12/20/2021
Performances and Artists / Broadway Las Vegas
Broadway Classic ‘My Fair Lady’ Delivers Beloved Songs with a Contemporary View
When considering how to direct beloved Broadway musical “My Fair Lady,” Bartlett Sher saw an opportunity to revisit the original source material, as the musical is based on the 1913 acclaimed play “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw.
“I tended to think that ‘My Fair Lady’ had come to be dominated by (Henry) Higgins, and I felt we had to re-center the piece around the person who you really follow in the plot, who is Eliza,” says Sher, who directed the Lincoln Center Theater production of the musical now touring the country.
With this in mind, Sher reimagined the uplifting story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who transforms her life through speech lessons with professor Henry Higgins.
Aligning with movements seen worldwide today, Sher’s take on the show places much stronger focus on Eliza and her “agency over her own life,” he says.
“A lot of the work, including the design work, went into repositioning the show behind her,” he explains. “We open on Eliza, we follow her. Essentially, we track her journey.”
Sher’s ending for this production of “My Fair Lady” was also inspired by both the play’s original intent and by 21st sensibilities.
“Young women coming to see the show now have the chance to engage with one of the great characters in dramatic literature and musical-theater history, and see how powerful and extraordinary a (role) model she is,” Sher says. “That’s very special.”
Diving into the Source Material
In approaching “My Fair Lady,” Sher aspired to give the show a modern lens.
In doing so, he acknowledges more of Shaw’s vision from the play that inspired the musical.
He tweaked the script to include more dialogue from “Pygmalion,” for instance, to bolster characters’ arguments and underscore Eliza’s gradual empowerment.
“(George Bernard Shaw) really believed that drama can change the world, and you see that in ‘Pygmalion,’” Sher explains.
Sher strives to emphasize the playwright’s goal of challenging England’s rigorous class system in the early 20th century, which prevented equality for many.
“He presents a sociological experiment: ‘I can take this girl who is the lowest class, and I can transform her language and put her in the upper class,’” Sher says. “This was a great and revolutionary idea for a drama, and was considered a radical departure from plays that came before.”
Honoring Classic Songs with a Glamorous Touch
Sher, who also directed vibrant revivals of “South Pacific” and “The King and I,” never fails to honor long-beloved elements of classic shows.
In the case of “My Fair Lady,” he gives full justice to its delightful score, offering such gems as “Isn’t It Loverly,” “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “On the Street Where You Live.”
The production features a full-size orchestra performing the 1956 arrangements of the musical’s upbeat tunes by composing team Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.
“We want people to hear the songs as they were written,” Sher says.
This all comes together with richly detailed sets, energizing dance numbers and glamorous costumes that earned a Tony Award.
Sher hopes to see audiences inspired by the production.
“It’s both a comedy and an extraordinary play of ideas,” he says.
“My Fair Lady” run from January 25 to 30, 2022 at The Smith Center – click here for tickets.