"buoyant, joyous, and masterful"
Berkshire Theatre Festival's production of My Fair Lady is buoyant, joyous, and masterful; a winner in every sense of the word. It is "loverly, loverly, loverly."
Combine the soaring soprano voice of Maureen O'Flynn, the witty dialog of G. B. Shaw, the show-stopping lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner, and the disarming talent of director Eric Hill, who always manages to adhere to Ezra Pound's dictum of "making it new" and you have an evening of theatre for which there can be nothing but praise.
Mainly adhering to the l956 version of the Broadwaysuccess that has become so much a part of our American culture that almost anyone can hum the tunes; at just the right moments, this production adds an innovative touch - the character placement and movement quality at the Ascot races become quick camera flicks of delight - the tweeking of the script that brings a bed on stage from which Eliza can rapturously tell us again and again that "I could have danced all night" in a virtuoso aria that needs that setting.
These moments of theatrical magic can only be achieved when a director has a well-chosen cast of energetic, radiant, and talented actors, singers, and dancers who are inventively supported by an on-stage orchestra - musicians who do more than merely accompany the singers, but act, play and move scenery with dexterity. This all makes for a closely woven, robust, crackling performance in which the pace never falters and one locale melts into another to the lively or plaintive strings of a violin.
Though modestly advertised as a "chamber" production, in this case it means only that instead of a Broadway cast of enormous size, supported by dozens of actors and singers, there are only l8 on stage for the curtain call, and one realizes that small group has produced dozens and dozens of characters.
When the curtain opens on the luminous misty setting of the midnight street outside Covent Garden where fashionable theatre goers hailing taxis are buffeting (or buffeted by) cockney flower sellers-a street awash in rain and flowers, lined by buildings, one wonders how it can easily be transformed into the half a dozen other locales the production will need.
Ingeniously it can be, between scenes, before our eyes, no stage hands involved. The quiet quick way in which this is accomplished is another of the delights of this production. Designer Gary English's set makes it seem easy and the obvious thing to do. Art that seems easy, rarely is. That it seems so is a part of its art.
The plot of this musical is so well known, it barely needs summary. Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, engagingly and masterfully played by James Warwick, accepts a bet from Colonel Pickering (Tom Blair) delightfully and contrastingly Higgins equal as an authority on pronunciation, but a man of less fiery temper and gentler mien, who challenges him to prove his boast that he can in six months turn a drab cockney flower girl into a duchess.
That, despite many emotional upheavals along the way, he does, to the delight of all. That Higgins is transformed is another of the delights of the play. The short final scene with the two, Higgins and Eliza, alone, in space separated from each other across a room, but closer than they have ever been before in rapport, is played with such quiet calm, such casual body language of acceptance, that one knows both of them have changed.
Despite Shaw's hundred year old prediction that Eliza would probably very soon end up with Freddy, one knows that these two have accepted each other at last and that the bickering between two such strong-willed people will go on, but so will the growing and that while Eliza will no longer throw the slippers at Henry, she will be content to help him find them.
The star of this marvelous evening is Maureen O'Flynn whose arias soar so effortlessly and whose pebble filled-mouth can emit such yowls. She gives us a character who not only delights but who grows before our eyes. Her quiet calm dignity, fuelled by anger, as Higgins gloats over his successes contains wise maturity. We love Eliza; she is something more than just the heroine. O'Flynn's skill as actress matches that of her singing.
Tom Blair and James Warwick are an engaging and brilliant team, playing off each other with skill Excellently cast, the calmly kind Blair at times restrains the fiery egocentric Higgins. Higgins mother (Lenka Peterson) admirably helps pulling her son down to human size.
Walter Hudson as Alfred P. Doolittle, Lisa's ne'er-do-well father, who accidentally does too well and inherits a fortune, is disgustingly charming in his bragging, singing, dancing and dismay at success. His "Get me to the church on time" number with the large onstage entourage of musicians and dancers and dozens of beer mugs is so flamboyant one wants an encore.
Freddy (Todd Almond) has a couple of great moments with his "On the street where you live" solos and his duet with Eliza. He is tall, handsome and could be a hero, but cannot be because of the delightful superficiality of his character. Despite his fine voice and fashionable clothes, he could never win an Eliza.
Playing Mrs. Pearce, Higgins house-keeper (and several other roles) Annie O'Sullivan is small, pert and commanding. She is everywhere; a real joy to watch.
The on-stage orchestra, who serve as able actors as well, perform expertly under the direction of Deborah Lapidus. Robin Aronson's dual skills with violin solos as the scenery changed about her is matched only by her cockney flower-seller role.
Olivera Gajic's costumes are exactly right and so numerous, with most cast members playing several roles, that it is a miracle the costumes can be changed into by the actors busy with singing, dancing and changing scenery at a rapid clip. Dan Kotlowitz lighting hits the right tone with its opening misty evening and carries through with skill and nuance.
As for choreography (Gerry McIntyre), the dances were stunners. The vital, energetic actors whirled and swirled and tapped and step-danced in great form. Their beer mugs danced too.
What can one say of such a production except, "Loverly, loverly. Loverly!!!!!"