My Fair Lady - Opera North & Leeds Playhouse co-production

[TallPaul]

Given second billing to Here You Come Again in Leeds Playhouse new season announcement.

The Playhouse will once more join forces with Opera North to revive the award-winning musical My Fair Lady. This strong on-going partnership between two Leeds cultural giants will see the Playhouse’s Artistic Director James Brining direct this much-loved musical adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion. Featuring Frederick Loewe’s ravishing score and wonderfully witty book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, the musical follows Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed? The production features members of the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North with additional guest artists performing a beautiful score including the classic songs “I Could Have Danced All Night”, “Get Me to the Church on Time” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”.

Quarry theatre, Fri 31 May – Sat 29 Jun

Artistic Director James Brining said: “I am thrilled to be directing My Fair Lady and continuing our long-standing partnership with Opera North as we come together to create this iconic show. My Fair Lady is a show bursting with heart and energy featuring the most emotionally charged songs that always ignite powerful emotions, particularly when performed by the orchestra of and the chorus of Opera North. This will be a production not to be missed.”

[BurlyBeaR]

Woo!

[Someone in a tree]

Based on Night Music I can't wait for this.

To hear that fabulous score played by a proper orchestra is going to be fab.

From Oliver to MFL Brining is really going for the ye olde English style!

[BurlyBeaR]

Opera North’s Kiss Me Kate and Into The Woods were also very good.

[benny20]

I was just thinking the other day I've not seen MFL for years on a professional stage...I love Opera North's ventures into musical theatre..I'll be there. Should be a glorious sound

[benny20]

Kiss me Kate at The Grand was superb

[adamkinsey]

Hope it's a better production than the one at ENO Coliseum in 2022 which, chorus and orchestra aside, was distinctly underwhelming.

[Being Alive]

The Lincoln Centre production really didn't transfer well - it was so good on Broadway and it just looked lost in the Coli

[solangelafitte]

Dec 6, 2023 20:32:46 GMT Being Alive said:

The Lincoln Centre production really didn't transfer well - it was so good on Broadway and it just looked lost in the Coli

Thankfully, I found the touring production worked *much* better than the Coliseum. The scaled down set wasn't as noticeable. Granted wasn't as gorgeous as at Lincoln Center but at least the accents were better. 

Looking forward to this! One of my favourite shows. Always a treat to see it.

[Dawnstar]

I wish they'd announce the cast before booking opens but they're not so I'll have to hope there are still tickets left by the time the cast is announced. I'm not travelling nearly 3 hours each way to Leeds unless there are going to be singers I like in the cast.

[Someone in a tree]

Dec 6, 2023 20:11:28 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Opera North’s Kiss Me Kate and Into The Woods were also very good.

I forgot he directed Woods, i saw it the day after the Brexit vote so i was sadly distracted. From what i remember it was a great and fresh retelling of the story.

[crabtree]

Josephine B as Mrs H, please.

[properjob]

Anybody been?
Is it any good?
What is the running time?

[WireHangers]

Jun 4, 2024 17:15:08 GMT properjob said:

Anybody been?
Is it any good?
What is the running time?

Going a week on Saturday. Very excited!

Surprisingly, finding a pal to accompany me was like getting bloody from a stone. Not a show people are keen to watch.

[jackstage]

Jun 4, 2024 19:52:18 GMT WireHangers said:

Jun 4, 2024 17:15:08 GMT properjob said:

Anybody been?
Is it any good?
What is the running time?

Going a week on Saturday. Very excited!

Surprisingly, finding a pal to accompany me was like getting bloody from a stone. Not a show people are keen to watch.

I'm heading over on the same day It is a shame a lot of people snub My Fair Lady, from videos of the set build, this production seems exciting!

[anniel]

I saw this on Friday night - the first night.
Was very well done although it was an awful set and the costumes were dreary - even the Ascot and Ball ones were a bit dull. It’s a two tier set and I am not sure that it worked.

However, strong performances all round and John Hopkins who plays Higgins is absolutely excellent - he was the best thing in it, I think. Doolittles seem to be getting younger and there is less of an age gap between him and Eliza.

I saw the touring Lincoln Centre production in Manchester and think I preferred that one. But it is a good, solid production which is well sung as you would expect and it is really lovely to hear the score played and sung so well.

it is nearly 3 hours but didn’t seem to drag at all. 

[WireHangers]

Jun 4, 2024 21:37:43 GMT jackstage said:

Jun 4, 2024 19:52:18 GMT WireHangers said:

Going a week on Saturday. Very excited!

Surprisingly, finding a pal to accompany me was like getting bloody from a stone. Not a show people are keen to watch.

I'm heading over on the same day It is a shame a lot of people snub My Fair Lady, from videos of the set build, this production seems exciting!

Are you seeing the evening or the matinee show? I’m watching the matinee as off to see Girls Aloud in the evening.

[FrontroverPaul]

Jun 4, 2024 22:56:26 GMT anniel said:

I saw this on Friday night - the first night.
Was very well done although it was an awful set and the costumes were dreary - even the Ascot and Ball ones were a bit dull. It’s a two tier set and I am not sure that it worked.

However, strong performances all round and John Hopkins who plays Higgins is absolutely excellent - he was the best thing in it, I think. Doolittles seem to be getting younger and there is less of an age gap between him and Eliza.

I saw the touring Lincoln Centre production in Manchester and think I preferred that one. But it is a good, solid production which is well sung as you would expect and it is really lovely to hear the score played and sung so well.

it is nearly 3 hours but didn’t seem to drag at all. 

I was also at the opening performance last Friday evening, having travelled from Kent for a double bill with an overnight stay - to include Here You Come Again (fabulous!) on Saturday afternoon.

My Fair Lady is the musical I know better than any other, having seen more than 30 productions of it in the last decade so I notice any changes or cuts. This was the first time I've seen it performed by an opera company and I felt Eliza sounded too operatic and not really Cockney from the outset. I was surprised and disappointed by the removal of several scenes, mainly humorous moments involving Colonel Pickering, along with the reprise of With A Little Bit Of Luck ; that's the scene back in Covent Garden where Alfie Dolittle is told that Eliza has moved into Higgins' house and doesn't want any clothes sent. The cuts also included Pickering's call to the Police, a scene where Eliza's age, about 21, is mentioned, possibly because the actress Katie Bird is clearly about 10 years older.

I also felt the Ascot Gavotte was very weak, with heads through a wooden picture as seen on seaside piers and also not having everyone in the traditional black and white costumes. The running time of 2 hours 50 minutes is one of the shortest I've known - two amateur productions of MFL I saw in May (Eltham and Chelmsford)  topped three hours with no cuts and more lavish sets.

Overall not what I expected from a professional production and not in the same league as the London Coliseum/UK Tour . It felt like this had been staged on a tight budget with a determination to keep it under three hours meaning around 10 minutes was cut out. Three stars.

[TallPaul]

We keep missing each other, FrontroverPaul.

Last year we were at the same performance of In Dreams. This year we were at the same performance of Here You Come Again. We're going to have to coordinate our diaries for summer 2025!

Let me guess. You were sitting at the front?

[FrontroverPaul]

Jun 5, 2024 8:10:15 GMT TallPaul said:

We keep missing each other, FrontroverPaul .

Last year we were at the same performance of In Dreams. This year we were at the same performance of Here You Come Again. We're going to have to coordinate our diaries for summer 2025!

Let me guess. You were sitting at the front?

Row B actually. I can't remember why I didn't book the actual front row for Here You Come Again but it may have been because I read somewhere that the legroom is limited, which did look to be the case. Seats in row B were priced the same @ £15, an absolute steal. Not a particularly high stage and top notch production values. Already booked it twice more on the tour.

I did go for the front row for My Fair Lady. To add to my previous post I'm quite surprised Opera North were allowed to make the cuts and changes they did, it devalued the whole piece in my opinion though I appreciate very few of the audience will have noticed or cared.

(I'm guessing you won't be at Cowes Isle Of Wight next Saturday afternoon for The Likes Of Us...)

[jackstage]

Jun 4, 2024 23:00:19 GMT WireHangers said:

Jun 4, 2024 21:37:43 GMT jackstage said:

I'm heading over on the same day It is a shame a lot of people snub My Fair Lady, from videos of the set build, this production seems exciting!

Are you seeing the evening or the matinee show? I’m watching the matinee as off to see Girls Aloud in the evening.

Ah I'm in the evening myself. But it will be great to hear your thoughts!

[solangelafitte]

Jun 4, 2024 23:00:19 GMT WireHangers said:

Jun 4, 2024 21:37:43 GMT jackstage said:

I'm heading over on the same day It is a shame a lot of people snub My Fair Lady, from videos of the set build, this production seems exciting!

Are you seeing the evening or the matinee show? I’m watching the matinee as off to see Girls Aloud in the evening.

This was the last thing I read before going asleep last night and I woke up still thinking about it. I can't imagine a better day. 😂 (Saw them last week, you'll have the best night!)

[WireHangers]

Jun 5, 2024 10:22:38 GMT solangelafitte said:

Jun 4, 2024 23:00:19 GMT WireHangers said:

Are you seeing the evening or the matinee show? I’m watching the matinee as off to see Girls Aloud in the evening.

This was the last thing I read before going asleep last night and I woke up still thinking about it. I can't imagine a better day. 😂 (Saw them last week, you'll have the best night!)

Ha! Thanks! I’m very excited, feels like I’m having a proper gay day.

[Someone in a tree]

I thought this was excellent, my eyes were very moist towards the end.

The beauty of this production is how it ditches the spectacle and focuses on what matters. If it was playing in the Grand it would be lost but here in the playhouse its an absolute gem.


Maybe im a heathen, but i didn't miss any of the cuts. I also liked how we got the act 1 finale as intended.

The reviews I've read all praise the set, I don't!

With some simple movements from the chorus and a canvas we are all cut from the same cloth. Neat. It worked for me.

Some really strong performances but John Hopkins is an absolute legend. The strongest Higgins I've seen.

[lichtie]

Saw this on the Saturday at the matinee. I also thought this was great fun, and didn't miss the cuts. Some of the more obvious trims are clearly there to keep the production simple, which works fine. On Saturday I thought Katie Bird made the transition from cockney to not well - it was John Hopkins who seemed a bit all over the place during the earlier songs.