My Fair Lady at Cadillac Palace Theatre

Alright me Muckers, can you Adam and Eve it[1]! Bow-bells an East-enders[2], this here My Fair Lady, she is a coming to the great city of Chicago! Playin’ for your lovely selves at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY in a lavish new production ‘ats guaranteed to get you to Bubble Bath[3]! This Tony Award winning show, is back and better than ever before, the tour stars are Shereen Ahmed as Eliza (coor look at that Boat Race![4]), Laird Mackintosh as Professor Henry Higgins (china plate[5] get a look at that Khyber Pass![6])

“Plush and thrilling! Illuminated with new stars.” – The New York Times.

“Thrilling! Glorious and better than it ever was! A marvelous and transformative revival.” – The New York Times.

“Enthralling! Bartlett Sher’s glowing revival proves that a beloved musical from another era can keep on kicking, as long as it’s got its eyes wide open.” – New York Magazine/Vulture

“A thing of beauty. A sumptuous new revival of the most perfect musical of all time. A masterful piece of entertainment.” – Entertainment Weekly

Okeydokey, bear with me a tiny minute, we are whisking you back in time to 1912 England an’ tellin’ you the story of young Eliza Doolittle, the one with the beautiful Boat Race remember. Now Eliza is a flower sella’ from Covent garden, she’s a Cockney ya get me, sounds like this all reads, bloody awful. So, our young Eliza meets this fancy fella, named Henry Higgins, he’s the one with the Khyber Pass, now he is determined to turn or lovely Eliza there into a “proper lady” all la-de-da, like. Now, Eliza, is absolutely taken by this fancy-shmancy gentle man and thinks that livin’ like a Lady is I right proper idea, so she agrees to go and become a part of his household in exchange for elocution lessons.

Eliza’s first official tryout of her new Lady-like manners is at the Royal Ascot Racecourse, and she is all dressed up with some expensive Tomfoolery[7] but alas, the horse she has bet on loses and in the heat of the moment Eliza forgets herself and make a right Orchestra stalls[8] up of her language! Poor Higgins will not be persuaded of his folly and decides to on the next event, weeks later the two go to The Embassy Ball, where, ‘an you Adam an Eve it, but she has a right good Kick and Prance[9] with the Hungarian Prince Zoltan Karpathy who declares her to be a Hungarian Princess! Higgins the old Hampton Wick[10] reveals the bet he had taken with his mate, to turn her into this “proper Lady” and Eliza flies off the rails and leaves, deciding everything was better at Covent Garden, an’ if she ever sees that Higgins again she’ll make sure ‘es Brown Bread[11]!

Eliza soon realizes that maybe living like a pauper is not as she remembered it and maybe being a Lady ain’t so bad after all especially when your Hank Marvin[12], Higgins, meanwhile is also coming to the conclusion that he jus can’t carry on without see’n that happy Boat Race of Eliza’s every day… seems like something might be happn’n to these two. So, what are you waiting for? ‘and over the Bread and Honey[13] and come on down to Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY at Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago and have a Butcher’s Hook[14] for yer’ selves!

Guide to the Cockney rhyming slang terms:

1. Adam and Eve – believe
2. Bow-bells an East-enders – cockneys
3. Bubble Bath – laugh
4. Boat Race – face
5. china plate – mate (friend)
6. Khyber Pass – arse (butt)
7. Tomfoolery – jewelry
8. Orchestra stalls – balls
9. Kick and Prance – dance
10. Hampton Wick – prick (idiot)
11. Brown Bread – dead
12. Hank Marvin – starving (hungry)
13. Bread and Honey – money
14. Butcher’s Hook – look

A brief translation:

My Fair Lady is an iconic story of love, class and identity set against the backdrop of London in 1912. The lead characters are Eliza and Henry. Henry meets Eliza and is determined to transform her into a ‘proper lady’, and wants to teach her to speak proper English. Eliza wants to experience living a more comfortable life as an aristocrat Lady. Henry takes a wager, unbeknownst to Eliza, that he can teach her correct elocution. As the story progresses, they attend a ball, where Eliza meets a real-life prince. However, Eliza and Henry have a falling out and go their separate ways, only to realize both were changed by their experience of meeting each other. Will they make up? Come along and find out, experience the drama, the performance and glimpse an insight into the class system of 1912 London.

The original 1956 production won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, and was hailed by The New York Times as “one of the best musicals of the century.” My Fair Lady revival won a Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical, 2 Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical, A Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway Musical and 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Featured Actor, Outstanding Director and Outstanding Costume Design. It is directed by Bartlett Sher with choreography by Christopher Gattelli, scenic design by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Catherine Zuber and lighting design by Donald Holder. The cast includes Laura Benanti as Eliza, Harry Hadden-Paton as Professor Henry Higgins, Rosemary Harris as Mrs. Higgins, Alexander Gemignani as Alfred P. Doolittle, Allan Corduner as Colonel Pickering, Jordan Donica as Freddy, and Linda Mugleston as Mrs. Pearce.

My Fair Lady Review

“A splendiferous layer cake with a bittersweet core, Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady has returned to Broadway in a smashing new production from Bartlett Sher (The Sound of Music, The King and I). Expertly acted, pleasingly sung, and often visually splendid, it makes a good faith attempt to honor the show’s history and intentions while also acknowledging the charged sexual politics of the moment. If its ending still doesn’t satisfy, maybe that’s because no My Fair Lady ending can. What’s most striking about the revival is the strength of the performances. Ambrose’s Eliza is immensely moving, yowling and cringing and ready to play the victim until she discovers her own great integrity. Haden-Paton is a playful and charismatic Higgins. Brash and witty, he doesn’t apologize for the character’s staggering lack of empathy, nor should he. Allan Corduner is a charming Pickering, Jordan Donica a suitably lovestruck and ineffectual Freddy. Norbert Leo Butz gives a riotous Get Me to the Church on Time, though an oddly subdued With a Little Bit of Luck.”
– Alex Soloski, The Guardian.