MY FAIR LADY – Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; Music by Frederick Loewe; Directed by Kelly Van Oosbree. Produced by Performance Now Theatre Company (Presented at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 South Allison Parkway, Lakewood) through June 28. Tickets available at 303-987-7845 or Lakewoodco.gov.
C’mon now. Admit it. You get an invitation to see something like FIDDLER ON THE ROOF or SOUND OF MUSIC . . . . or MY FAIR LADY, and you think, “Oh, that ol’ thing. I’ve seen it before.” But then you go and suddenly, that gorgeous overture starts and you’re swept up into the story and the music and the costumes and the fun of the story. And you’re so glad you came. These guys like Lerner and Loewe knew how to write music and tell a story. I’m so glad I went.
You all know the story. I don’t have to remind you about Professor Higgins and his linguistic experiment with a flower-seller named Eliza. How he taught her to speak and (almost) behave in a proper society. How a special relationship developed. Happy ending.
So, let’s talk about what a good job Kelly Van Oosbree and her talented cast did in bringing this glorious tale back to life. If you’re read my descriptions of previous Van Oosbree productions, you know how I salivate over the beautiful stage pictures she presents, how she uses light to create drama, how she moves her cast around in totally logical fashion, how she integrates dance into the story, how she accumulates people who want to work with her over and over, and how she creates a fan club of audience members (myself included) who will go to see anything she directs with complete confidence.
One of those actors who works with Kelly often is Bill Diggle who just jumped from being Benedick in MUCH ADO at Platte Valley Theatre Arts (another production directed by Kelly) to Professor Higgins. He gaveus the funniest, most self-righteously arrogant, oblivious, cultivated, class-aware Higgins you’ve ever seen. Even at his most uncivil, you can’t help but adore his ambivalence. He just has no comprehension of his own priggishness. It’s delicious to see someone so confident in life play someone so confident on stage.
Charlotte Campbell is a joy to watch evolve as Eliza. Her fear, her determination, her unsteadiness that turns into confidence, her understanding of her righteous place in the world, her relationship with her father, and her comprehension of what a better life might actually mean. It all happens so gradually, so naturally; then suddenly, there she is at the Ascot looking like one of the posh. What a delight!!
And Lars Preece!! OMG, as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, he gets to sing “On the Street Where You Live.” I have NEVER heard that song done so well. Every woman (no matter how old at a Saturday matinee) wanted to have someone in their life sing that song like that to them. It was heartbreaking and beautiful. After that, most of us were rooting for Freddy to win Eliza, rather than the arrogant ol’ Higgins. But, no, Freddy, bless his heart, was just a little too shallow and needy.
Another breathtaking performance was given by Jim Hitzke as Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s Dad. His no-nonsense approach to life won him friends on stage and friends in the audience. He projected just the right amount of earthiness, sweetened by an inborn savor faire. He was everybody’s good father, drinking buddy, favorite flirt, and thoughtful advisor.
There are too many people in the Ensemble category to name them all – 22 in fact. There was one large group of people that made up the townspeople; there were at least six as house staff for Higgins; and everybody doubled as posh folk at Ascot and the Ball in Act Two. Everyone jumped in and out of various costumes with alacrity and charm. They learned a large variety of dances, movements, lines, and attitudes. Fine individual work was done by Mary Campbell as Mrs. Higgins (Henry’s mother), Jennifer Harlan as Freddy’s mother; Ashlie Kirkpatrick with a lovely understated performance as Mrs. Pearce (Henry’s house manager), and an unrecognizable Wes Munsil behind a lovely set of facial hair as Colonel Pickering. In short, everyone on stage knew what they were supposed to be doing each moment they were on stage – even if it was moving furniture efficiently into place.
Attention must also be given to the beautiful workable pieces of the set designed by Andrew Bates that moved soundlessly into place with ease; the multitude of beautiful period costumes designed by Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry; the before-mentioned brilliant choices of lighting by Brett Maughan; and Audio Engineering by Tom Quinn.
A stunning production – get a ticket if you can!!
A WOW factor of 9.0!!