Review: MY FAIR LADY, London Coliseum

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Lerner and Loewe’s beautifully orchestrated, witty musical is enjoying its first West End run since 2001. It is director, Bartlett Sher’s, second production currently running in the West End alongside To Kill a Mockingbird. 

A Golden Age musical, My Fair Lady is a crowd-pleaser. Alan Jay Lerner’s book and lyrics are some of the wittiest and lyrically dexterous of the musical canon, backed up by Frederick Loewe’s soaring orchestrations. Musically, it doesn’t get much better than this and the pair are responsible for much of the show’s storytelling. Vocally, the cast are largely flawless, with this production making much of the ‘barbershop’ style harmonies, impressively sung by John Stacey and Adam Vaughan throughout, and notably by the ‘Loverly Quartet: Tom Liggins, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, and Tom Ping. 

Amara Okereke is an Eliza Doolittle who really brings out the comedy in the role. What she perhaps lacks in grit at the beginning, she more than makes up for in stunning vocals and a well-crafted, nuanced telling of Eliza’s predicament towards the end of the show. A mention must also be made to Sharif Afifi as a most endearing and goofily charming Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Rather than relying on ‘On The Street Where You Live’ as a famed love ballad to tell the story for him, Afifi was universally relatable as a young man falling in love for the first time and having absolutely no idea how to handle it! The pair together are a sweet combination, but the storyline doesn’t give them much onstage time together to really develop a strong spark. 

The scenes in Professor Higgins’ Wimpole Street house are the most captivating. Credit must go to the fantastic set design by Michael Yeargan and to the brilliant duo formed by Higgins and Colonel Pickering, played by Harry Hadden-Paton and Malcolm Sinclair respectively. Using a revolve to depict various rooms in the house keeps the story going at pace and are beautifully decorated. Hadden-Paton and Sinclair bounce off one another with both Sinclair, and Maureen Beattie’s forthright Mrs Pearce providing amusing foils to Professor Higgins’ often brutish behaviour. Hadden-Paton’s foppish, one-track minded Higgins is brilliant to watch. Making the most of Lerner’s ingenious lyrics, he fills the stage, oozing energy, and feels like one of the only actors to be truly grounded in the moment at all times.

Stephen K Amos as Alfred P. Doolittle is an interesting choice of casting. Seemingly more used performing in venues of this size as a stand-up comedian, his words are often lost in the ether between stage and audience. He leads a boisterous and entertaining trio with friends Harry and Jamie, played by John Stacey and Adam Vaughan, and the trio’s performance of ‘With at Little Bit of Luck’ is a real highlight of Act One. With such impressive harmonies and witty lyrics, this song doesn’t need much else to be entertaining and it is a shame that the famed number ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’ doesn’t focus on similar things. The dance break, whilst packed full of talented dancers, feels like a chance to give Amos the opportunity to return to his comedian roots, rather than develop the story or character. 

Perhaps dwarfed by the size of London’s Coliseum, Amos’ performance leads us to the question: could this production have benefited from being in a smaller theatre? The stunning ensemble harmonies certainly fill the theatre but at times words are lost and we felt quite far removed from what is often quite intimate drama. A gloriously regal Vanessa Redgrave as Mrs Higgins is a joy to see, bringing great comedic timing, but almost disappears amidst the vast Coliseum stage. 

A mention must go to Catherine Zuber’s opulent costumes, particularly in the high-society scenes. The stark difference between these costumes and those of the dustmen and flower girls really conjures an idea of the social hierarchy explored throughout the show. 

Although the West End isn’t in desperate need of a traditional Golden Age revival, particularly one which stays so true to its roots, this production is a crowd-pleasing, entertaining evening out. On the whole, the cast are fantastic and it’s certainly a showcase of one of Musical Theatre’s best shows, perfect for families, musical-lovers, and those new to musical theatre alike. 

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Eliza Harris

My Fair Lady plays at the London Coliseum before touring until 27 August, with tickets available here.