My Fair Lady Tour: Boston Stop

Over the weekend, I caught the Boston stop of the national tour of My Fair Lady. It's interesting that producer Cameron Mackintosh chose to bring the show on tour rather than to New York. The last Broadway revival of the show was back in 1994, with Richard Chamberlain and Melissa Errico. Did Mackintosh (rightly?) sense that there would be more demand on the road, in the classic-deprived provinces?

As I watched the show, I couldn't help thinking of the recent Roundabout Theater revival of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, which I found cold and static. Hollywood import Claire Danes's was fine with the comedy, especially during the parlor scene (which becomes the Ascot scene in the musical), but was inept and amateurish in the dramatic scenes, relying on forced line readings and exaggerated hand gestures to prove that she was actually acting. And Jefferson Mays as Henry Higgins was a bit one-note: hard and heartless, without any redeeming qualities. An interesting choice, but not one that I found appealing or illuminating.

One thing the Pygmalion revival had in common with this production of My Fair Lady: unconvincing Cockney accents, especially by the actresses portraying Eliza Doolittle, Daines in the play, newcomer Lisa O'Hare in the musical. O'Hare was too refined as the coarse Eliza, with inconsistent Cockney vowels. Overall, O'Hare held her own as Eliza, but didn't leave a lasting impression. She was vocally thin, especially at the end of "I Could Have Danced All Night." Although she tried gamely to bring life to the role, but she remained small in stature and in effect.

But the main problem with this production was choreographer Matthew Bourne (Swan Lake). Based on his work on this show and in Mary Poppins, it seems clear that Bourne simply doesn't comprehend musical comedy, and should probably stick to ballet. For example, he's re-imagined "With a Little Bit of Luck" as a raucous romp like something out of Stomp, with dancers donning garbage-can lids on their feet to the rhythmic accompaniment of a utensil-laden chorus. Yeah, it's different, but it serves no dramatic purpose. Also ineffective was Bourne's "Ascot Gavotte," which has much of the chorus feigning horse movements -- perhaps to connect their foppish behavior in some way with the stylized movements of horses? Whatever, it's inscrutable, and it all but robs the scene of its intended humor.

Director Trevor Nunn does a bang-up job on the book scenes, bringing out both the pathos and the comedy, but he seems to have no idea how to focus a song, and Bourne certainly doesn't offer him any help in this regard. Nunn does make a few choices that mildly enhance particular songs: for instance, in "Show Me" he has Eliza meeting up with a group of marching suffragettes, creating an interesting connection between their signs reading "Action, Not Words" and Eliza's demands. Of course, the scene is supposed to be taking place in the early hours of the morning, which prompts one to wonder why these women are marching when there's no one there to see them. 

One gross miscalculation that Nunn and Bourne make together is during "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," which the pair stage as a sort of flower-girl ballet, with Eliza stand-ins weaving through each other behind Higgins as he performs the number. This was a huge mistake: it stole focus from what should be an epiphany for the character, added nothing to the meaning of the number, and undercut the dramatic weight of the song. 

Somehow the show still manages to work, but that's probably more a tribute to Alan Jay Lerner's wonderful book (edited by the sure hand of original director Moss Hart, who went through the entire libretto with Lerner, word by word, one long weekend.) Although it may be literary blasphemy to say this, the musical itself is, in many ways, superior to Shaw's original. In other ways, it's less deep and not as trenchant, although my impressions come solely from seeing the recent Broadway revival, which focused too much on the ideas and not enough on the people behind them. The musical adds heart to a cynical and cerebral exploration of class. (Shaw, of course, would be furious: the musical totally changes his intent, both in terms of the focus of the show, and the ending.)

My Fair Lady affords numerous examples of the musical transcending the play, for instance "The Rain in Spain," a terrific illustration of the power of music to heighten dramatic effect. Another great example of Lerner doing Shaw one better is the act 1 closer, which has Eliza regally descending the stairs in a shimmering gown, then gliding off to the ball to the swelling strains of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the pit. A stirring moment, and one that the play simply can't match.

The tour cast is excellent, particularly Timothy Jerome as Alfred P. Doolittle. Jerome was somewhat hampered by the staging of his two big numbers, but that's the fault of Nunn and Bourne, and not the doing of talented Broadway veteran. Christopher Cazenove is serviceable but indistinct as as Henry Higgins. To his credit, he doesn't ape Rex Harrison, but he also doesn't really find his own idiom.   

Another standout was Justin Bohon as Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Bohon plays Freddy not as the matinee idol we've come to expect but rather as a foolish and foppish boy, and it really makes what can be a two-dimensional character come to life. "On the Street Where You Live" is still a pointless-but-pretty song, which only seems to be there to allow Eliza to change out of her Ascot drag. But Bohon, in consort with director Nunn, has enlivened the Freddy character with an animated and nuanced performance. During the Embassy ball, Nunn has Freddy trying to approach Eliza for a dance, as well as with glasses of champagne. When he's left forgotten on the dance floor, he drinks the champagne himself, which nicely sets up the "Street" reprise, which has a drunken Freddy lolling outside 27A Wimpole Street, mooning over Eliza.

Finally, what an absolute treat it was to see Marni Nixon as Mrs. Higgins. Nixon, as any theater queen worth his salt can tell you, sang the role of Eliza Doolittle in the movie version, dubbing over Audrey  Hepburn's unfortunate croaking. Nixon has a tremendously regal presence as Mrs. Higgins, and terrific comic timing.

The My Fair Lady tour runs at Boston's Opera House through February 17th, after which it has scheduled stops in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle. It's well worth catching: a terrific show with a strong cast in a semi-effective staging. You could certainly do worse.

Comments

[Steve On Broadway (SOB)]

Chris, I'd go see it for Marni Nixon alone, although I recall a winning Justin Bohon in the most recent Broadway revival of "Oklahoma!"

I saw the original London version of this revival with Jonathan Pryce giving an absolutely outstanding performance as Henry Higgins. And I dare say that I vividly recall the very choreography you've said didn't work on the tour actually working quite well on the London stage.

[chris caggiano]

Well, Steve, I guess that's why it's good that more than one of us is out there foisting his opinions on an unsuspecting public. You and I certainly share a passion for the subject, but we don't always share views. I think that's one benefit that the blogosphere has over traditional critics: you gain access to a potentially more varied set of views. It ain't all up to Ben Brantley and Clive Barnes anymore. And that's a good thing.

[Steve On Broadway (SOB)]

Chris, It certainly is, although I (think I) agree with you more than I don't.

[Esther]

I liked the choreography in Mary Poppins. But I especially love Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake. Those male swans are incredible. I've seen it on DVD, and someday I'd like to see it live.

[chris caggiano]

Esther, I can just imagine what the intermission discussion will be like at Cry-Baby. Will we all actually come to blows? ;-) Actually, as I said to Steve, I think it's great that we can all voice our opinions, and respectfully disagree with each other.

I adored Swan Lake, but somehow I remain cold to Bourne's musical theater work. I find it awkward and pointlessly iconoclastic. But I try to approach each show I see with an open mind. If Bourne works again on Broadway, or the international equivalent, I'll judge his work in that show it terms of its own effectiveness.

[Esther]

Chris, I'm confident we'll have a lively yet respectful debate about the merits of Cry-Baby! I'm looking forward to it. :-)

I've learned a lot from you and Steve and everyone else to look for the factors that make a great or not-so great show. I've also learned a lot simply by going to more shows. Back when I saw the late and mostly unlamented LoveMusik in April, it was my second Broadway musical. Now, I've seen eight others, and more on tour, and I have a much better sense of what I like and what I don't like. I've even seen some plays, but we won't talk about those here. ;-)

Like you wrote once, I think about Frankenstein, when you see something that's truly a turkey, or just mediocre, it helps put everything in perspective. It makes the great ones stand out even more.

Sometimes I feel like I don't have the right vocabulary to explain why I liked or didn't like something - it's just a gut feeling about whether the story moved me, the characters engaged me, whether I wanted to listen to the music over and over again.