My Fair Lady - 1 night at St Pauls Covent Garden

[londonmzfitz]

www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/casting-my-fair-lady-st-pauls-church_40374.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=06may2016

Tickets are £50 unreserved seats and £80 reserved seats. - www.myfairlady60.co.uk/

Sunday 19th June is the West End Live weekend too.

[alece10]

This sounds loverly. Great cast and anything that Alex Parker does is good in my books.
I guessing that the £19.56 seats that WOS are advertising were the under 26 standing seats which have all sold.
Not sure my finances can stretch though after my credit card got a hammering this month thanks to Ms Close.

[londonmzfitz]

Ditto! I had a £50 in my basket and then thought I might like/need to eat for a few weeks. The biggest draw for me would be Laura Pitt Pulford .. I've attended a few of the Charity do's at St Paul's and really can't be faffing with the queue business.

[Deleted]

It's a lot of money for that venue, especially as it will probably be just them and a piano

[londonmzfitz]

May 6, 2016 9:55:30 GMT @joe10086 said:

It's a lot of money for that venue, especially as it will probably be just them and a piano

Accompanied by an 18 piece orchestra, the concert will also feature much of Lerner and Loewe's score including "Wouldn't It Be Loverly", "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "On The Street Where You Live".

[Deleted]

Ah i missed that. I'm amazed they can fit it all in there

[Flim Flam]

Yes, £50 (plus fees) to sit on pews, and at the rear of the church, is a bit steep.
But, excellent cast and show, and, Alex Parker does create wonderful events.

So, what to do, what to do? Hmm.

[Someone in a tree]

I don't mind the cost but sitting on a pew and no doubt the view will be crap

[Dawnstar]

I was quite relieved to see that this is on when I'll be on holiday as I'm spared the agonizing over whether I could justify £50 for it or not. I'm not sure if I'd want to see 6 different Elizas either. If anyone does go please report back on how they split the role. Surely they have got to give Gina Beck I Could Have Danced All Night.

[profquatermass]

Am I right in saying the church has no loo so you have to go round the corner to the public one? Bit grim for a three hour show

[Someone in a tree]

Or just go in the graveyard!

[phantom1986]

Excited about this one. Just love this show and the casting looks fabulous. Was wondering what they would do to celebrate 60 years and this looks like the perfect event. Wonder if Cameron is planning to bring it back with any of these ladies and using this as an audition... Hmmmm.

Hope the pews aren't too painful after 3 hours though. Ouch. Sure it will be worth it.

[SageStageMgr]

New review at UnoriginalCastRecordings - My Fair Lady 2001 London Cast Recording...

Link here: bit.ly/2v4TLzQ


YEAR: 2001
CAST: Jonathan Pryce, Martine McCutcheon, Mark Umbers, Dennis Waterman, Nicholas Le Prevost

I only saw this wonderful production very late in life, back in early 2003, by which time it was onto its third cast (I saw Anthony Andrews with Katie Knight-Adams and Laura Michelle-Kelly respectively – a young Michael Xavier played Freddy). I was overwhelmed by the slickness of it; even for a Cameron Mackintosh show, this My Fair Lady felt glossy to the extreme. In the context of this musical, this was most welcome.

What a terrific cast recording this is. Everything about it oozes class, right down to the glossy booklet in the case. The 34-piece orchestra sound magnificent and the casting is second to none.

If you’re reading this review, chances are that you’re as obsessed with musical theatre as I am, so a detailed history of this production’s early troubles is unnecessary. Did Martine McCutcheon deserve her controversial* Olivier Award win? Probably not, in truth. But her performance on this recording is a wonderful capture of how terrific she could have been in the role of Eliza Doolittle. I remember the hyperbole at the time vividly; the marketing line was (from Cameron himself) that Martine was the next huge star of the stage – a future Julie Andrews. Yes, seriously. The gimmick being that, for the first time, the character is real. A real-life working class cockney girl (McCutcheon was born and bred in Hackney), who worked feverishly on her R.P accent – as opposed to the usual posh girl learning to talk ‘common’. For what it’s worth, although I find Martine’s voice rather thin, especially in ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, her characterisation is lovely and really feels warm and genuine. I find her very listenable when not ‘overexposed’ vocally.

Jonathan Pryce gives simply a masterclass in acting for musical theatre. His Higgins is note perfect, every intonation and characterisation meticulously considered. Grumpy, arrogant.. yet somehow still human – still likeable, Pryce is magnificent. This performance should be played to young actors as the example of how to act through song. That’s not to say he can’t sing – he can and does when needed, putting him streets ahead of Rex Harrison on that score. Mark Umbers is suitably over the top and sings nicely as Freddy, a thankless role in truth. Dennis Waterman (not my favourite person after his admissions of alcohol-fuelled violence towards his ex-wives) makes a decent Alfred. I do wonder how strange it must’ve been to sing every night about being a drunken fool.

The recording flies by with no weak numbers or dodgy performances. Longish instrumental sections are left in during ‘Ascot Gavotte’, for instance, which is only a good thing when the orchestra sounds this good.

100% recommended!

*Jonathan Pryce, McCutcheon’s co-star, infamously heckled her win at the 2002 Olivier Award ceremony. Her understudy, Joanna Riding, played more performances than her at both the National Theatre and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. When Riding eventually fell ill, a young Kerry Ellis performed at short notice in front of an audience containing a certain Brian May, leading to the strangest friendship in showbiz.

[duncan]

I was lucky enough to see the original cast waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2001 and it still sets the standard by which I judge all musicals - it was ruddy brilliant in every department.

[cartoonman]

I saw this production at the NT. Our first tickets were cancelled due to "technical difficulties" but we got better seats a few days later. Martine was on good form and the whole show was really good. All the cast were great. One of my best nights out ever.