Review: MY FAIR LADY at Robinson Center

With a little bit of luck Broadway World was able to catch the amazing masterpiece of the Lincoln Center Theater Production of MY FAIR LADY at Robinson Center, 426 West Markham St., in Little Rock, Friday, May 19. Directed by Bartlett Sher with tour direction by Samantha Saltzman, this Lerner and Loewe classic whisked us away to London to follow a flower girl on her quest to raise her station in life. I do love a good girl-power tale, especially when it is infused with song after memorable song.  

Hailing from the poor side of town, Eliza Doolittle (Madeline Powell) is struggling to survive when Professor Higgins (Jonathan Grunert) and Colonel Pickering (John Adkison) meet and comment about how awful the lower class speaks. Higgins boasts that he could teach her, and after contemplating a better life and dealing with her deadbeat father Alfred Doolittle (Michael Hegarty), she goes to his house and pays for lessons. Though he is a big bully for a big portion of the show, she does end up passing off as a lady, gains admirer Freddy (Nathan Haltiwanger) at the horse races, wins over Mrs. Higgins (Becky Saunders) and Higgins’ house manager Mrs. Pearce (Madeline Brennan), and ultimately remains living at his estate. The ending of the movie and musical are slightly different, but all of the elements are there. 

Powell was a beautiful Eliza, her singing mesmerized the entire theatre, and as soon as she took the stage, she owned it. Powell was a master of her character. For instance, Eliza’s transformation was exaggerated enough that there was a noticeable difference between her two classes. The speech pattern of lower-class Eliza was so unrefined, that even the audience was wanting Higgins to remedy the crude accent, and once she conquered the pronunciations during The Rain in Spain, we were all overjoyed. The way she carried herself was also noteworthy. Her flower girl stance was reserved and underwhelming, but when she went out as a lady, she was poised and elegant. You couldn’t help but be smitten with the reimagined Eliza. We were all cheering for her success.  

Though it was lengthy, this show kept the entertainment coming to the very end. There are so many songs that stick with you, even if you haven’t seen this show. Wouldn’t It be Loverly? with Eliza and the Loverly Quartet (William Warren Carver, Richard Coleman, Jackson Hurt, and Charlie Tingen) was beautiful. The choreography was fun to watch, and I enjoyed the creative use of the flower cart slide. The lamenting of letting a woman in his life during I’m an Ordinary Man with Higgins and Pickering was comical. Haltiwanger’s Freddy gleefully crooned so sincerely during On the Street Where You Live, that I felt he really was going to stay there for the rest of the musical until Eliza came out of the house. My favorite songs, however, were done by the charmingly no-good Alfred. Hegarty had the best numbers. The comradery during his song With a Little Bit of Luck with his friends Harry (Kevin D. O’Neil) and Jamie (Richard Coleman) makes you smile even though he is wanting to cut corners in life, and there was so much going on during Get Me to the Church on Time, that it definitely wins the best dance number award from me. It was great! It had all the salacious elements—dancing saloon girls, men in dresses, some grabbing, touching, shaking, and the hilarious death march at the end. I wish I could have watched that one over again just to get all the details in it. That was so enjoyable! 

The set was astounding. There were so many moving parts that glided like a dance. The two-story Higgins house had amazing details to it. The colors were rich, and the space looked livable. The backdrops were masterful art pieces, and the lighting complimented the ambiance of the performance.   

I always love it when there is a live orchestra, and with a touring show, it is expected. The musicians were perfect. I am always amazed at how much sound can come from just a handful of players, and hearing the percussive detail was an added treat. In the MY FAIR LADY ORCHESTRA is: Music Director/Conductor-David Andrews Rogers; Reed 1-Victoria Carchietta; Reed 2-Andrew Clark; French Horn-Eileen Coyne; Percussion-Laura Hamel; Trombone-Isaac Kramer; Bass-Abraham Masso; Concert Master-Amanda Nix; Cello-Elen Wroten; AMD/Keys-Greg Paladino; Trumpet-Max Richardson; with Additional Arrangements-Ted Sperling; and Music Coordinator-Talitha Fehr.  

Broadway World recognizes that it takes an army to get a show of this caliber produced. The creative team consists of: Director-Bartlett Sher; Choreographer-Christopher Gattelli; Music Supervision-Ted Sperling; Associate Director-Samanta Saltzman; Associate Choreographer-Jim Cooney; Executive Producer-Kori Prior; General Manager-Andrew Terlizzi; Production Manager-Gregg Damanti; Production Stage Manager-Rebecca Radziejeski; Company Manager-Soldanela Rivera; Scenic Design-Michael Yeargan; Costume Design-Catherine Zuber; Lighting Design-Donald Holder; Sound Design-Marc Salzberg & Beth Lake; Musical Arrangements-Robert Russell Bennett & Phil Lang; Dance Arrangements-Trude Rittman; New Orchestrations-Josh Clayton & Larry Blank; Music Direction-David Andrews Rogers; Music Coordination-Talitha Fehr; Hair & Wig Design-Tom Watson; Associate Set Designer-Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams; Associate Costume Designer-Patrick Bevilacqua; Casting-Binder Casting Chad Eric Murnane, CSA; Exclusive Tour Direction-The Booking Group; Marketing Consultation-Bond Theatrical; Social Media-Think Tank Marketing Randy Blevins; and Tour Marketing & Press-Anita Dloniak & Melissa A. Hazek. 

MY FAIR LADY Cast (in order of appearance): Eliza Doolittle-Madeline Powell; Freddy Eynsford Hill-Nathan Haltiwanger; Mrs. Eynsford Hill-Torinae; Ms. Clara Eynsford Hill-Blair Beasley; Colonel Pickering-John Adkison; Selsey Man-Daniel James Canaday; Professor Henry Higgins-Jonathan Grunert; Hoxton Man-Richard Coleman; The “Loverly Quartet”-William Warren Carver, Richard Coleman, Jackson Hurt, and Charlie Tingen; Frank The Bartender-Andrew Fehrenbacher; Harry-Kevin D. O’Neil; Jamie-Richard Coleman; Alfred P. Doolittle-Michael Hegarty; Flower Girl-Kelly Gleason; Mrs. Pearce-Madeline Brennan; Mrs. Hopkins-Maeghin Mueller; Higgins’ Butlers-Jackson Hurt and Charlie Tingen; Higgins’ Maids-Anna Backer, Allyson Gishi, Kelly Gleason, Maeghin Mueller; Mrs. Higgins-Becky Saunders; Charles-Sam Griffin; Stewards-Daniel James Canaday, Jackson Hurt; Lord Boxington-Charlie Tingen; Lady Boxington-Sami Murphy; Constables-William Warren Carver, Kal Kalil; Professor Zoltan Karpathy-Daniel James Canaday; Footmen-William Warren Carver, Charlie Tingen; Queen of Transylvania-Diana Craig; Mrs. Higgins’ Servant-Timothy Scott Brausch; Swings-Nick Berke, Sophie Braud, Sam Griffin, Zoey Lytle; Dance Captain/Fight Captain-Nick Berke; and Assistant Dance Captain-Kelly Gleason. 

For more information on MY FAIR LADY on tour, visit their website at https://www.myfairladyontour.com.  

To check out Celebrity Attractions schedule, visit their website at https://www.celebrityattractions.com.