MY FAIR LADY: Lerner and Lowe: Drury Lane

MYFAIR LADY, Lerner and Lowe

Dury Lane: Tkts £7.30 - £ 37.50: 0207 494 5000

Runs: 3h 30m, one interval

Review: David Battcock, 16th August 2001

Covent Garden gloriously recreated on stage at Drury Lane
I'm an ardent lover of the Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn film. The question nagging me was Would Trevor Nunn try to modernise what has always been a near perfect musical, but written in another time before they invented political correctness?' I am glad to say he hasn't changed a thing. From the opening bars as Covent Garden comes alive in staccato bursts the whole film is gloriously recreated on stage, costumes, sets, the lot.

Chief among the non-politically correct is Jonathan Price as Professor Higgins: he's just the same old sexist pig that Rex Harrison was and sings/speaks (call it what you will) the songs with perfect comic phrasing. Higgins' songs are all about wit and phrasing: with consummate skill, Price never misses a trick.

Martine McCutcheon is the main draw, and fantastic she is. She has an absolutely beautiful singing voice and fills Eliza Dolittle with humour, strength and elegance in equal measure. I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT comes half way through, but McCutcheon shows herself more than equal to the task and rightly earns a standing ovation.

Among a strong supporting cast, Nicholas Le Prevost's old buffer Pickering is particularly watchable, I particularly warmed to his flamenco dance on his desk (THE RAIN IN SPAIN), and Patsy Rowlands Mrs Pearce the housekeeper is great fun.

I doubt tickets for this are going to be available for a long while yet, but if they do squeeze in you're in for a real treat.

2001-09-30 12:26:16