Review: MY FAIR LADY at Theater Latté Da

With Theater Latté Da’s “re-imagined” production of the classic Lerner and Loewe musical, My Fair Lady is brought to life in a parred down, yet still effective, staging. Helmed by artistic director, Justin Lucero, this particular production removes the lush orchestrations that the show is known for and instead opts for the score to be provided by a pair of pianists in a Dueling Pianos arrangement. While the two pianists are extremely talented (and deserve their flowers for tackling this monumental score with just two pianos), the lack of full orchestrations does leave the audience wanting just a little more.

Not only has the music been given a drastic overhaul. The role of Henry Higgins is all but unrecognizable in the daring choice to personify the brash and misogynistic Higgins as a jaded and self indulged gay man. Jon-Michael Reese throws his entire being into creating a new idea of who Higgins could be. While enchanting and endearing at times, there is rarely a break from the over the top performance thus making it seem more of a caricature of the man and less of a realized character. Whether this was a directorial choice or a direct creation from Reese, it could be infused with a dose of subtlety at times.

While talented, Reese’s performance is presented as less of a brash and dismissive man and more of a 21st century man child. While very different from the Higgins audiences are familiar with, there is no doubt that Reese is having a blast, as evidenced by the raucous laughter he draws from the audience throughout, and for that, I applaud him.

Paired along side Reese is the dynamic Anna Hashizume as the lowly flower girl who Higgins believes he can transform into a dazzling flower of a woman. While at times the cockney accent fails her, Hashizume never lets that detract from the performance she delivers. Building up to her showdown with Higgins as she stands her ground and refuses to be considered just another person he can dismiss when he is done with them.

Her prowess is on full display when she delivers her beautiful rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night, drawing out a rousing round of applause from the captive audience. Hashizume doesn’t waste a moment in the spot light, challenging Reese’s Higgins toe to toe and it is a fantastic pairing indeed.

Additionally, the cast has been stripped down to just eleven actors tackling a show that is known for having a large cast in past productions. Interestingly enough, it works in a small space such as the Ritz Theater. Thanks to the very strong ensemble cast, the vocals are lush and certainly provide the needed umf that the songs require.

Aside from the talent on stage, in what could be called one of the more elaborate and interesting sets in recent memory on the Latté Da stage, Eli Sherlock has crafted a beautiful scenic design for the audience to view and the actors to live within. Showcasing the two pianists at center stage for the entirety of the piece, Shelock ensures that the audience is shown that at the core of My Fair Lady is a stunning score.

Using the remainer of the set, Sherlock genially utilizes a form of a turn table that is both interesting and very functional in setting the variety of scenes. Whether spinning completely around or even utilizing a quarter turn, the audience is treated to a set that is simple but very effective.

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