My Fair Lady question

[oxfordsimon]

Bit of a strange question but somewhere in my memory is an idea that the score of My Fair Lady features a snippet from London Bridge is Falling Down. But I can't track it down.

Am I misremembering or is it there? And if so, where?

Thanks... this kept me up until 5am this morning so need to put it (and me) to rest.

[Someone in a tree]

You are right. It's on the LSO, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jeremy Irons recording. Its Some place near the beginning but also I can't place in which song it would be - when I get home I'll let you know.

The TV recording is on YouTube - it's on my list of things to watch - you may also get 'London Bridge' on that

[Someone in a tree]

Jan 18, 2021 15:40:45 GMT Someone in a tree said:

You are right. It's on the LSO, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jeremy Irons recording. Its Some place near the beginning but also I can't place in which song it would be - when I get home I'll let you know.

The TV recording is on YouTube - it's on my list of things to watch - you may also get 'London Bridge' on that

Edit : Surely it must be With a little bit of luck?

[Seriously]

The first few notes of it crop up in the bassoon intro to "I'm getting married in the morning".

[jgblunners]

On the 2001 London Cast Recording, there's a snippet of it in 'Get Me to the Church on Time' (around the 2:40 mark).

[oxfordsimon]

Thanks. It was driving me a bit mad.

[Deleted]

It is featured in the instrumental 'Opening' of Act 1 (in the published vocal score/JAY complete recording/Kiri Te Kanawa recording), where the Covent Garden Opera audience is pouring out, and yes as someone said it also appears on the 2001 London cast album in Get Me To The Church, sung by some of the women.

[oxfordsimon]

at about 3mins 17 seconds.

That is exactly where I remember it.

I can sleep tonight

[Someone in a tree]

Jan 18, 2021 17:51:51 GMT oxfordsimon said:

at about 3mins 17 seconds.

That is exactly where I remember it.

I can sleep tonight

I love Kiri's Laura Ashley frock. Those puffy sleaves must be flowing with gay abandon during the overture

[Seriously]

I suppose as the lyrics to "London Bridge is falling down" go on to mention "My fair lady", it was inevitable it'd crop up somewhere.

[Someone in a tree]

So another MFL question after oxfordsimon has got me listening to lots of different recording this week! - What is the act 1 finale?

At the NT and Lincoln Centre it was with Liza going to the ball. But on the TER recording it is the end of the ball. Wiki also says the end of the ball.

[oxfordsimon]

Jan 22, 2021 17:17:03 GMT Someone in a tree said:

So another MFL question after oxfordsimon has got me listening to lots of different recording this week! - What is the act 1 finale?

At the NT and Lincoln Centre it was with Liza going to the ball. But on the TER recording it is the end of the ball. Wiki also says the end of the ball.

This might help: fdocuments.net/document/my-fair-lady-script-5584557f6cf7d.html

[Being Alive]

I vaguely remember hearing an interview with some of the Australian cast from the recent production that said (because they were recreating the original production) the interval was after the ball. Something to do with the fact the scenery couldn't instantly get them back from the ball into Higgins study. Automation was not a thing in the 50s!

[Someone in a tree]

Thanks for the replies. JA's original recreation sounds interesting but really not the way I want theatre to advance. To be honest I find a lot of Wendy's End, Regional and Fringe to be pedestrian ...

The below program is interesting. I'd love to hear the music for the ballet.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lmz6

[TallPaul]

I see that one of the contributors to the above programme is Dominic McHugh, who is a professor at the University of Sheffield. Pre-CV he arranged and presented a series of concerts featuring songs that had been cut from many of the musicals we know and love. It wasn't unknown for the very first public performance of a 'lost' song from a Broadway musical to be right here in the steel city! There is loads of stuff online, should anyone be interested. And there are books, too.

As an aside, at the February 2019 concert, one of the booked singers had had to drop out at almost the last minute. Calls were made, and as she was already in the city rehearsing for Sky's Edge, Alex Young stepped into the breach. No disrespect to the other performers, but even with next to no preparation she blew everyone else out of the water.

[barrowside]

I designed an amateur production in Ireland years ago. In the book the interval was after the ball. It was quite late in the evening so the director moved it to after the Ascot scene. I'm almost certain it's moved around a lot depending on the production. I may be wrong but I think Trevor Nunn had it after Eliza arrived in the study dressed for the ball.

[Being Alive]

I've done an amateur production of it and in the text it's after the ball, but we put it as they were heading out to go to the ball from Higgins study (with that gorgeous swell of I Could Have Danced All Night in the orchestration)

[Mr Snow]

Just to say great thread, thanks to all contributors. Love it when knowledge is shared on here.

Currently enjoying that BBC link.

[Someone in a tree]

Eliza going to the ball worked beautifully as the act 1 closer at the NT especially in Anthony Wards stunning designs. I like the anticaption that this gives over the interval. I also admired how the ball later dissolved into Higgins study. God bless those travelators.

***

It is a long show...
act 1, scene 4 - Tottenham Court Rd. Little bit of luck reprise.
act 1, scene 6 - Near Ascot. Mrs H and Pickering have a good old 'exposition' that we already know.
... are these scenes really needed?

***

I can recommend this book. Other MFL books are out there and I may have to go shopping

[BurlyBeaR]

Deleted

[Being Alive]

It worked beautifully in the Bart Sher Lincoln Centre revival too, seeing them go out to the ball on that magnificent set.

Starting Act 2 with the 30+ piece orchestra onstage playing as the band at the ball was quite thrilling too I'll be honest.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2021 18:24:05 GMT Someone in a tree said:

Eliza going to the ball worked beautifully as the act 1 closer at the NT especially in Anthony Wards stunning designs. I like the anticaption that this gives over the interval. I also admired how the ball later dissolved into Higgins study. God bless those travelators.

***

It is a long show...
act 1, scene 4 - Tottenham Court Rd. Little bit of luck reprise.
act 1, scene 6 - Near Ascot. Mrs H and Pickering have a good old 'exposition' that we already know.
... are these scenes really needed?

***

I can recommend this book. Other MFL books are out there and I may have to go shopping I

I don't have my script to hand, but I'm guessing these scenes were used/written to cover a large scene change for the original production. Remember in the 50s, a lot of those shows were written in the 'in one' tradition - performing a scene down stage in front of a curtain/drop while a scene change was happening behind it. The Luck Reprise was probably used to cater for the scene change to Higgins' study, and the pre-Ascot scene might have been to remove the Higgins study, and facilitate a quick costume change for Eliza. You can find more of these types of 'in one' scenes in South Pacific, Guys and Dolls and The King and I. 

[Someone in a tree]

@anthonyhope


Not just Broadway but also my school plays in the 80’s and 90’s! and I think Panto still uses ‘big scene, small scene’ … Oh I do like a well painted and hung backdrop, always makes you realise how big the theatre is … But yeah i think you are right with Ascot. Although the Luck reprise is sandwiched between two Higgins study scenes so I think its there to indicate the passing of time?

[TallPaul]

Probably just me, but I've always called them 'tabs' scenes, as in they take place in front of the tabs. Being quite tall, I always seemed to be allocated tabs duty, as I could pull them closed, then open, faster than anyone else.

To use Guys and Dolls as an example, watching it t'other Christmas at the world-famous Crucible Theatre, which doesn't have tabs of course, I kept thinking to myself "that's a tabs scene...and another tabs scene..."

[Someone in a tree]

Jan 28, 2021 11:10:29 GMT TallPaul said:

Probably just me, but I've always called them 'tabs' scenes, as in they take place in front of the tabs. Being quite tall, I always seemed to be allocated tabs duty, as I could pull them closed, then open, faster than anyone else.

To use Guys and Dolls as an example, watching it t'other Christmas at the world-famous Crucible Theatre, which doesn't have tabs of course, I kept thinking to myself "that's a tabs scene...and another tabs scene..."

Ever considerd changing your name to TabsPaul TallPaul? Although maybe not as it makes sound like a Fagash Lil!

So Tabs Scene and then what would call the other scenes that used the whole stage?