Church Hill Theatre’s splendid revival of My Fair Lady opens on June 7 for a three-week run. Consistently rated one of the very best musicals of all time, My Fair Lady has gorgeous music, clever dialogue, and an unlikely love story. It ran for a then-record 2,717 performances on Broadway.
Director Sylvia Maloney puts her own spin on the Lerner & Loewe classic, itself based on George Bernard Shaw’s novel Pygmalion. The story matches the upper class linguist Henry Higgins against Eliza Doolittle, an ambitious Cockney flower seller. With elocution lessons, will he be able to pass her off as “a duchess at an embassy ball?” Will she be able to teach him basic human decency? Spoiler: both Eliza and Henry eventually bring out the best in each other.
The plot is compelling—but the music is downright addictive. Just try to read these song titles aloud without singing, or at least humming. “With A Little Bit of Luck,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.” This production has talented newcomers in the lead roles as well as a strong supporting cast and a live orchestra.
My Fair Lady opens on Friday, June 7 and will run through Sunday, June 23, with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Sundays. Last year’s spring musical was sold out, so make your reservations early for CHT’s biggest production of the year. Tickets are available online atwww.churchhilltheatre.org or by phone at (410) 556-6003.
