★★★★

Reviewer - Roni

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

Reaching the penultimate stop on its’ short but sweet UK tour, My Fair Lady has rolled into Birmingham Hippodrome for a two-week engagement before it closes in Manchester. The Lincoln Centre Theater Production of Lerner & Loewe’s classic hit comes direct from the West End following a limited 16-week run at the London Coliseum last summer, but has it brought that true Cockney charm and wit with it?

Here we meet Eliza Doolittle, a street corner flower girl in Covent Garden. Down on her luck and often accosted for money by her ‘undeserving poor’ father, she comes across Professor Henry Higgins, a self-absorbed phonetician who takes it upon himself to make a project of Eliza. He gives himself six months to teach her to speak proper English, and with the help of fellow linguist Colonel Pickering, pass her off as a Duchess at an Embassy Ball. Along the way, we see Eliza grow fond of the Professor, in spite of the dismissive way he regards her, and her subsequent frustrations. Despite the ball being a roaring success and Eliza being taken for a Hungarian princess, she is outraged when the men take all the credit for her transformation and dismiss her once more. Once Eliza has left his home in a rage, Henry begins to realise just how much he cares for her, and how poorly he has treated her. Is it too late to make amends?

It's a surprisingly snowy night as the audience rushes into the theatre, eager to take their seats ready for a show with a mammoth run time. My Fair Lady clocks in at three hours with an interval, and unfortunately it doesn’t always feel warranted. There are definite pacing issues in the script towards the top of the show, and there are a few musical numbers that feel unnecessarily shoehorned in at the expense of some exposition and a shorter run time. Most numbers are, of course, fantastically catchy with the energy that classic musicals bring in abundance, leaving the audience tapping and swaying to their favourites. The rambunctious ‘Get Me To The Church on Time’ thrills and delights, and has us in stitches. There are, however, only so many songs we need to hear about how women are awful and sub-par compared to men. The age of the story stops it short of being tone-deaf, but this message in particular feels hammered home to excess. There is also some clever staging at play here, courtesy of set designer Michael Yeargan. The home of Professor Higgins where Eliza is whisked away exists on a revolve that allows the action to span the whole house without a single set change, which feels both fun for the audience, and efficient for the show.

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Interestingly, Eliza was played in this performance by understudy Rebekah Lowings, who is regularly credited as an ensemble member. Rebekah is just gorgeous as firstly a young, brash and naïve Eliza, then later a much more mature and hardened one. She sails from broad cockney to received pronunciation with ease, maintaining that believable vulnerability that carries such numbers as ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and ‘Just You Wait’. Michael D. Xavier is perfectly frustrating as misogynistic Professor Henry Higgins, flooding his scenes and songs with the skittish attitude associated with a man who thinks himself a genius. Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father, is played by soap legend Adam Woodyatt, who brings his usual playfulness and hilarity to the role, all wrapped up in an East End accent. John Middleton also brings comedic relief as Colonel Pickering, a much-needed middle ground between the fiery Eliza and the apathetic Professor.

In summary, this is a loverly staging of a well-known show. It could perhaps do with a few tweaks and cuts to adjust for modern audiences, but both the staging and the cast pay a beautiful homage to times gone by. If nothing else, it’s a wickedly fun knees-up which will surprise you with just how familiar those songs are. You’ll be dancing all night!