My fair lady

My Fair Lady (My beautiful lady in some Latin American countries) is a musical based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, with music by Frederick Loewe and book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Its central plot develops around Eliza Doolittle, a street florist from the London underworld whose vulgar language arouses the interest of a phonetics teacher named Henry Higgins. Fascinated by the young woman and her thick cockney accent, Higgins bets with her friend Colonel Pickering that he can teach Eliza to speak properly and pass her off as a lady of high society.

The show opened in 1956 at the Mark Hellinger Theater on Broadway, with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the title roles, and was a resounding success, becoming the longest-running musical in history in its day and winning several awards including six Tony Awards. It arrived in London two years later and since then it has also been seen on numerous occasions throughout the world. In 1964 it was brought to the big screen under the direction of George Cukor.

Plot

Act I

On a rainy night in Edwardian London, the audience at the Covent Garden opera house waits under the building's arches for a taxi. Eliza Doolittle, a street florist from the underworld, stumbles upon a young socialite named Freddy Eynsford-Hill. She gets angry and reproaches him for throwing her violets in the mud, but she immediately cheers up when she manages to sell a corsage to an older gentleman. Suddenly, Eliza notices that another man is writing down everything she says in a notebook and rebukes him. The man explains that he is a student of phonetics and boasts that he can identify the provenance of anyone just by her accent. He also laments Eliza's horrible pronunciation, wondering why many English people are not able to speak the language properly, when this is what really causes the difference in class, more than looks or money (" Why Can't the English?"). At that point, he declares that in six months he could make Eliza a respectable lady by teaching her to speak properly. Then the gentleman to whom the florist had sold a bouquet of violets at the beginning introduces himself as Colonel Pickering, a linguist who has studied the dialects of India. The phonetician turns out to be Professor Henry Higgins and since the two had always wanted to meet, Higgins invites Pickering to stay at his house during his stay in London. Before leaving, he throws some change into Eliza's basket, leaving her and her friends imagining what it would be like to live a better life full of comforts ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly? & # 3. 4;).

The next morning, Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, accompanied by his drunken friends Harry and Jamie, all scavengers, arrives in Covent Garden and asks his daughter to share the previous night's winnings. to be able to continue drinking ("With a Little Bit of Luck"). Later, Pickering and Higgins are at home discussing vowels when Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, announces that a young woman with a horrible accent has come to see the professor. The young woman is none other than Eliza, who wants to take diction classes to get a job in a flower shop and thus leave the streets. Pickering is convinced that Higgins will not be able to teach Eliza to speak properly and offers to pay for her lessons if the teacher can transform her into a lady within six months. Higgins accepts the challenge and sets the embassy's annual ball as the litmus test, where Eliza will be introduced to society. The young woman moves into Higgins' house and begins preparing her to correct her accent, her mannerisms and the way she dresses. In this situation, Higgins sees himself as a patient and kind-hearted man who cannot live with women ("I'm an Ordinary Man"), when in reality he is a self-centered and misogynist.

Doolittle learns that Eliza has moved into Higgins' house and decides to take advantage of the situation ("With a Little Bit of Luck (Reprise)"). The next day he shows up at the professor's house and accuses him of compromising the virtue of his daughter. Higgins is fascinated by man's natural gift for language and his shameless lack of morality. Between the two they agree that Eliza continues with her lessons at Higgins's house in exchange for Doolittle receiving five pounds for his partying. Higgins uses the occasion to mock an American millionaire who wrote to him looking for an expert in moral values and recommends Doolittle.

Eliza endures harsh diction classes by endlessly repeating phrases like "In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen" (to learn how to inhale " h") or "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" (to practice the pronunciation of the long "a"). Frustrated, she dreams of different ways to kill Higgins, such as drowning him or taking him to the firing squad (& # 34; Just You Wait & # 34;). The servants of the house complain about the repetitive work of Higgins ("Poor Professor Higgins") and just when he is about to give up as impossible, Eliza suddenly recites "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" en perfecto inglés de la reina. Higgins, Eliza and Pickering celebrate their triumph by dancing in the professor's study ("The Rain in Spain") and from that moment on the young woman's pronunciation becomes impeccable. Mrs. Pearce tries to get Eliza to go to sleep, but she is too aroused by her vivid emotions to go to bed ('I Could Have Danced All Night').

For her first public appearance, Higgins takes Eliza to her mother's box at Ascot Racecourse ("Ascot Gavotte"). Mrs. Higgins reluctantly agrees to help Eliza have a conversation following her son's recommendation to stick to just two topics, weather and health. At first, Eliza makes a good impression with her polite manner, but later she leaves everyone in shock when she rises from the box to cheer on the horse they had bet on in the most vulgar way. Even so, Eliza captivates Freddy, the young man she bumped into at the beginning of the story, who had come to Mrs. Higgins' box accompanied by her mother. That same night, Freddy goes to look for Eliza at the Higgins house, but she doesn't want to see him. The boy promises that he will wait for her on the street as long as necessary (& # 34; On the Street Where You Live & # 34;).

The final test is to pose Eliza as a noblewoman at the embassy's annual ball, and after weeks of preparation, she is ready for the big event. All those attending the evening admire her and the queen of Transylvania invites her to dance with her son, her prince (& # 34; Embassy Waltz & # 34;). Later Eliza dances with Higgins, while Zoltan Karpathy, a Hungarian phonetician former student and rival of the professor, is commissioned by the host to find out where the young woman comes from through her speech. Despite Pickering's and his mother's warnings, Higgins lets Karpathy dance with Eliza.

Act II

Eliza manages to trick even Karpathy into thinking she is a Hungarian princess. After the ball, Higgins boasts of his triumph to Pickering and his servants, and is pleased that the experiment has come to an end (& # 34; You Did It & # 34;). Eliza feels used and ignored by Higgins, and when he asks her about her slippers, she unleashes all her anger, leaving him baffled by her apparent ingratitude. Heartbroken, the young woman decides to leave the Higgins house ("Just You Wait (Reprise)"). On the street, Eliza meets Freddy, who is still waiting for her (& # 34; On the Street Where You Live (Reprise) & # 34;), and the boy begins to declare his love for her. However, she cuts him off, claiming that she has already heard enough words and that if he really loves her, she should show him (& # 34; Show Me & # 34;).

Eliza returns to Covent Garden with Freddy, where her friends don't recognize her because of her polished new look ('Wouldn't It Be Loverly? (Reprise)'). She by chance also meets her father, who is dressed elegantly. He explains that she has received a surprise inheritance from the American millionaire Higgins recommended her to and, since he is now a respectable middle-class citizen, he must marry the "stepmother" of Higgins. Eliza, the woman with whom he has lived for many years. Eliza sees that she no longer belongs to the humble environment of Covent Garden and leaves with Freddy, while Doolittle and his friends have one last party before the wedding (& # 34; Get Me to the Church on Time & # 34;).

Higgins wakes up the next morning to find that, without Eliza, he has tea for breakfast instead of coffee and can't even locate his own files. The professor wonders why she would leave after winning the ball and concludes that men, especially him, are superior to women ("A Hymn to Him"). Pickering, annoyed with his host, decides to leave to stay with his friends from the Home Office. Higgins goes to her mother's house seeking her advice and there he finds Eliza having tea with her. Mrs. Higgins leaves them alone and Eliza tells her that he has always seen her as a street florist. She also tells him that if she learned to behave like a lady it was because Pickering treated her like one. Higgins claims that he has always treated her the same as Pickering and asks her to come back, but Eliza accuses him of only using her to run her errands and she announces that she will marry Freddy because he truly loves her. The young woman declares that she does not need Higgins and laments how foolish she has been for thinking that she does (& # 34; Without You & # 34;). The professor is dazzled by Eliza's attitude and independence, but she tells him that she won't see her anymore.

As Higgins walks home, he realizes his feelings for Eliza ('I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face'), though he can't muster the courage to confess to her. love and wallows in the thought that if she marries Freddy and then returns to him, he will not accept her. But at the same time it's hard for him to imagine himself alone again. At home he replays the recordings he made the first time Eliza came to ask him for diction lessons and hears her harsh words: 'It's so deliciously vulgar! So gloriously dirty!". Suddenly, the phonograph goes off and a real voice with a cockney accent says: Hey, before I came here I washed my face and hands >. Higgins turns and sees Eliza in the doorway, hesitating whether or not she will come back to him. The play ends on an ambiguous point of possible reconciliation between teacher and student, with Higgins asking "Eliza, where are my slippers?".

Development

In the mid-1930s, film producer Gabriel Pascal acquired the rights to bring to the big screen several pieces by George Bernard Shaw, including Pygmalion. However, Shaw did not give permission for Pygmalion to be turned into a musical, as it came from a bad experience with The Chocolate Soldier, a Viennese operetta based on his play Arms and the Man. After Shaw's death in 1950, Pascal asked Alan Jay Lerner to write the libretto and he agreed, commissioning his partner Frederick Loewe to do the music. They soon realized that the play violated several key rules for musical composition: the main plot was not a love story, there was no romantic subplot, and there was no room for a corps de ballet. Many professionals in the industry, including Oscar Hammerstein, who along with Richard Rodgers had already unsuccessfully tried to adapt Pygmalion into a musical, warned Lerner that turning that work into a Broadway show was unfeasible, for so the project was abandoned for two years.

During that time, the two collaborators separated and Gabriel Pascal passed away. Lerner was trying to score the comic strip Li & # 39;l Abner when he read Pascal's obituary and suddenly found himself thinking of Pygmalion again. Upon meeting Loewe, everything suddenly fell into place. The insurmountable obstacles of two years ago disappeared and they realized that in reality the piece needed very few changes beyond, in Lerner's own words, "adding the action that takes place between the acts of the play". Excited, they began to write the show despite not yet having the rights and the production company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was also after them. MGM executives contacted Lerner and advised him against challenging the studio, but Loewe said "We'll write the show without the rights, and when the time comes to decide who gets them, we'll be just as advanced with respect to the rest that will be forced to give them to us". For five months, Lerner and Loewe spent composing the musical, hiring the production team, and beginning to think about the cast. Finally, the Chase Manhattan Bank, manager of Pascal's assets, granted them the license as Loewe had anticipated.

After juggling different titles, Lerner settled on My Fair Lady, a reference to the last line of the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and one of the provisional names Shaw had come up with for Pygmalion. But once the title was fixed, Lerner remembered that Tell Me More, a George Gershwin musical from 1925, had already been called that before his arrival on Broadway and also included a song under that title. name. To avoid future problems, Lerner placed a courtesy call to Ira Gershwin and informed him of the reuse of the title.

Noël Coward was the first actor to be offered the role of Henry Higgins, but he turned it down and suggested that the producers cast Rex Harrison. After much deliberation, Harrison accepted the role. For the character of Eliza Doolittle, actress Mary Martin was initially considered, but she also declined the proposal. Finally, the chosen one was a young Julie Andrews, discovered in the musical The Boy Friend , with which she had made her Broadway debut. Moss Hart agreed to conduct the work after hearing only two songs, and orchestrators Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang were hired to arrange the score. Once the artistic team was assembled, the rehearsals began immediately.

Lerner's script incorporated several scenes Shaw had written specifically for the 1938 film version of Pygmalion, including the embassy ball and the ending, which replaced the dénouement of the original play. The passages dedicated to Eliza's lessons were expanded by combining dialogues from Lerner and Shaw. The original poster illustration was done by cartoonist Al Hirschfeld and depicted Shaw as a puppeteer pulling the strings of Henry Higgins's character, who in turn controlled Eliza Doolittle's.

Productions

Broadway

1956

Prior to its arrival on Broadway, My Fair Lady ran as a trial run at the Shubert Theater in New Haven from February 4-11, 1956, and at the Erlanger Theater in New Haven. Philadelphia between February 13 and March 10 of that same year. On opening night in New Haven, Rex Harrison, unaccustomed to singing with a live band, announced that he would "there was no way he was performing that night with 32 busybodies in the pit" and cloistered himself in his dressing room, remaining locked up until barely an hour before the curtain rose. By then the entire company had left, but they were quickly summoned back and the evening was a success.

The official première on Broadway took place on March 15, 1956 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, where the show ran until February 24, 1962, before being transferred to the Broadhurst Theater between February 28 and April 14, 1962, and the Broadway Theater between April 18 and September 29, 1962. A total of 2,717 performances were held, setting a new record for the time.

Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins headlined the original cast, which also featured Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle, Robert Coote as Colonel Pickering, Cathleen Nesbitt as Mrs. Higgins, John Michael King as Freddy Eynsford -Hill and Philippa Bevans as Mrs. Pearce. Throughout its six and a half year run, the show was revamped with different leads, including Pamela Charles, Lola Fisher, Sally Ann Howes, Margot Moser and Rosemary Rainer as Eliza Doolittle, and Michael Allinson, Bramwell Fletcher, Tom Hellmore and Edward Mulhare as Henry Higgins.

The creative team included Moss Hart directing, Hanya Holm choreographing, Oliver Smith set design, Cecil Beaton costume design, Abe Feder lighting design, Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang in the musical arrangements, and Franz Allers in the musical direction.

An album recorded by the original cast was released by Columbia Masterworks and became the best-selling record in America in 1956. At the 1957 Tony Awards, My Fair Lady was awarded in the categories of best musical, best lead actor (Rex Harrison), best direction, best set design, best costume design and best musical direction.

1976

The first Broadway revival opened on March 25, 1976 at the St. James Theatre, starring Christine Andreas as Eliza Doolittle, Ian Richardson as Henry Higgins, George Rose as Alfred P. Doolittle, Robert Coote reprising as Colonel Pickering, Brenda Forbes as Mrs. Higgins, Jerry Lanning as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and Sylvia O'Brien as Mrs. Pearce. Directed by Jerry Adler, choreographed by Crandall Diehl from Hanya Holm's originals. Both Ian Richardson and George Rose were nominated for a Best Actor Tony, with the latter winning the award.

On December 5, 1976, the show said goodbye to the St. James Theater and was transferred to the Lunt-Fontanne Theater between December 9, 1976 and February 20, 1977, where it finally lowered the curtain after having reached the 377 functions.

1981

Between August 18 and November 29, 1981, a new production directed by Patrick Garland and choreographed by Crandall Diehl was shown at the Uris Theater on Broadway, where it ran for 120 performances after touring several American cities for almost a year. Cheryl Kennedy, who had played Eliza Doolittle on tour, had to leave the company after the first preview performance at the Uris Theater due to a severe case of laryngitis, being replaced by her understudy Nancy Ringham. Also in the cast were Rex Harrison and Cathleen Nesbitt, from the original production, reprising their roles as Henry Higgins and Mrs. Higgins respectively, joined by Milo O'Shea as Alfred P. Doolittle, Jack Gwillim as Colonel Pickering, Nicholas Wyman as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Marian Baer as Mrs. Pearce.

1993

My Fair Lady returned to the New York theaters with a production that was installed at the Virginia Theater on Broadway between December 9, 1993 and May 1, 1994, starring Melissa Errico as Eliza Doolittle, Richard Chamberlain as Henry Higgins, Julian Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle (following in the footsteps of his father Stanley Holloway), Paxton Whitehead as Colonel Pickering, Dolores Sutton as Mrs. Higgins, Robert Sella as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and Glynis Bell like Mrs. Pearce. Howard Davies directed this much more modest version, which ran for 165 performances at the Virginia Theater after touring the United States for eight months. The rest of the creative team was completed by Donald Saddler on choreography, Ralph Koltai on set design, Patricia Zipprodt on costume design, Natasha Katz on lighting design, Peter J. Fitzgerald on sound design, and Jack Lee on the musical direction.

2018

Twenty-five years after the last Broadway production, the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center hosted a new staging from April 19, 2018 to July 7, 2019. Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle, Harry Hadden- Paton as Henry Higgins, Norbert Leo Butz as Alfred P. Doolittle, Allan Corduner as Colonel Pickering, Diana Rigg as Mrs. Higgins, Jordan Donica as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Linda Mugleston as Mrs. Pearce led the cast in this revival that featured Bartlett Sher's direction, Christopher Gattelli's choreography, Michael Yeargan's set design, Catherine Zuber's costume design, Donald Holder's lighting design, Marc Salzberg's sound design, and Ted Sperling's musical direction. performed 501 performances, throughout which the company was renewed with different performers, including Laura Benanti as Eliza Doolittle, Michael Halling as Henry Higgins, Danny Burstein and A Alexander Gemignani as Alfred P. Doolittle, Rosemary Harris as Mrs. Higgins, and Christian Dante White as Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

London

1958

Success in New York led to a jump to London's West End, where the show debuted on April 30, 1958 at the Theater Royal, Drury Lane, with several of the original Broadway leads, including Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle, Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle and Robert Coote as Colonel Pickering. The rest of the cast was completed by Zena Dare as Mrs. Higgins (this being her last appearance on stage), Leonard Weir as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Betty Woolfe as Mrs. Pearce. The musical ran until October 19, 1963 and ran for 2,281 performances.

1979

The second time My Fair Lady could be seen in London was at the Adelphi Theater between October 25, 1979 and October 31, 1981, with a production produced by Cameron Mackintosh that previously he had toured the UK. The direction fell to Alan Jay Lerner himself (replacing Robin Midgley, who had been the director during the national tour), while Gillian Lynne took over the choreography. The cast was led by Liz Robertson as Eliza Doolittle, Tony Britton as Henry Higgins, Peter Bayliss as Alfred P. Doolittle, Richard Caldicot as Colonel Pickering, Anna Neagle as Mrs. Higgins, Peter Land as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and Betty Paul as Mrs..pearce. Both Liz Robertson and Tony Britton were nominated for an Olivier for their performances, but neither went on to win.

2001

Cameron Mackintosh returned to produce the musical in 2001, with a new staging directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, which first ran at the Royal National Theater from March 15 to June 30, before to be transferred to the Theater Royal, Drury Lane from 21 July of that same year. Martine McCutcheon as Eliza Doolittle, Jonathan Pryce as Henry Higgins, Dennis Waterman as Alfred P. Doolittle, Nicholas Le Prevost as Colonel Pickering, Caroline Blakiston as Mrs. Higgins, Mark Umbers as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and Patsy Rowlands as Mrs. Pearce were the protagonists of this production that in the 2002 Olivier edition won the prizes for best musical, best choreography and best actress (Martine McCutcheon).

After numerous health problems during which she was covered by her understudy Alexandra Jay, Martine McCutcheon had to leave the show in December 2001, being replaced by Joanna Riding as Eliza Doolittle. The second major cast change came in April 2002, when Alex Jennings (Henry Higgins), Malcolm Sinclair (Colonel Pickering), Peter Prentice (Freddy Eynsford-Hill) and Dilys Laye (Mrs. Pearce) joined the company. In February 2003, My Fair Lady garnered two more Olivier Awards in the categories of Best Actor (Alex Jennings) and Best Actress (Joanna Riding).

The cast was renewed once more in March 2003, with the addition of Laura Michelle Kelly as Eliza Doolittle, Anthony Andrews as Henry Higgins, Russ Abbot as Alfred P. Doolittle, Stephen Moore as Colonel Pickering, Hannah Gordon as Mrs. Higgins, Michael Xavier as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and Patsy Rowlands returning as Mrs. Pearce, who remained with the production until its final closure on August 30, 2003.

2022

After passing through the Lincoln Center in New York in the 2018/2019 season, a production directed by Bartlett Sher could be seen at the London Coliseum between May 18 and August 27, 2022. Amara Okereke as Eliza Doolittle, Harry Hadden-Paton as Henry Higgins, Stephen K. Amos as Alfred P. Doolittle, Malcolm Sinclair as Colonel Pickering, Vanessa Redgrave as Mrs. Higgins, Sharif Afifi as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Maureen Beattie as Mrs. Pearce led the cast in this time, backed by an orchestra of 36 musicians from the English National Opera.

Mexico

1959

The first country to host a Spanish-language version was Mexico, where My Fair Lady made its debut on January 19, 1959 at the María Teresa Montoya Theater in Monterrey, under the title My beautiful lady. Robert W. Lerner, brother of Alan Jay Lerner who lived in Mexico at the time, was the promoter of this show, which was later also performed at the Degollado Theater in Guadalajara and, in Mexico City, at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. and at the Esperanza Iris Theater (now the City Theater). Produced, directed and starring the actor Manolo Fábregas, the show was a critical and public success, but even so it failed to recover the enormous investment it entailed. In addition to Fábregas as Henry Higgins, other performers who were part of the company were Cristina Rojas, a complete stranger who came to the auditions requesting a position in the choir and ended up getting the role of Eliza Doolittle, Mario Alberto Rodríguez as Alfred P. Doolittle, Miguel Suárez as Colonel Pickering, Salvador Quiroz as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and a young Plácido Domingo as one of Alfred P. Doolittle's friends. Mario Ruiz Armengol was in charge of the orchestra as musical director, while Berta Maldonado translated the libretto and Luis de Llano Palmer was in charge of adapting the songs.

As on Broadway and London, an album performed by the original cast was released, marking the first time that a Mexican musical was recorded on disc.

1977

On May 15, 1977, Manolo Fábregas re-launched My Beautiful Lady at the recently built Teatro San Rafael in Mexico City, a new theater he owned specially designed to host major productions, which will be inaugurated precisely with this work. Fábregas returned to direct the show and also reprized his role as Henry Higgins, this time accompanied by Manoella Torres as Eliza Doolittle, Moisés Suárez as Colonel Pickering, Marilú Elizaga as Mrs. Higgins and Xavier del Valle as Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

2002

After more than two decades of absence, My beautiful lady returned to the Mexican billboard with a new staging that had its official première on November 6, 2002 at the Teatro de los Insurgentes in Mexico City Produced by Biosphera Entertainment and starring Olivia Bucio as Eliza Doolittle (later replaced by Yolanda Orrantia), Alejandro Tommasi as Henry Higgins (later replaced by Manuel Landeta), Arturo García Tenorio as Alfred P. Doolittle, Miguel Palmer as Colonel Pickering, Irma Dorantes as Mrs. Higgins, Manuel Pereyra as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Carmen Durand as Mrs. Pearce, the show was directed by Alejandro Orive, choreographed by Óscar Carapia, designed by costumes by Ignacio Aranda, set design by Óscar Acosta, musical direction by Jorge Neri and Spanish adaptation by Marco Villafán.

Argentina

1961

It debuted in Argentina in 1961 at the Teatro El Nacional in Buenos Aires, directed by Carlos A. Petit and starring Rosita Quintana as Eliza Doolittle (later replaced by Beatriz Bonnet), José Cibrián as Henry Higgins (later replaced by Délfor Medina and Duilio Marzio) and Dringue Farías as Alfred P. Doolittle.

1979

A version produced by the Teatro Estable de la Provincia de Tucumán premiered on August 15, 1979 at the Paul Groussac Hall in San Miguel, with Viviana Pereyra as Eliza Doolittle and Juan Carlos Di Lullo as Henry Higgins. Directed by Carlos Olivera, the show was a complete success and ran for two seasons. Later it could also be seen at the Presidente Alvear Theater in Buenos Aires, at the Teatro del Libertador General San Martín in Córdoba and at the San Martín Theater in San Miguel de Tucumán.

2000

Between March 7 and October 29, 2000, Alejandro Romay produced a new staging at the El Nacional Theater in Buenos Aires, which was reopened for the occasion after nearly two decades of closure due to the 1982 fire. Paola Krum as Eliza Doolittle, Víctor Laplace as Henry Higgins, Pepe Soriano as Alfred P. Doolittle, Juan Manuel Tenuta as Colonel Pickering, Aída Luz as Mrs. Higgins, Marcelo Trepat as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Alicia Mouxaut as Mrs. Pearce led the cast of this version, which was directed by Mick Gordon and choreographed by Michael King.

Spain

1982

The premiere of My Fair Lady in Spain took place on November 3, 1982 at the Palacio del Progreso in Madrid (now the Nuevo Apolo Theater), with Ángela Carrasco as Eliza Doolittle, Alberto Closas as Henry Higgins, Alfonso del Real as Alfred P. Doolittle, Manuel Alexandre as Colonel Pickering, Amelia de la Torre as Mrs. Higgins, Sergio Fachelli as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Mercedes Borqué as Mrs. Pearce, and Helena Bianco as Eliza Dolittle's alternate. The direction and adaptation into Spanish was carried out by Juan José Alonso Millán, who invested 15 million pesetas (just over 90,000 euros) to start the work. The rest of the creative team was made up of Mario Watusi in the choreography, Antonio Cortés in the set design and Teddy Bautista in the musical direction.

Although initially the reception from the public was good, the production was forced to close on January 9, 1983, motivated by the drop in viewers that it suffered after the broadcast on TVE of the film version of George Cukor.

2001

After the success achieved four years earlier with Man of La Mancha, Paloma San Basilio and José Sacristán reunited to star in My Fair Lady at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid, where the show was performed between October 17, 2001 and May 11, 2003, exceeding 500 performances and being seen by more than 700,000 spectators. Directed by Jaime Azpilicueta, who also made the Spanish adaptation Together with Nacho Artime, the production featured choreography by Goyo Montero, set design by Gerardo Trotti, costume design by José Ramón de Aguirre and Gabriela Salaverri, lighting design by José Ramón de Aguirre and Javier Armendariz, sound design by Ricardo Gómez and musical direction by Alberto Quintero. The production was carried out by Cartel Teatro and CIE Spain, with a budget of more than 4 million euros, not counting the 2.5 million that the remodeling of the Coliseum Theater cost.

In addition to Paloma San Basilio as Eliza Doolittle and José Sacristán as Henry Higgins, the cast also included Joan Crosas as Alfred P. Doolittle (Max Award for Best Supporting Actor), Nicolás Dueñas as Colonel Pickering, Carmen Bernardos as Mrs. Higgins, Victor Diaz as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Selica Torcal as Mrs. Pearce.

2012

In 2012, Stage Entertainment produced the first national tour of My Fair Lady in Spain, with Paloma San Basilio once again leading the cast in the role of Eliza Doolittle. Joining her, Juan Gea as Henry Higgins, Joan Crosas reprising as Alfred P. Doolittle, José Ramón Henche as Colonel Pickering, Ana María Vidal as Mrs. Higgins, Víctor Díaz reprising as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Luisa Fernanda Gaona as Mrs. Pearce they completed the cast.

The show was totally redesigned for the occasion, incorporating as a main novelty the use of projections to recreate the different locations of London at the beginning of the 20th century. Part of the creative team from the previous staging participated again in this version, including Jaime Azpilicueta in the direction, Goyo Montero in the choreography and Gabriela Salaverri in the costume design. Other professionals involved were Montse Amenós in the set design, Albert Faura in the lighting design, Gastón Briski in the sound design, Joan Rodón in the video design, Enrique Sequero in the resident direction and Sergi Cuenca in the musical direction. The Spanish adaptation used was the same as in 2001, made by Jaime Azpilicueta and Nacho Artime, although some musical numbers such as "Just You Wait", "Show Me" or "A Hymn to Him".

The tour started on July 3, 2012 at the Adán Martín Auditorium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and planned to visit more than twenty cities during a year, but the increase in cultural VAT made it difficult It was not feasible to continue with the tour and the closure was brought forward to November 4, 2012, after finishing his stay at the Teatro Principal in Valencia.

Other productions

My Fair Lady has been performed in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland, and it has been translated into many languages.

In the United States he has toured several times. The first national tour began on March 18, 1957 at the Auditorium Theater in Rochester, starring Anne Rogers as Eliza Doolittle and Brian Aherne as Henry Higgins, and ran for seven consecutive years.

On August 3, 2003, a semi-staged concert took place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, featuring Melissa Errico as Eliza Doolittle and John Lithgow as Henry Higgins.

Following the 2001 London revival produced by Cameron Mackintosh, My Fair Lady toured the UK between October 5, 2005 and August 12, 2006. Amy Nuttall and Lisa O& #39;Hare led the cast alternating the role of Eliza Doolittle, accompanied by Christopher Cazenove as Henry Higgins. After its British leg, the tour made the leap to North America, where it was on the road between the September 12, 2007 and June 22, 2008.

From March 7 to 10, 2007, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra gave a series of semi-staged concerts at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, featuring Kelli O'Hara as Eliza Doolittle and Kelsey Grammer as Henry Higgins.

The Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris scheduled a limited season of 27 performances between December 9, 2010 and January 2, 2011, starring Sarah Gabriel and Christine Arand alternating as Eliza Doolittle and Alex Jennings as Henry Higgins. Robert Carsen was the director of this version, which featured choreography by Lynne Page and costume design by Anthony Powell. The performances were in English with subtitles projected on large screens. Due to its success, the musical returned to the same stage between December 5, 2013 and January 1, 2014, with some new faces in the cast, including Katherine. Manley as Eliza Doolittle.

To celebrate the show's 60th anniversary, Julie Andrews directed a production that was on view at the Joan Sutherland Theater of the Sydney Opera House from 6 September to 5 November 2016. Anna O'Byrne as Eliza Doolittle and Alex Jennings as Henry Higgins led the cast in this production that was later also performed at the Queensland Performing Arts Center in Brisbane, the Regent Theater in Melbourne and the Capitol Theater in Sydney, with the addition of Charles Edwards as Henry Higgins.

On July 22 and 23, 2021, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona hosted a semi-staged concert version from the Hampshire Grange Festival, starring Ellie Laugharne as Eliza Doolittle and Steven Pacey as Henry Higgins. Alfonso Casado was the musical director of this show, which also marked the debut of My Fair Lady in Barcelona.

Film adaptation

In 1964, My Fair Lady was brought to the big screen under the direction of George Cukor, with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway starring in the original Broadway productions and London, reprising their roles as Henry Higgins and Alfred P. Doolittle respectively. The rest of the cast was completed by Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Pickerin, Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Higgins, Jeremy Brett as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Pearce.

The casting of Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle caused some controversy, as those who had seen Julie Andrews on stage agreed that she was the perfect candidate for the role. In addition, Hepburn had to be dubbed on the songs by Marni Nixon as she was not up to the demanding score. Jack L. Warner, president of Warner Bros., wanted a big star for the title role and ruled out Julie Andrews due to her lack of film experience. Curiously, that same year Andrews won the Oscar for best actress for Mary Poppins, which became the highest-grossing live-action film from the Disney factory. Alan Jay Lerner himself expressed his disagreement with the result, especially for not following the standards of the original direction of Moss Hart, for the choice of Audrey Hepburn and because the filming took place at Warner studios and not in London as he was told. I would have liked Despite the controversy, the film was a success and managed to win eight Oscars, including best picture, best direction, best actor (Rex Harrison), best cinematography, best sound, best original music, best artistic direction and best film design. locker room.

In 2008, Columbia Pictures announced a new film adaptation with the intention of shooting it on the actual London locations. Although the names of John Madden as director and Emma Thompson as screenplay adapter were made public, finally in May In 2014 Cameron Mackintosh confirmed the cancellation of the project.

Characters

Musical numbers

Original Broadway Production

Madrid production of 2001

Original casts

Broadway/London

Mexico

Argentina

Spain

Recordings

There are many albums performed in their respective languages by the casts of the different productions that have been released throughout the world, as well as the soundtrack of the film version and numerous studio recordings.

The official records of the productions in Mexico (1959), Buenos Aires (1963 and 2000) and Madrid (2001) have been published in Spanish, as well as the soundtrack of the film with dubbing for Spain.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway Production

1976 Broadway Production

1979 London Production

1981 Broadway Production

1993 Broadway Production

2001 London Production

Madrid Production 2001

2018 Broadway Production