After studying Pygmalion in a high school theater class, My Fair Lady became one of my favorite movies. Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle was sheer perfection and the film went on to win eight Academy Awards. But the film was actually adapted from the musical, which opened on Broadway in 1956. This winter, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents a live theatrical production of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady which will run January 11th through 23rd, 2022.
Consideration provided by the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical that I have always had on my must-see list, having memorized the lyrics to I Could Have Danced All Night and The Rain in Spain. The musical tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from linguistics professor Henry Higgins. He aspires to transform her into a proper lady, and despite his cynicism, falls in love with her.
Lincoln Center’s production of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady is absolutely loverly. From the magnificent period costumes to the impressive vocal performances delivered by Shereen Ahmed (who stars as Eliza Doolittle) and Laird Mackintosh (who stars as Professor Henry Higgins), this is a Broadway revival you do not want to miss.
My Fair Lady is a story about a young woman who aspires to rise above her situation, against all odds. Eliza Doolittle is a common flower girl with a heavy Cockney accent, which reveals her class in society. When Eliza meets Professor Henry Higgins, he vows he can transform her into a “proper lady” through speech lessons and she sees this as an opportunity to be more than just a flower girl. Despite the frustration she feels towards Higgins, Eliza perfects her speech and eventually succeeds as being deemed a lady at the Embassy Ball.
During the time Higgins spends with Eliza, he falls in love with her. But his inability to grow beyond his self-absorption is his greatest flaw and ultimately what compels Eliza to leave. One of my favorite quotes in the musical (and from Shaw’s Pygmalion) comes in the final act, where she says “the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated.” While the ending is not the romantic one you might remember from the original musical or film, it is one that honors the notion that the treatment of others matters.
Lincoln Center’s production of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady is everything you loved about the original Broadway musical with a modern twist that will satisfy audiences across generations.
My Fair Lady – Tickets, Showtimes, and What You Need To Know Before You Go
My Fair Lady will perform at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts January 11th through 23rd, 2022. Performance days and times are as follows:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Single tickets start at $28 and can be purchased in person, via phone, or online.
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-2787
At present, COVID-19 policies are in place which requires ticket holders to provide proof of full vaccination, a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48 hours of the performance, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance. For acceptable documentation, visit SCFTA.org. Masks are required at all times.
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