MY FAIR LADY (2018) Previews

[blm2323]

Loved it until the ending. No no no.

Music, acting, sets all incredible. Too long but they’ll figure it out.

Sound issues in Loge.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Thank you for all the reports. 

blm2323, is it the ending of MFL that you have an issue with or the way this production staged it?

[MCfan2]

blm2323 said: "Loved it until the ending. No no no.
"

Why no? WHY NO?? Someone's got to spoil this ending for me! I can't wait till summer to find out!

[jaybee3907]

Norbert Leo Butz should have another Tony on his mantle come June.  Lauren Ambrose was a loverly Eliza.  What a joy to watch her take the stage.  Harry Hadden-Paton was a hilarious Higgins.  Appropriately stiff yet endearing.  A full orchestra playing some of the greatest Broadway has ever offered.  The dopey grin couldn't be wiped from my face.  Being one to rarely enjoy a sung through musical, the long book scenes were an absolute joy for me.

I'm a long time lurker.  Don't post much.  But I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I wanted to share my absolute euphoria after this evening's first preview of My Fair Lady.  I don't consider myself a theatre critic - I'll leave the analysis to those of you more well seasoned than I.  All I can say is that I sat on the edge of my bed when I got home and shed a few tears in shear gratitude for being able to witness what I did tonight.

Sorry to be a sap, but nights like this just don't come often enough.  I have to revel in it while I can.  My only disappointment is that I didn't get to walk out with the cast recording.

[blm2323]

A bit of both to be honest. I don’t want to give away too much. But to me, the ending was a downer.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Tonight, old man, Bart did it, Bart did it, Bart did it, He said that he would do it and indeed he did!

I am in such ecstasy I can’t type much. My head’s too light to try to jot it down.

Since this doesn’t need anymore work I wonder if Scott Rudin can steal Mr. Sher away to redirect Carousel before it opens

I doubted the casting of Lauren Ambrose. I worried that she didn’t have the right golden soprano voice to handle the score, but holy cow! Her high notes absolutely soared through the Beaumont tonight. Her acting, especially in act two, was excellent. She has remarkable chemistry with Harry Hadden-Paton, who was also FANTASTIC.

I completely agree with the person above who said Norbert has his third Tony. Get Me To the Church on Time is a thrill and delights to no end. I’ve always loved him and love him all the more now.

Everyone else- Rigg, Mugleston, Donica- all wonderful. The cast from top to bottom got an A+ from me.

The sets are stunning. The costumes are stunning. The orchestra is stunning.

For the first time in my life I think I need to send an actual letter of fan mail to Bartlett. I love him and think he’s a genius.

Now everyone should go buy tickets, but please wait until after 10am tomorrow morning when I can get my next four sets of tickets.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

I am absolutely living for these reports. Thank you everyone so much for providing them. I wonder if any other actors have Tony potential, including Hadden-Paton and Ambrose. It's crazy to think that no actress has won a Tony yet for playing Eliza Doolittle. I wonder if Ambrose can be the first.

[MCfan2]

Yes, thank you all so much! I'm delighted to hear all these good reports!

[PianoMann]

Thank you everyone for these wonderful first reports! After reading these, I immediately hurried to the LincTix site and managed to grab a single seat for June. I'm so looking forward to it now!

[RippedMan]

So glad I got my Linctix when I did! I'm literally all the way to side, but I'm so excited to just be in that theater in June. I was in a production of this last summer, and so excited to see an actual production, and one of this magnitude. 

[wolfwriter]

Thrilled to read these reports. Thanks, everyone, for sharing. Any thoughts on seat locations to avoid?

[Leah Robertson]

Thanks for the reports! Any seating advice? I'd planned to sit in the $99 seats in the back of the loge, the section to the left of the center, but now I'm concerned about people saying it might be hard to hear back there? I may have to splurge.

[Musical Master]

The reports have been absolutely incredible! I'm so glad to hear that not only is Lauren, Harry, and the rest of the cast excellent; but Bartlett Sher's direction and the orchestrations + designs are top notch. I have a question for Whizzer: Judging by Michael Yeargan's set designs at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, is his designs on par with South Pacific/The King and I or is actually even better than those two?

AAHH! May 30th couldn't be any more far away for me!

[WhizzerMarvin]

There were sound issues at the first previews of King and I and South Pacific too. I think it’s just the Beaumont and the thrust stage. It will be fixed. 

I also think Bartlett just doesn’t like his shows to be overamplified. It’s rare these days to see a musical and actually hear sound coming out of an actor’s mouth rather than from a sound system speaker. 

[jaybee3907]

I have only ever sat in the LincTix seats in the 100 and 500 sections of the Orchestra.  I was E 508 this evening.  Almost all the way over, but only four rows from the front.  (It starts at B.)  I absolute cannot complain.  $35 for such a night is an incredible bargain. 

I would say, though, the 100 section would probably be better.  The couch in his study is angled in such a way that sometimes the view of the study is awkward.  It is all sort of aimed toward the 100s.  The door coming in from the foyer was also out of view. Not "partial view."  More like "awkward view."

OH!  I now remember sitting in the Loge once.  Last row, just left of center.  Thinking about it, I don't see why that wouldn't be a wonderful view.  I'd actually quite like to see the set from that perspective.

[Ravenclaw]

WhizzerMarvin said: "There were sound issues at the first previews of King and I and South Pacific too. I think it’s just the Beaumont and the thrust stage. It will be fixed.

I also think Bartlett just doesn’t like his shows to be overamplified. It’s rare these days to see a musical and actually hear sound coming out of an actor’s mouth rather than from a sound system speaker."

Early previews can also have mixing issues because having 1,000 bodies in the seats changes the acoustics of the space. There's only so much fine-tuning you can do in an empty, echoey house that sounds nothing like a filled theatre. 

I am so thrilled to hear such great things about the production, and I cannot wait to see it in May! I also really want to hear about how the final scene was played. Also, was there any reinstated material, as was the case in South Pacific and The King & I? Because most productions I have seen of the show run in the 2:45-2:50 range.

[RippedMan]

I'm literally house left all the way to side in June, is that going to be a huge issue? I hate that I will miss the depth of the stage, as that is such a thing for me, to see the design, etc, but how is it designed? I know King and I was more "empty space." 

[WhizzerMarvin]

MM, the sets are more lavish than those for King and I and probably equal to South Pacific, though Henry’s residence is the biggest wow of the three. It reminded me of that massive turning set in Act One- which I believe won a Tony. 

Re the ending: I’m usually a purist with revivals. I want every note of the score and every line of the book, and we get that here, but with a big tweak that I think totally works today. (Even though no one has spelled it out, it must be obvious what Sher decided to do...) It might upset some, but I thought it worked. 

[After Eight]

Well, this really takes the cake.

This takes the cake, the frosting, and the cherry on top.

 

 

******** SPOILER ALERT******

 

 

 

 

Could one ever imagine the kind of nerve, arrogance, presumption and disrespect it would to take to change the ending of one of the greatest musicals ever?

Well, no more need to imagine ---- because here it is.

What a disgrace.

 

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

After Eight, I’m curious, what did you think of the entire production prior to the ending?

[Broadwaystar2]

Any thoughts on possible Tony noms other than Norbert? LEAD Actor doesn't seen to be too full right now. With Henry as the possible front runner right now in Carousel.

[RippedMan]

SPOILER: Maybe? 

I've been in a production of the show, and having really no prior knowledge, I've always found the ending interesting. It can be played so many ways, are they just friends, are they lovers, etc. I'm just happy he made a fair stance. And it sounds like he made a "me too" statement, and I'm not mad about it. 

Would you think all the way to side will be missing a ton? 

[kade.ivy]

Can someone spoil the ending (with Alert, of course)?

[CindersGolightly]

Guys....I can't take it anymore. Someone spoil the ending for me!!! I'm salivating!!!

[BroadwayConcierge]

I’m told by my friend now that in the end...

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Rather than ambiguous reconciliation between Eliza and Higgins, Eliza LEAVES by exiting the theatre (not even the voms, but by the audience’s exit/entrance door).