The Oxford Operatic Society has overcome Covid, almost two years of delay, and last-minute cast changes, to bring us this wonderful and ambitious production of My Fair Lady – at the New Theatre until Saturday.
This adored musical, set in Edwardian London, tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young working-class Cockney flower seller who is taken under the wing of Henry Higgins, a phonetics and linguistics professor determined to win a bet to transform her into a successful and respected ‘lady of society’.
The songs are wonderful – I Could Have Danced All Night, Get Me To The Church On Time, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, On The Street Where You Live – and so many more – which keep the production firmly connected to the original 1964 film, along with some very stylish choreography.
The Ascot scene, costumed in the black and white of the Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison film, is a real treat.
But the delight of the evening is the fabulous and radiant Danielle Shore (day job, lecturer at Queen’s College), playing Eliza Doolittle, feisty and smart, along with Edward Blagrove as Henry Higgins, and last-minute substitute Guy Grimsley playing Freddie.
Between them they keep the show on the road and the standards high, despite first-night technical hitches (malfunctioning mikes and not-so-slick scene changes), alongside the gifted cast.
Bring the family, support Oxford’s amateur operatic society, and hum the Lerner and Loewe songs all the way home!
SHEILA BAILEY
My Fair Lady, New Theatre Oxford, Until 11 December. Book here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/oxops-my-fair-lady/new-theatre-oxford/
