My Fair Lady - London Coliseum / UK & Ireland Tour

[david]

So with a little bit of luck, I managed to get a £25 limited view (which when the show started really wasn't that limited) stalls ticket for this afternoon's show. Having not been terribly impressed with the production when I watched it last summer at the London Coliseum and rated it as 3-star show, I was hoping that the tour version would be a better watch. Certainly, after the 3 hours I have to say the touring version was by far a much more enjoyable watch and I would be happy to bump this version up a star to a 4-star show.

Firstly, the set actually filled the Manc Palace stage very nicely unlike in London where the same set just looked lost on that stage. Also, the tour cast for me were a definite improvement on the cast I saw in London (No Lesley Garrett today but really wasn't a big miss). In the LC version, I really couldn't engage with any of the cast and I didn't get any sense of chemistry between them. On the other hand, there was for me a real chemistry amongst the tour cast which made the relationships between the characters that more believable and the ending as a result had a greater impact for me. As HH, Michael D. Xavier was an absolute joy to watch and listen to and was by far the standout in this cast.

A major difference with today's viewing and my London one was the audience atmosphere. In London there wasn't much atmosphere within the LC auditorium, however at today's show there was a definite improvement in the atmosphere and energy levels coming from the audience which was far more enjoyable to sit in.

One criticism I made of my London viewing was the low volume of the orchestra. Unfortunately, this really hasn't improved on the tour. I am not really sure the reasoning for this. It's a great score to listen to and the poor sound really doesn't do it justice. Despite this issue, this show was a great way to round off my Manchester theatre weekend.

[BurlyBeaR]

There was something missing for me tonight. All of the elements were there but none of it went POW! I felt that lots of iconic moments (made iconic from the iconic film) were thrown away. Not just performances but also sets and cossies. Ascot.. beautiful costumes but washed out grey? I found the show competent but underwhelming. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Footnote: I thought the drag element of Get Me To The Church was ill conceived. Can I go and see a classic 80 year old musical without seeing drag/cross dressing please? Was this Bartlett Pear’s (deliberate typo because I can’t help myself 🙂) original vision or has this been added in? It jarred. 

[emmy]

Mar 30, 2023 22:41:21 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Footnote: I thought the drag element of Get Me To The Church was ill conceived. Can I go and see a classic 80 year old musical without seeing drag/cross dressing please? Was this Bartlett Pear’s (deliberate typo because I can’t help myself 🙂) original vision or has this been added in? It jarred. 

Original vision, it was in the broadway production

[BurlyBeaR]

Thanks. I didn’t think it worked.

[Jon]

My Fair Lady isn't that old Burly, it's only 67!

[FairyGodmother]

I was there last night. Second visit, but with four months in between.

I really noticed the brass last night, absolutely fantastic.

I couldn't decide if I liked it as much as last time... I thought Michael D. Xavier was hamming it up a bit too much to be honest, and some of his more serious monologues didn't seem to land because people were just waiting for him to waggle his eyebrows again. The lady behind me said "Isn't he like John Cleese?!" Gorgeous singing though.

Also going full panto was Adam Woodyatt on the table at the end of IGMITM, signalling for more applause.

No round of applause for Lesley Garrett after her ICHDAN solo (she got one in Edinburgh), but Eliza got one for saying "The rain in Spain..." correctly for the first time. Funny what different audiences go for!

I'd forgotten how charming and engaging Freddy is, bounding across the stage and lovely voice.

Charlotte Kennedy fantastic again. She was in tears through the final scene and the bows. I hope she's really enjoyed the tour, I thought she was absolutely marvellous and I hope to see her in other things.

[richey]

Apr 2, 2023 9:24:07 GMT FairyGodmother said:

I was there last night. Second visit, but with four months in between.

I really noticed the brass last night, absolutely fantastic.

I couldn't decide if I liked it as much as last time... I thought Michael D. Xavier was hamming it up a bit too much to be honest, and some of his more serious monologues didn't seem to land because people were just waiting for him to waggle his eyebrows again. The lady behind me said "Isn't he like John Cleese?!" Gorgeous singing though.

Also going full panto was Adam Woodyatt on the table at the end of IGMITM, signalling for more applause.

No round of applause for Lesley Garrett after her ICHDAN solo (she got one in Edinburgh), but Eliza got one for saying "The rain in Spain..." correctly for the first time. Funny what different audiences go for!

I'd forgotten how charming and engaging Freddy is, bounding across the stage and lovely voice.

Charlotte Kennedy fantastic again. She was in tears through the final scene and the bows. I hope she's really enjoyed the tour, I thought she was absolutely marvellous and I hope to see her in other things.

I was there last night too. Really enjoyed it this time- i decided to give it another try after going last week after a long day at work and not enjoying it because I was tired. I still found Michael annoying in part, as you say he definitely hamming it up and that was detrimental in some scenes, particularly in Mrs Higgins' house near the end. I loved the audience reaction to the Rain in Spain! That was so spontaneous it was brilliant.
Was pleasantly surprised with Adam and even forgave him that audience encouragement at the end of Get me to the Church.
Was sat near the front this time and able to fully appreciate the scale of the house set, it was amazing!
Didn't like the characteristion of Freddie, he came across as far too simple, but Tom did have a lovely voice and On the Street where You Live sounded stunning.
All in all, glad I gave it another try. Just goes to prove how sometimes your reaction to a performance can vary according to the day you've had and the frame of mind you're in.

[richey]

Mar 30, 2023 23:36:45 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Thanks. I didn’t think it worked.

it certainly seemed out of place. It sort of gave me the impression they'd wandered into a molly house