, Laird Mackintosh as Professor Henry Higgins, Kevin Pariseau as Colonel Pickering, and the absolutely stunning Shereen Ahmed as Eliza Doolittle.
The only thing rivaling the incredibly talented cast and classic score, was Michael Yeargan
incredible set and Catherine Zuber fabulous costumes. It’s no wonder this production was nominated for a whopping 10 Tony® Awards.
My Fair Lady continues its run at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre (1192 Market Street, San Francisco) through November 28, 2021. Tickets are available at broadwaysf.com. If you’re in the Bay Area don’t miss it. Grab your mask and welcome back Broadway! If you’re not in the Bay Area the North America tour continues through 2022 and you can visit myfairladyontour.com to find out when they’re coming to your town.
And as always a quick PSA about theater especially as we enter the holiday season; Go see it. Now more than ever. Most theaters small to large are serious about making us safe, so go see a show. Support all of them from your nearest large Broadway theater to your local high school theater. They need it now. The world needs it now.
