Frederick Loewe (1901-1988)
My fair lady: a musical comedy in two acts
Book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner (1918-1986)
Adapted from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981) and Philip J. Lang (1911-1986). Dance music arranged by Trude Rittman (1908-2005)
Eliza Doolittle, Scarlett Strallen
Professor Henry Higgins, Jamie Parker
Colonel Hugh Pickering, Malcolm Sinclair
Alfred P. Doolittle, Alun Armstrong
Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Laurence Kilby
For remaining cast see below
My fair lady ensemble, Sinfonia of London/John Wilson
rec. April 2024 at Susie Sainsbury Theatre, Royal Academy of Music, London
Chandos 2 SACDs CHSA 5358 (2) [130]
This is the latest in the series of meticulous recreations of classic Hollywood musicals being undertaken by John Wilson, having been preceded by Carousel (review) and Oklahoma! (review). I have yet to catch up with those, but I have a particular interest in My fair lady as we had the celebrated recording of it with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the house when I was a child, and I knew it well.
My fair lady is based on Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, in which Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, demonstrates that he can train Eliza Dolittle, a Cockney girl and the daughter of a dustman, to speak standard English and to pass her off in smart society as one of their own. The tone is light-hearted, but there is a serious point behind it. Shaw was, as well as being a brilliant comic dramatist, a campaigning Socialist, who was well aware of class differences and ofthe importance of speech in reflecting and reinforcing them. In so doing he created three memorable characters: Higgins is irascible and misogynistic, Eliza blossoms into a confident young woman, and her father Alfred Doolittle is a comic character worthy of Shakespeare. Eliza’s would-be lover, Freddy Eynsford-Hill, successful in Pygmalion but unsuccessful in My fair lady, is a simpler part. The other characters are minor but pull their weight.
It proved surprisingly difficult to turn Pygmalion into a musical, and an interesting note by David Benedict in the booklet explains that it was only after several unsuccessful attempts by others, and one by them, that Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe succeeded, drawing also on Shaw’s screenplay for the 1938 film. The orchestrations were carried out by Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang, and others had a hand in it, as you can see from the credits above. It is one of the merits of My fair lady that the satirical content of the original is not obscured or downplayed but is as much an aspect of the musical as of the stage play, though again with a light touch.
Wilson has taken pains to ensure that the score is performed complete, in fact including in an Appendix passages which were cut from the original production. He also makes a point of using the original orchestration, which has been modified in more recent revivals. He has assembled a cast which includes both Cockneys and speakers of standard English and made sure that his orchestra, or theatre band, has players familiar with the idiom and using the instruments which were intended.
The role of Higgins was originally taken by Rex Harrison, who could not sing. Lerner and Lowe were, of course, well aware of this, and the role is written to be largely spoken, or half sung. John Wilson says that this was in the tradition of the speaking singer, which was a recognised operetta role, which I did not know. To me it suggests the Sprechstimme of Schoenberg. Anyway, it is well taken by Jamie Parker, who can both act and sing.
Alfred Doolittle was unforgettably taken by Stanley Holloway, and I am happy to say that Alun Armstrong proves a worthy successor and makes a great success of his two big numbers, ‘With a little bit of luck’ and ‘I’m getting married in the morning.’ One only wishes that the role was greater: in Pygmalion he risks running away with the play, so brilliant are his scenes.
Freddy is a simpler part but Laurence Kilsby is suitably ardent.
The performance of Scarlett Strallenn as Eliza may be controversial. She has to navigate her way from Cockney through standard English ending up with what is known as marked RP, the clipped style of speech which is or used to be characteristic of the English upper class. She also has to demonstrate increasing poise and confidence, culminating in standing up to Higgins although accepting him. There is some uncertainty in Scarlett Strallen’s account along the way, when she wavers between the first two of these accents, but this may reasonably seen as part of the character. Her singing voice is delightful.
No praise could be too high for the performance of the Sinfonia of London, here functioning as a theatre band. It is essential that this music should be played as tightly and as expressively as Mozart, with crisp rhythmic precision and exact intonation and phrasing. Any kind of sloppiness would ruin the effect. John Wilson is, of course, thoroughly familiar with the idiom, sets the right tempi and gets the right results from his band.
The extra scenes are a mixed bag. Higgins’s ‘Come to the ball,’ the Dressing Eliza ballet and her ‘Say a prayer for me tonght’ with its following bridge, the ballroom introduction and the longer version of Freddy’s ‘On the street where you live’ are all worthwhile and, I think, should have been included in their original places rather than banished to an Appendix. The three short utility cues, prepared to cover scene changes, were not used, and only recycle familiar material. I think they are only there for completeness.
This is a SACD recording, but I was listening in ordinary two channel stereo, in which the sound was excellent. The booklet contains the complete text, a good introduction, an interview with John Wilson and biographies of the singers. This is a quality production. Although some may quibble about some aspects of it, it should be warmly welcomed. Now please can we have Guys and Dolls?
Stephen Barber
Other reviews: John Quinn (September 2025), David Barker (October 2025)
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Remaining cast
Mrs Higgins, Penelope Wilton
Mrs Pearce, Julia McKenzie
Cockneys, Tom Ping, Connor Carson, Tom Liggins, Hal Cazalet
Solo tenor, Hal Cazalet
Harry, Adam Vaughan
Jamie, Sharif Afit
Angry Woman, Maria Coyrie
Angry Man, Connor Carson
Mrs Hopkins, Annie Wensak
Bartender, Leo Roberts
Maids, Deborah Crowe, Wendy Ferguson
Charles, Matt McDonald
Policeman, Will Richardson
Flower girl, Charlotte Kennedy
Footmen, Tom Ping, Annie Wensak
