Bay Street Theater’s “My Fair Lady” Where Everything Old is New Again

My Fair Lady is one of those grand, classic musicals that we’ve all come to know and love. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1956, and starred the legendary Julie Andrews (Sag Harbor resident and Bay Street Theater Trustee Emeritus) as Eliza Doolittle.

For me, this musical will always hold a special place in my heart, since it was the first production I’d ever been involved in. That was more than four decades ago, when I was a theater major at the University of Connecticut. New to the college, I didn’t know anyone at the time, but taking on the role of stage manager for this show allowed me to meet hundreds of people involved in that extravagant production, which was put on as a joint effort by the music, voice, and theater departments.

Bay Street Theater’s production, running from August 2-September 4, featuring the book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, is a more low-keyed venture than we’re usually accustomed to. No full orchestra – just a two-piano arrangement, which, according to Artistic Director Scott Schwartz, “…allows the show’s characters to shine.” I certainly agree with his sentiment. This theatrical experience is equivalent to watching a great rock band perform an unplugged set, where you really get to listen, for the first time, to all the great melodies and lyrics, and you find yourself discovering all kinds of new things in songs you’ve heard hundreds of times before.

My Fair Lady is based on one of George Bernard Shaw’s best-known plays, Pygmalion, which premiered in 1913 and is a theatrical masterpiece itself: chock-full of colorful characters, featuring a well-crafted story, and laced throughout with meaningful themes and messages about class distinction and human worth. This pared-down production gives the audience a chance to get intimately connected with the great drama behind the amazing musical.

This production is expertly directed by Michael Arden, Tony Award nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award winner for Best Director of a Musical for the Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. The show is perfectly timed and Mr. Arden uses the entire theater and set to heighten the excitement of this theatrical event. Asta Bennie Hostetter’s and Dane Laffrey’s costume design, featuring an array of clothing worn in the early twentieth century by both the well-off and the poor, and their attention to even the smallest details – down to the cuff-links on the men’s shirts, and the corsets and period-style undergarments – added to the overall believability of the show.

The memorable songs in My Fair Lady which most of us know by heart and could sing at karaoke night without even reading the lyrics, were expertly performed in this production. Kelli Barrett (the star of last season's Zhivago on Broadway) as Eliza Doolittle, didn’t disappoint as she gave her heartfelt rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night, which had the audience howling and applauding when she finished the number. Ms. Barrett’s transformation from a Cockney, flower-selling girl, to a cultured, well-spoken woman is astounding.

Paul Alexander Nolan (Bright Star, Doctor Zhivago) as the proper, pompous, phonetics Professor Henry Higgins, is a pure delight to behold, and he has great on-stage chemistry with Ms. Barrett. Howard McGillan (Tony Nominee and featured in Bay Street's Grey Gardens last season) is very believable as the compassionate and kind Colonel Pickering. John O'Creagh (Cat On a Hot Tin Roof) as the uneducated, but conniving Alfred P. Doolittle, is wonderful in this part and captivates the audience as he sings and dances his way through Get Me to the Church on Time. It looked as if Mr. O’Creagh had spent a lifetime perfecting this role. Bobby Conte Thornton as Freddy Eynsford-Hill wins us over with his charismatic, passionate, lovesick, performance of On the Street Where You Live.

The whole ensemble worked together as a fine-tuned instrument, with many of the players taking on several parts. Karen Murphy (A Little Night Music), who played both Mrs. Pearce and Mrs.Enysford-Hill, was exceptional in both roles. Carole Shelley (Billy Elliot) exhibited great comedic timing in her role as Mrs. Higgins. Ryan Fitzgerald (West Side Story) enchanted the audience with his larger-than-life, cartoonish depiction of Zoltan Karpathy, the man who emphatically states that Eliza is, “…not only Hungarian, but of royal blood.”

Chase Brook’s choreography added to the excitement and high energy displayed throughout the night. The rest of the production team includes: Adam Wachter (Music Director), Dane Laffrey (Set Design), Howell Binkley, (Lighting Designer), Peter Fitzgerald (Sound Designer), and Stephen Gabis (Dialect Coach). Casting by Stewart/Whitley.

"This is an astounding team of artists that has come together to create a bold new My Fair Lady for the final show of Bay Street's 25th Anniversary Season this summer," says Artistic Director Scott Schwartz.

Classic and contemporary, this musical is great entertainment for the entire family. This timeless musical theater treasure, combined with talent befitting Broadway, is closing the summer season on a high note.

The well-deserved standing ovation at the end of this opening night performance portends nothing but continued success for the entire cast and crew.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to their web site: www.baystreet.org or call the Box Office at 631-725-9500, Tuesday-Saturday 11am to 5pm.

(Photo by. Lenny Stucker)

Cindi Sansone-Braff, the Romance Whisperer, talks with the dead to show you how to live well and love better. She is an award-winning playwright and has a BFA in theatre from the University of Connecticut. She is the author of Grant Me a Higher Love and Why Good People Can’t Leave Bad Relationships. Visit her web site at:

http://www.grantmeahigherlove.com.