Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – LCT’s MY FAIR LADY is now the revival it was meant to be, thanks to a new set of principals led by the exquisite Laura Benanti

• By drediman
• February 9, 2019
• No Comments

Allan Corduner, Laura Benanti, and Christian Dante White in Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of Lerner and Loewe’s “My Fair Lady” at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Last night, I revisited Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of the Lerner and Loewe classic My Fair Lady. I’m happy to report that the production at the Vivian Beaumont Theater has blossomed into the musical revival it was meant to be, thanks chiefly to a largely recast set of principals. You see, although I admired the lavish production when it originally opened last spring, I had some key reservations. While leading lady Lauren Ambrose (of television’s Six Feet Under fame) possessed a surprisingly lovely voice and gave it the old college try, I found her portrayal of the iconic cockney-flower-girl-turned-proper-lady role of Eliza Doolittle to be overly dour and ultimately strained. On the flip side, irrepressible Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz as Eliza’s perpetually drunk father Alfred Doolittle pushed the character’s ebullience a little too hard, further imbalancing the musical.

However, the new kids on the block are a revelation, led by an exquisite Laura Benanti, who on paper has the requisite acting and vocal chops to tackle the wide-ranging role of Eliza. In my book, My Fair Lady is a devilishly difficult musical to get right. For the material to work, it’s long, involved book scenes (particularly in the second act) – much of which seem to be lifted directly from Shaw’s Pygmalion, on which it’s based – need to evolve organically into pure musical comedy vernacular. It’s a tricky balance to get right. Happily, Ms. Benanti’s portrayal addresses this by bringing much needed levity to the production while still imbuing the character with conflicted Shavian shadings. From the get go, it’s obvious that this Eliza is a smart, scrappy girl, and her transformational journey in the show is now both critically self aware, as well as joyfully in the moment.

But, you might be asking, how’s the rest of the current cast? Danny Burstein plays Alfred Doolittle in the same mold as Mr. Butz, but with an easier charm that doesn’t threaten to rock the boat. Other notable additions include the legendary Rosemary Harris (as Higgins’ mother) and Christian Dante White (as Freddy, a potential love interest of Eliza’s), both of whom bring great warmth and goodwill to their roles that further lift this My Fair Lady. Major holdovers from the original company are the pitch-perfect duo of Harry Hadden-Paton as Professor Higgins and Allan Corduner as Colonel Pickering, who remain as fresh and compelling as they were on opening night. Notably, there’s now an inevitability in the chemistry between Higgins and Eliza, adding yet another layer to the production that wasn’t there before.

As a result, Bartlett Sher’s revival is more balanced and rewarding than ever. The production, which I admittedly thought was a tad labored and too by-the-books when it opened, now flows seamlessly with confident storytelling from beginning to end. I would dare say that it currently has nearly the same dramatic potency as the director’s landmark, subtly revelatory revivals of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific and The King and I, both of which were staged in the very same theater (no one understands and exploits the intimate-yet-epic dimensions of the Vivian Beaumont stage quite like this rightfully acclaimed director) for Lincoln Center Theater. Thanks (mostly) to Ms. Benanti’s hugely charismatic and touching Eliza, Mr. Sher’s controversial ending isn’t just jarringly bittersweet and a necessary politically correct alteration, it’s now a triumphant moment for both Eliza and Higgins, and a completely satisfying and logical conclusion to My Fair Lady.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

MY FAIR LADY
Broadway, Musical
Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont Theater
2 hours, 50 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run