BWW Preview: Could #SELFIE Actually Be 'Loverly'?
SELFIE, which is billed as a reimagining of Lerner and Loewe's MY FAIR LADY (itself is based on George Bernard Shaw's PYGMALION), follows the #blessed life of Eliza Dooley (the modern version of the role that launched Julie Andrews to stardom), played by DOCTOR WHO's Karen Gillan.
Eilza works in sales at a pharmaceutical company, but her real achievement is the thousands of friends and followers she's acquired on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Everything is going great for Ms. Dooley - she's got a rocking body, killer wardrobe and thousands of likes on her posts. It isn't until her vomiting episode on a company flight, which ends up going viral, that she realizes that her life is full of online "friends," but lacks any real human connection.
To fix her image, she goes to the company's marketing expert, Henry Higgenbottam (today's Henry Higgins), played by HAROLD AND KUMAR and SLEEPY HOLLOW's John Cho. After hearing Eliza's sob story, he reluctantly agrees to help her.
At first, you think Eliza and Henry couldn't be anymore different - she constantly uses hashtags and abbreviations outloud and is completely glued to her phone. He condemns society's need for instant gratification, and criticizes the obsession with numerous social media platforms. However, you soon realize that they have one glaring similarity - they're both pretty much alone. That, and the fact that I know the plot of MY FAIR LADY, leads me to believe that there's romance for the two of them on the horizon.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was captivated by the pilot, which could've easily gone way too far. While at times Eliza's dialogue was edging on annoying (with the abundance of hashtags and nonsensical words like "totes"), I feel like the writers did a great job balancing the humor with heart. The cast is peppered with some other great characters, my favorite being Charmonique, played by GHOST THE MUSICAL's Tony-nominated Da'Vine Joy Randolph. The show also boasts a great soundtrack (come on, you've got to admit #Selfie is a catchy song).
This show is clearly a comedy, but thinly veiled by the laughs and jokes is a huge opportunity to take stock of our lives and evaluate the relationships and connections we have with those around us. Near the end of the first episode, it begins to rain (this time, it's NOT mainly in the plain) and Eliza goes to snap a picture of it, causing Henry to say, in my opinion the line that sums up the entire show, "You're getting it...but you are, in fact, missing it."
What's in store for the rest of the season? Will Henry succeed in rebranding Eliza? Will they fall in love? Will Julie Andrews make a guest appearance (ok that's a long shot, but I can hope)?? We'll just have to keep watching! Let me know if you will be onboard with the show when it premieres on September 30th at 8/7C on ABC?
