Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – until 2nd October 2022
Reviewed by Katie Brewerton
5*****
My Fair Lady is back! The classic musical is back on tour, currently mesmerising audiences at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. Having never seen My Fair Lady, I went in with high expectations given its popularity and longevity and I was not disappointed. Based on ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw, My Fair Lady opened in 1956 and has been wowing audiences since, becoming one of the most celebrated musicals ever.
My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle (Charlotte Kennedy) a poor flower seller in London and Henry Higgins (Michael D. Xavier), who makes a bet with Colonel Pickering (John Middleton). Pickering bets Higgins that he can use his skills as a linguistic professor to turn Eliza in to a lady. Can she fool the Queen of Transylvania in to believing she is a real lady at the ball and help Higgins win the bet?
The cast is full of familiar faces with Adam Woodyatt, best known for the role of Ian Beale in Eastenders, taking on the role of Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle. Emmerdale star, John Middleton best known for playing Ashley Thomas for over 20 years takes on the role of Colonel Pickering and Lesley Garrett stars Mrs Pearce, Professor Higgins’ housekeeper. While these well-known starts shine, so do the rest of the cast, they are all wonderful and a special mention must go to Tom Liggins who plays potential love interest, Freddy Eynsford-Hill whose rendition of ‘On the Street Where You Live’ was phenomenal.
Another mention must go to the wonderful set, the stage revolves to reveal a different room of the magnificent house, which the cast moving effortlessly through the rooms as the stage revolved. With a range of well-known songs, if you’ve never seen My Fair Lady you will be sure to know a lot of the music, including ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’, ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’.
It’s clear to see why My Fair Lady has stood the test of time and it is a simply ‘Loverly’ show.