Review : My Fair Lady at The Bristol Hippodrome
Posted on: 18 Feb 2023Widely considered as one of the definitive musicals, Jay Lerner’s My Fair Lady demands high standards – and I’m pleased to say Bartlett Sher’s sparkling production absolutely does it justice. Brimming with nostalgia, style and humour, this show is an absolute feast for the senses and runs at The Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 25 February 2023.
The opening set immediately conveys the smokey streets of Edwardian London, with the distinctive skyline, lampposts and cockney chatter of the working class. It’s here we meet our heroine Eliza, played by Charlotte Kennedy, who is (at this point) as plucky and dirt-smeared as she is gobby. It’s worth mentioning Kennedy’s vocal talents here, as her role in the second number ‘Wouldn’t It be Loverly’ immediately made it clear we were in safe hands.
Over the next few hours, Kennedy artfully portrays the transformation from impoverished flower girl to polished member of society, and her voice never wavers. ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ was predictably gorgeous, but for me, the truly stand-out moments were tracks like ‘Show Me’ and ‘Without You’, where Eliza gives her two likeable-yet-oblivious suitors a satisfyingly stern talking to.
Colonel Pickering – Higgins’ avuncular sidekick – is played by John Middleton. Together, Higgins, Pickering and the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Pearce (Lesley Garrett) gradually fall for Eliza; these most heartwarming scenes take place in the domestic chaos of Higgins’ handsome household.
But perhaps the most outright entertaining moment in the production was Alfred P. Doolittle’s big moment. In this role, we saw Adam Woodyatt (best known as Ian Beale in Eastenders) singing ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’, amidst a chorus of can-canning men in corsets (who are never an unwelcome addition to the ensemble). I won’t forget that in a hurry!
Tickets available for all My Fair Lady shows up until 25 February 2023 at The Bristol Hippodrome.
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