There’s a scene near the end of ‘My Fair Lady’, which we got to experience at Wharton Center in East Lansing on February 26, 2020, that’s lingered in our mind. Eliza Doolittle (Shereen Ahmed), a cockney flower seller turned proper lady, confronts her father Alfred (Adam Grupper) outside a bar.
The scene’s set at night with all the men on hand dressed in black among other drab colors. The atmosphere looks washed out and dreary. But here’s Eliza in this beautiful, bright pink dress and matching hat.
In this shaded setting Eliza’s like a much-needed ray of light only she’s emotionally in a dark place. She’s just fled the home of Professor Henry Higgins (Laird Mackintosh), an abusive linguist who takes credit for Eliza’s aesthetic and social transformation. At that moment, she’s struggling with both where to go and where she supposedly belongs.
‘My Fair Lady’ was funny at times with lots of excellent singing and acting. The entire cast was exceptional especially Ahmed as Eliza. She made us feel the varying degrees of stress that came with the changes to the lead character’s life. A classic production noted for its timeless songs including “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night”, we most-enjoyed Eliza’s reprise of “Just You Wait” in Act II.
With its longstanding reputation, we waited patiently through all the glitz and fun of ‘My Fair Lady’ to learn what’s really made this production resonate. We eventually found that to be its darker moments about identity, class, and inclusion. That makes it worth watching. |THIS
[Written by Mr. Joe Walker | Follow THIS on Twitter @THISENT1]
