Claire Lyon To Play Eliza Doolittle in Australian Tour of MY FAIR LADY
The production will play in Sydney starting in September.
Producers Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live have announced that renowned Australian soprano Claire Lyon will star as Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming 70th Anniversary season of My Fair Lady.
Based on Julie Andrews’ 2016 production, My Fair Lady will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in September before a season at Arts Centre Melbourne opening in November. A heartwarming story of identity and change, My Fair Lady brims with razor sharp wit, unforgettable characters, and a stunning score including ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’, ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’.
“I am delighted to welcome Claire to this production of My Fair Lady. I send warm wishes to her and know she will make a superb contribution to this beautiful musical. My thoughts are also with my friends in Australia many of whom were in the original production and are returning to the show,” said Julie Andrews.
Claire Lyon said “Being cast as Eliza in Julie Andrews’ production of My Fair Lady is really beyond words. It is one of the biggest female roles ever written and to be stepping into Julie’s shoes, so to speak, is a huge honour. There is no bigger icon than Julie Andrews!”
Claire is an Australian actress, singer and recording artist, best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in the world tour of The Phantom of the Opera. As a principal artist with Opera Australia Claire has performed roles at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne, including Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes, Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro and Ida in Die Fledermaus. Other lead roles include Miss Dorothy Brown in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Claire in Jerry’s Girls (all with The Production Company) and Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore (Melbourne Opera Company). Under the direction of Cameron Menzies, Claire starred as Musetta in La Bohème for the City of Stonnington’s Opera in the Park (2019) and Cinderella in West Australian Opera’s production of Into the Woods (2023).
Claire will join previously announced cast members who include Reg Livermore as Alfred P. Doolittle, Robyn Nevin as Mrs Higgins and Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Colonel Hugh Pickering. Anne Wood will play the role of Mrs Pearce and Freddy Hellier will make his mainstage musical theatre debut as Freddy Eynsford-Hill.
The Ensemble cast includes Anton Berezin, Eleanor Blythman, Devon Braithwaite, Rachel Cole, Natasha Dumlao, Blake Erickson, Peter Ho, Anthony Garcia, Matt Heyward, Tisha R. Kelemen, Genevieve Kingsford, Naomi Livingston, Madeleine Mackenzie, Kassie Martin, Mary McCorry, Julia McRae, Oscar Mulcahy, Tom New, Lachlan O’Brien, Morgan Palmer, Matthew Predny, Suzanne Steele, Natasha Veselinovic and Sam Ward. Swings include Andrew Broadbent, Deborah Caddy, Ellie Nunan and David Sirianni.
A casting announcement for the key role of Professor Henry Higgins will be made in the coming weeks.
Performances will run starting in September at the Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre and picking up in November at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Ian Potter State Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at My Fair Lady The Musical's website.
Videos