THEATRE SPOTLIGHT: MY FAIR LADY REVIEW, CURVE LEICESTER

This year’s festive ‘Made at Curve’ production, directed by Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster (A Chorus Line, Billy Elliott, Evita) is the classic musical, ‘My Fair Lady’. With the book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, this is one show that will give you all the charm of time honoured theatre and a score you’ll likely be humming along to long after your visit! Read on to find out why we were captivated by this toe tapping musical.

**All Production Photography by Marc Brenner (Unless otherwise stated)**

Disclosure: Be-lavie received a press invite to experience ‘My Fair Lady”. All opinions, and views are our own along with non-production photography and therefore remain a copyright of be-lavie. For further information, refer to our disclosure policy

Pin & Save

Short of time and don’t want to miss out? Pin & save to read at your leisure.

The Plot

Eliza Doolittle played by the incomparably talented Molly Lynch (Sunset Boulevard, Curve. Killing the Cat, Riverside Studios. The Light in the Piazza, La Opera, Chicago Opera House and Royal Festival Hall) is a cockney flower seller from Covent Garden in London. One day whilst in the market, trying to make ends meet by selling flowers to passers by, she meet a phonetics professor by the name of Henry Higgins (David Seadon-Young, The Baker’s Wife, Menier Chocolate Factory, An American in Paris, Dominion Theatre). Higgins, a respected member of society and an intellectual, resides in the city and agrees to take on Elizas’s ambition to learn how to speak like a lady of high society. 

Persuaded by his colleague,  who has just arrived in London to meet him, Colonel Pickering (Minal Patel, Billy Elliott, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Curve); Higgins takes on the task of turning Eliza into the eloquently speaking high society lady she has dreamt of being to fulfil her ambition to opening her very own flower shop. But first, she must work towards attending several events including the embassy ball, as a well spoken lady.

Higgins who believes in the tough love approach and Pickering who opts for a more gentler background approach work with Eliza and along the journey we see that she too teaches Higgins a thing or two or three about himself! 

Eliza’s almost rebellion like attitude goes on to deliver her joy, passion for life and free spirit to so many around her including Higgins’ mother, Mrs Higgins, played by BAFTA Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Cathy Tyson (Kaod Netflix, Help, Channel 4 and My Beautiful Launderette, The Importance of Being Earnest, Curve).

Notable Performances

Molly Lynch portrays the plight of Eliza, a sensible and practical girl, with great compassion, just the right balance of the characters humour and periodically appropriate jest. Her voice is completely mesmerising to listen to, and to watch how she captivates the audience with her emotion and defiance. Her renditions of ‘Wouldn’t it be loverly’, and ‘I Could’ve danced All Night’ demanded pin drop silence as the audience drifted off into Eliza’s words and she was met with a crescending applaud.

David Seadon Young’s portrayal of Higgins was entertaining yet believable as the ‘teacher’ with stringent study values.  His tiny moments of compassion and softness were much welcomed by the audience that followed his portrayal of the rude Mr Higgins. Impatient with class hierarchy and sticking to the almost Victorian obsession with etiquette which was only broken through by Eliza’s words of reason and confrontation.

Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father (Steve Furst, Oliver!, Leeds Playhouse. Actor, comedian, DJ, musician and writer) executed the feckless, squandering character wonderfully. His smooth talking attitude, views about middle class morality and being under the influence of alcohol plus his dead beat father approach were believable. His performance in the ‘Get Me To The Church on Time’ ensemble was an absolute showstopper as the audience danced along in their seats. 

A mention must go to Djavan Van de Fliert (Frozen, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Les Miserables, Sondheim Theatre) who plays Freddy Eynsford Hill. His dapper, gentlemanly performance is utterly charming especially when he visits Mr Higgins residence, 27a Wimpole Street, Marlebourne, where Eliza is staying during her training. His performance of ‘On The Street Where You Live’ is full of emotion displaying his care and love for Eliza.

The complete ensemble of My fair Lady does a fantastic job in delivering wonderfully entertaining, get up and dance sequences with so many highlights right from the opening scene in Covent Garden to the embassy ball and the night before Alfred’s wedding scene.

Staging

The depth of stage used in this performance gives a sense of space especially with the outdoor scenes of Covent Garden. The Victorian inspired architecture and street scape show creativity along with the tiny artefacts in Mr Higgin’s house that show a keen eye for attention to detail, coupled with the lighting transform the audience from scene to scene seamlessly.  

The creative use of the stage for the horse racing landscape and the regal ball are so well managed and executed. One of the most memorable scenes on stage is when Eliza reveals herself in her gown, standing at the top of the staircase at Mr Higgins’ house. Her dress and tiara sparkle like twinkling stars with the focus of lighting and makes the audience gasp as she is revealed as the confident new lady transformed from a flower girl.

IMAGES (4): BEJAL AT BE-LAVIE

Final Words 

Made at Curve’s, My Fair Lady, is packed full of recognisable characters, a great measure of comical moments that will have you laughing quietly, combined with a beautiful flair of old world romance. 

The portrayal of characters, excellent musical score performed by the orchestra, staging and lighting bring this show so vividly alive on stage and definitely one that rivals most popular performances on the stages in the country. 

A show packed with the greatest songs that film and musical theatre have ever produced such as ‘The Rain in Spain’ and particularly ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’ and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, this show will captivate you from the start to finish. It’s the perfect show for all of the family to enjoy over the Christmas season and one Made at Curve musical to remember for years to come. 

My fair Lady will run at Curve until Saturday 4 January 2024

The Details

• Address: The Curve. Alexandra House, 60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB I 0116 242 3595
• Map Location: Curve Leicester
• Box Office: Email: tickets@curvetheatre.co.uk
• Website: Curve Theatre.

À bientôt

Pin & Save