This Christmas, Leicester’s Curve takes on one of the most beloved classic musicals, My Fair Lady. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Lerner and Loewe’s musical follows Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle as she’s taken in by Henry Higgins under the premise that he will turn her into a lady of nobility. Packing full of popular songs including ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, ‘On The Street Where You Live’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’, and ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’, this show is the perfect Christmas production.

It is refreshing to see a show that is clearly designed for the venue it’s being performed in, and Michael Taylor clearly knows Curve’s stage and auditorium very well. His set design fills the stage with no masking in sight. It boasts lavish physical sets, particularly for Higgins’ house, with no projections to speak of. Taylor’s costumes equally do not disappoint, really adding to the actors’ characterisations. The Ascot costumes, in particular, are as grand as is expected.

Director Nikolai Foster uses the full space very well and leads his company in finding fully human characters. Jo Goodwin’s choreography is just fantastic – energetic, challenging and executed perfectly. It is just a shame that Lerner and Loewe didn’t manage to include more large company numbers as this is where Goodwin really shines, with ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’ getting one of the largest applauses of the show. Adam Fisher’s sound design is almost perfect, with the balance between musicians and performers being spot on, but there are a few too many times when microphones get turned on late for the start of dialogue.

Casting Director Olivia Laydon (for Jill Green Casting) has assembled a tremendous line up for this production. Leading the show as Eliza Doolittle is Molly Lynch. Lynch is wonderful as the headstrong Eliza, delivering sublime vocals consistently throughout. She does a fantastic job at transforming her accent as the story progresses, but this doesn’t translate into her singing as much as it perhaps should have done. Opposite Lynch is David Seadon-Young as Henry Higgins. His vocal performance is gorgeous. He makes his Higgins a slightly eccentric researcher, which works really well. He’s also a more flirtatious Higgins and the budding romance between Higgins and Doolittle is very obvious in this production. Minal Patel gives a strong performance as Colonel Hugh Pickering and Sarah Moyle is wonderful as Mrs Pearce, providing another headstrong woman to challenge Higgins’ sensibilities.

Steve Furst is the perfect choice for Alfred P. Doolittle. He lands the comedy of the character and has a great rapport with Jonathan Dryden Taylor as Harry and Ying Ue Li as Jamie. Furst really excels in leading the full company, with strong vocals and a brilliant stage presence. Cathy Tyson takes on the role of Mrs Higgins. Her performance is wonderful – it is just a shame we don’t get to see more of her. She really delivers in challenging Higgins’ behaviour and pointing out his flaws, especially in her final scenes of the show. Djavan van de Fliert is another actor who doesn’t get the stage time he deserves. He is wonderfully likeable as the hopeless romantic Freddy Eynsford-Hill and his rendition of ‘On The Street Where You Live’ is stunning.

Curve’s production of My Fair Lady boasts a delightful cast and lavish production values, so make sure to catch this festive treat whilst you can.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Jacob Bush

My Fair Lady plays at Curve Leicester until 4 January 2025, with further info here.