Cast Set For 70th Anniversary Performance of MY FAIR LADY at Opera Australia

Producers Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live have announced cast members for the upcoming 70th Anniversary of the much-loved musical My Fair Lady, which will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in September before a season at the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Ian Potter State Theatre.

Cast members chosen include a mix of some of Australia’s best new emerging performers, established musical theatre favourites as well as Australian theatre icons returning to the beloved musical.

Leading cast members include Reg Livermore returning to the role of Alfred P. Doolittle, Robyn Nevin returning to the role of Mrs Higgins, Tony Llewellyn-Jones returning as Colonel Hugh Pickering, the much-loved Anne Wood as Mrs Pearce and Freddy Hellier in 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. Keleman, Naomi Livingston, Madeleine Mackenzie, Kassie Martin, Mary McCorry, Julia McRae, Oscar Mulcahy, Tom New, Lachlan O’Brien, Morgan Palmer, Matthew Predny, Suzanne Steele, Troy Sussman, Natasha Veselinovic and Sam Ward. Swings include Andrew Broadbent, Deborah Caddy, Ellie Nunan and David Sirianni.

Casting announcements for the key roles of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins will be made in the coming months.

From its groundbreaking Broadway debut to the iconic Oscar‑winning film, My Fair Lady remains one of the world’s most enduring and loved musical treasures, with this lavish recreation based on the 2016 Australian production which was directed by Julie Andrews.

In keeping with the anniversary milestones, Opera Australia is also marking its platinum 70th anniversary this year, making it an extra special double celebration with My Fair Lady in 2026.

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’.  

When Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe premiered their brilliant adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion in 1956, it became an instant classic — hailed as “the perfect musical” and winning six Tony Awards. This production broke box office records when it premiered at the Sydney Opera House for its 60th anniversary in 2016.

Lerner and Loewe’s iconic production will also be the first major musical to perform at Arts Centre Melbourne’s refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre when its season opens in November.

A 20-year-old Julie Andrews was catapulted to superstardom when she originated the role of Eliza Doolittle — an irrepressible Cockney flower girl who transforms into a lady of society. The man attempting to remake her? The appealingly arrogant phoneticist Henry Higgins, who may just be the one who is transformed. 

Julie Andrews has been a beloved and much-honoured star of stage, screen and television for more than half a century. She created the role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Loewe’s Broadway musical My Fair Lady, which became an instant classic and the longest-running musical of its day. Andrews also won a New York Drama Critics Award and garnered a Tony Award nomination for her performance.

She made her feature film debut in 1964’s Mary Poppins which brought her an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. She earned a second Oscar® nomination and won another Golden Globe Award for her unforgettable portrayal of Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music plus a third Academy Award® nomination and another Golden Globe Award for her “dual” role in Victor/Victoria.