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Get Reacquainted with 'MY FAIR LADY' - 4/10/2008



















Ever since Cameron Mackintosh and the National Theatre of Great Britain’s stunning new production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY had its United States premiere last fall, audiences and critics alike have been singing its praises. The revival includes acclaimed direction by Trevor Nunn, choreography and musical staging by Matthew Bourne, and production design by Anthony Ward. Though it remains true to the central themes of earlier productions, this MY FAIR LADY has been reinvented in unexpected ways.

The plot revolves around Professor Henry Higgins’ efforts to transform Cockney-accented flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a sophisticated woman. Originally set in 1912, one of the notable production changes was Nunn’s decision to have the story take place two years earlier in 1910. What would appear to be a trivial tweak actually created the opportunity to add social references to the production and explains why Ward, who created the lavish costumes and sets, dressed the characters in all black for the Ascot Gavotte.

“One of the most iconic things about My Fair Lady [due to the film] are Cecil Beaton’s stunning costumes in Ascot,” says Fergus Logan, the associate choreographer who was part of the team responsible for restaging the production for the U.S. tour. “So why would anybody do it differently? Well it did happen that in 1910 the king died and everyone suddenly turned up to Ascot in mourning so it was completely black. It was the only year that it ever happened and Trevor just felt it was a very good reason to go on a different slant.”

An additional benefit of the 1910 setting is the appearance of the suffragettes which help to demonstrate the depth of Eliza’s journey. As Logan points out, “It’s not just that she learned to talk properly it’s that she is the first of a new generation of women who have opinions, who will get to vote, who want to be heard. For me that is the most important message in the show.”

On another front, Bourne’s innovative choreography not only brings a fresh energy to the show, but also lends itself to telling the story. Care was taken to avoid having the characters “burst into a dance routine just for the sake of dancing,” explains Logan. But when they do dance, Bourne found ways to highlight the supposed differences among the characters in the production.

“The show deals with class systems so we spent some time exploring different movements and what it is about a dance move that says you’re a posh person from a very well-to-do family and what is it that says you’re a worker in Covent Garden,” says Logan.

Bourne’s choreography also gives Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father, a new lease on life that audiences have been responding to with rousing applause. Traditionally ‘With A Little Bit of Luck’ is only performed by three people but it has been turned into much more of a spontaneous celebration of the working class that spills into the street with people grabbing whatever they can to make noise. “That’s how we came upon the idea of grabbing trash can lids,” laughs Logan. “People always mention the trashcan lids but it’s certainly one of my favorite bits as well.”

Beginning with the original Broadway production in 1956, there have been a variety of interpretations on how MY FAIR LADY ends and this production, not surprisingly, makes its own statement. “At the end of the show we don’t go for any schmaltzy romantic ending,” shares Logan. “It ends with a face-off between Higgins and Eliza. She wants to be accepted as his equal.”

Logan believes that Eliza’s journey and her showdown with Higgins has the potential to be perceived differently by American audiences. “When we were restaging the tour, Shaun Kerrison (associate director) told me he thinks it’s almost more relevant for you in America because you have a culture that says you can achieve anything. Anybody in America can become president, it’s all possible.”

For more information on the national tour visit: www.MyFairLadyTheMusical.com.

By: Nancy Parrott

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