Review: MY FAIR LADY at Wharton Center Epitomizes the Pure Magic of Golden Age Musicals

"Just you wait," East Lansing, "just you wait!" But don't wait too long - My Fair Lady is only going to be at Wharton Center until this Sunday, March 1st. Whether you've seen this Golden Age musical before or you've had no exposure to it whatsoever, head on over to Wharton to see this new production that's straight from a Broadway run at Lincoln Center.

The 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady centers on Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who wants to improve her speech. She seeks the aid of Professor Henry Higgins, who makes a wager that he can turn Eliza into a proper "lady."

With a fascinating plot and a charming cast of characters, the national tour of My Fair Lady is an enjoyable experience for anyone who appreciates classic theatre. Though its runtime is fairly lengthy, the cast makes up for it with the way they work together to tell this age-old story of rags to riches. Trust everything you hear about the Tony-winning costumes by Catherine Zuber, as well as the marvelous score and lyrics by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner respectively - everything is truly as amazing as everyone says.

That said, the two standout showstoppers of My Fair Lady are the iconic song, "I Could Have Danced All Night," as well as the act two ensemble dance number called "Get Me to the Church on Time."

Shereen Ahmed (Eliza) has the voice of an angel, and she particularly gets to show it off during the aforementioned song, "I Could Have Danced All Night." She leads the cast with a delightful wit and grace that's a joy to witness in person. Especially incredible is the scene where she does four or five costume changes in the span of less than a minute each. (You need to see it to believe it.)

As far as "Get Me to the Church on Time," the hilarious (and jaw-dropping) choreography grants the ensemble the chance to shine, even more so in this scene than in the rest of the musical combined. This number is a great time all around, and it really picks up the overall pace of act two.

No doubt about it, you'll walk out of the theatre singing one (or both) of these songs, dreaming about the award-winning costumes, and reveling in Ahmed's dexterity. Don't hesitate for a single moment to buy your tickets to My Fair Lady at Wharton Center for tonight, tomorrow, (and) or this Sunday.

Tickets are on sale now at Wharton Center's official ticketing outlets: online at whartoncenter.com, at the Auto-Owners Insurance Ticket Office at Wharton Center, or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.

Buy Tickets to My Fair Lady