Original Broadway Poster byMusicLyricsBookBasisbyProductions19561957 US Tour19581976 Broadway1978 UK Tour1979 West End1980 US Tour1981 Broadway1993 US Tour1993 Broadway2001 West End2005 UK Tour2007 US Tour2008 Australian Tour2016 Australian Tour2018 BroadwayAwards19572002My Fair Lady is a based on 's, with book and lyrics by and music. The story concerns, a flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a, so that she may pass as a lady. The original Broadway and London shows starred and.The musical's 1956 production was a notable critical and popular success. It set a record for the of any show on Broadway up to that time. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular, and many revivals. My Fair Lady has been called 'the perfect musical'.
Contents.Plot Act I In London, Eliza Doolittle is a flower girl with a thick, unintelligible accent. The noted Professor Henry Higgins encounters Eliza at and laments the vulgarity of her dialect ('Why Can't the English?'
Higgins also meets Colonel Pickering, another linguist, and invites him to stay as his houseguest. Eliza and her friends wonder what it would be like to live a comfortable life ('?' ).Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, stops by the next morning searching for money for a drink ('). Soon after, Eliza comes to Higgins's house, seeking lessons so that she can get a job as an assistant in a florist's shop.
Higgins wagers Pickering that, within six months, by teaching Eliza to speak properly, he will enable her to pass for a proper lady.Eliza becomes part of Higgins's household. Though Higgins sees himself as a kindhearted man who merely cannot get along with women ('I'm an Ordinary Man'), to others he appears self-absorbed. Eliza endures Higgins's tyrannical speech tutoring. Frustrated, she dreams of different ways to kill him ('Just You Wait'). Higgins's servants lament the stressful atmosphere ('The Servants' Chorus').Just as Higgins is about to give up on her, Eliza suddenly recites one of her diction exercises in perfect upper-class style (').
Though Mrs Pearce, the housekeeper, insists that Eliza go to bed, she declares she is too excited to sleep (').For her first public tryout, Higgins takes Eliza to his mother's box at ('Ascot Gavotte'). Though Eliza shocks everyone when she forgets herself while watching a race and reverts to foul language, she does capture the heart of Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Freddy calls on Eliza that evening, and he declares that he will wait for her in the street outside Higgins' house (').Eliza's final test requires her to pass as a lady at the Embassy Ball. After more weeks of preparation, she is ready. All the ladies and gentlemen at the ball admire her, and the Queen of invites her to dance with the prince ('Embassy Waltz'). A Hungarian phonetician, Zoltan Karpathy, attempts to discover Eliza's origins. Higgins allows Karpathy to dance with Eliza.Act II The ball is a success; Karpathy has declared Eliza to be a Hungarian princess.
Pickering and Higgins revel in their triumph ('You Did It'), failing to pay attention to Eliza. Eliza is insulted at receiving no credit for her success, packing up and leaving the Higgins house. As she leaves she finds Freddy, who begins to tell her how much he loves her, but she tells him that she has heard enough words; if he really loves her, he should show it ('Show Me').Eliza and Freddy return to Covent Garden but she finds she no longer feels at home there. Her father is there as well, and he tells her that he has received a surprise bequest from an American millionaire, which has raised him to middle-class respectability, and now must marry his lover. Doolittle and his friends have one last spree before the wedding (').Higgins awakens the next morning.
He finds himself out of sorts without Eliza. He wonders why she left after the triumph at the ball and concludes that men (especially himself) are far superior to women ('A Hymn to Him'). Pickering notices the Professor's lack of consideration, and also leaves the Higgins house.Higgins despondently visits his mother's house, where he finds Eliza. Eliza declares she no longer needs Higgins ('Without You'). As Higgins walks home, he realizes he's grown attached to Eliza ('). At home, he sentimentally reviews the recording he made the day Eliza first came to him for lessons, hearing his own harsh words.
Eliza suddenly appears in his home. In suppressed joy at their reunion, Professor Higgins scoffs and asks, 'Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?' Characters and original Broadway cast The original cast of the Broadway stage production:., a young Cockney flowerseller –. Henry Higgins, a professor of –. Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, a –. Colonel Hugh Pickering, Henry Higgins's friend and fellow phoneticist –.
Mrs. Higgins, Henry's socialite mother –. Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a young socialite and Eliza's suitor –. Mrs. Pearce, Higgins's housekeeper –. Zoltan Karpathy, Henry Higgins's former student and rival –Musical numbers. Act I.
'Overture' – The Orchestra. 'Busker Sequence' – The Orchestra. 'Why Can't the English?'
– Professor Higgins. '?' – Eliza and Male Quartet. ' – Alfred Doolittle, Harry, Jamie and Company. 'I'm an Ordinary Man' – Professor Higgins. 'With a Little Bit of Luck (Reprise)' – Alfred Doolittle and Ensemble. 'Just You Wait' – Eliza.
'The Servants' Chorus (Poor Professor Higgins)' – Mrs. Pearce and Servants.
' – Professor Higgins, Eliza, and Colonel Pickering. ' – Eliza, Mrs. Pearce, and Servants.
'Ascot Gavotte' – Ensemble. ' – Freddy. 'Eliza's Entrance/Embassy Waltz' – The OrchestraAct II. 'You Did It' – Colonel Pickering, Professor Higgins, Mrs.
Pearce, and Servants. 'Just You Wait (Reprise)' – Eliza. 'On the Street Where You Live (Reprise)' – Freddy. 'Show Me' – Freddy, then Eliza. 'The Flower Market/Wouldn't It Be Loverly?
(Reprise)' – Eliza and Male Quartet. ' – Alfred Doolittle and Ensemble. 'A Hymn to Him' – Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering. 'Without You' – Eliza and Professor Higgins. ' – Professor Higgins. 'I Could Have Danced All Night (Reprise) / Finale' – The OrchestraBackground In the mid-1930s, film producer acquired the rights to produce film versions of several of 's plays, among them. However, Shaw, having had a bad experience with, a Viennese operetta based on his play, refused permission for Pygmalion to be adapted into a musical.
After Shaw died in 1950, Pascal asked lyricist to write the musical adaptation. Lerner agreed, and he and his partner began work.
But they quickly realised that the play violated several key rules for constructing a musical: the main story was not a love story, there was no subplot or secondary love story, and there was no place for an ensemble. Many people, including, who, with, had also tried his hand at adapting Pygmalion into a musical and had given up, told Lerner that converting the play to a musical was impossible, so he and Loewe abandoned the project for two years.During this time, the collaborators separated and Gabriel Pascal died. Lerner had been trying to musicalize when he read Pascal's obituary and found himself thinking about Pygmalion again. When he and Loewe reunited, everything fell into place.
All of the insurmountable obstacles that had stood in their way two years earlier disappeared when the team realised that the play needed few changes apart from (according to Lerner) 'adding the action that took place between the acts of the play'. They then excitedly began writing the show. However, was in charge of Pascal's estate, and the musical rights to Pygmalion were sought both by Lerner and Loewe and by, whose executives called Lerner to discourage him from challenging the studio. Loewe said, 'We will write the show without the rights, and when the time comes for them to decide who is to get them, we will be so far ahead of everyone else that they will be forced to give them to us.' For five months Lerner and Loewe wrote, hired technical designers, and made casting decisions. The bank, in the end, granted them the musical rights.Lerner settled on the title My Fair Lady, relating both to one of Shaw's provisional titles for Pygmalion, Fair Eliza, and to the final line of every verse of the nursery rhyme '.
Recalling that the Gershwins' 1925 musical Tell Me More had been titled My Fair Lady in its out-of-town tryout, and also had a musical number under that title, Lerner made a courtesy call to Ira Gershwin, alerting him to the use of the title for the Lerner and Loewe musical. was the first to be offered the role of Henry Higgins, but he turned it down, suggesting the producers cast instead. After much deliberation, Harrison agreed to accept the part. Was an early choice for the role of, but declined the role.
Young actress was 'discovered' and cast as Eliza after the show's creative team went to see her Broadway debut in. agreed to direct after hearing only two songs.
The experienced orchestrators and were entrusted with the, and the show quickly went into rehearsal. The musical's script used several scenes that Shaw had written especially for the, including the Embassy Ball sequence and the final scene of the 1938 film rather than the ending for Shaw's original play. The montage showing Eliza's lessons was also expanded, combining both Lerner's and Shaw's dialogue. The artwork on the original (and the sleeve of the cast recording) is by, who drew the playwright Shaw as a heavenly pulling the strings on the Henry Higgins character, while Higgins in turn attempts to control Eliza Doolittle. Productions Original Broadway production.
Program from Mark Hellinger TheatreThe musical had its pre-Broadway tryout at 's. At the first preview Rex Harrison, who was unaccustomed to singing in front of a live orchestra, 'announced that under no circumstances would he go on that night.with those thirty-two interlopers in the pit'. He locked himself in his dressing room and came out little more than an hour before curtain time. The whole company had been dismissed but were recalled, and opening night was a success. My Fair Lady then played for four weeks at the Erlanger Theatre in, beginning on February 15, 1956.The musical premiered on March 15, 1956, at the in. It transferred to the and then, where it closed on September 29, 1962, after 2,717 performances,.
By the start of 1959, it was the biggest grossing Broadway show of all-time with a gross of $10 million. Directed and was choreographer.
In addition to stars, and, the original cast included,. Harrison was replaced by in November 1957 and replaced Andrews in February 1958.The, released on April 2, 1956, went on to become the best-selling album in the country in 1956. Original London production The production, in which Harrison, Andrews, Coote, and Holloway reprised their roles, opened on April 30, 1958, at the, where it ran for five and a half years (2,281 performances). Star made her last appearance in the musical as Mrs. Played Freddy.
Harrison left the London cast in March 1959, followed by Andrews in August 1959 and Holloway in October 1959.1970s revivals The first revival opened at the on Broadway on March 25, 1976, and ran there until December 5, 1976; it then transferred to the, running from December 9, 1976, until it closed on February 20, 1977, after a total of 377 performances and 7 previews. The director was, with choreography by Crandall Diehl, based on the original choreography by Hanya Holm. Starred as Higgins, with as Eliza, as Alfred P. Doolittle and recreating his role as Pickering. Both Richardson and Rose were nominated for the for Best Actor in a Musical, with the award going to Rose.A London revival opened at the in October 1979, with as Higgins, as Eliza, as Higgins' mother, Peter Bayliss, Richard Caldicot. The revival was produced by and directed by the author, Alan Jay Lerner. A national tour was directed.
Britton and Robertson were both nominated for Olivier Awards. 1981 and 1993 Broadway revivals Another Broadway revival of the original production opened at the on August 18, 1981, and closed on November 29, 1981, after 120 performances and 4 previews. Rex Harrison recreated his role as Higgins, with, and Cathleen Nesbitt, at 93 years old reprising her role as Mrs. The revival co-starred Nancy Ringham as Eliza. The director was, with choreography by Crandall Diehl, recreating the original Hanya Holm dances.A new revival directed by Howard Davies opened at the on December 9, 1993, and closed on May 1, 1994, after 165 performances and 16 previews.
The cast starred, and., son of, recreated his father's role of Alfred P. Was the choreographer. 2001 London revival; 2003 Hollywood Bowl production Cameron Mackintosh produced a new production on March 15, 2001, at the, which transferred to the on July 21.
Directed by, with choreography by, the musical starred as Eliza and as Higgins, with as Alfred P. This revival won three: Outstanding Musical Production, Best Actress in a Musical and Best Theatre Choreographer (Matthew Bourne), with Anthony Ward receiving a nomination for Set Design. In December 2001, Joanna Riding took over the role of Eliza, and in May 2002, took over as Higgins, both winning Olivier Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical respectively in 2003. In March 2003, and took over the roles until the show closed on August 30, 2003.A UK tour of this production began September 28, 2005. The production starred and as Eliza, as Henry Higgins, and as Alfred Doolittle, and and as Mrs. The tour ended August 12, 2006.In 2003 a production of the musical at the starred as Henry Higgins, as Eliza Doolittle, as Alfred P.
Doolittle and as Colonel Pickering. 2018 Broadway revival A Broadway revival produced by and Nederlander Presentations Inc. Began previews on March 15, 2018, at the and officially opened on April 19, 2018. It was directed by with choreography by, scenic design by, costume design by and lighting design. The cast included as Eliza, as Professor Henry Higgins, as Mrs. Higgins, as Alfred P.
Doolittle, as Colonel Pickering, Jordan Donica as Freddy, and Linda Mugleston as Mrs. Pearce.replaced Rigg as Mrs. Higgins from September 11, 2018. Replaced Ambrose as Eliza from October 23, 2018, extending her engagement to July 7, 2019. Replaced Butz as Alfred P. Doolittle from January 8 to April 28, 2019.
Replaced Burstein on April 30, 2019.The revival closed on July 7, 2019, after 39 previews and 509 regular performances. Other major productions Berlin, 1961 A German translation of My Fair Lady opened on October 1, 1961, at the in Berlin, starring and (and conducted, as was the Broadway opening, by ).
Coming at the height of tensions, just weeks after the closing of the East Berlin–West Berlin border and the erection of the, this was the first staging of a Broadway musical in Berlin since. As such it was seen as a symbol of West Berlin's cultural renaissance and resistance. Lost attendance from East Berlin (now no longer possible) was partly made up by a 'musical air bridge' of flights bringing in patrons from West Germany, and the production was embraced by Berliners, running for two years. 2007 New York Philharmonic concert and US tour In 2007 the held a full-costume concert presentation of the musical. The concert had a four-day engagement lasting from March 7–10 at 's. It starred as Higgins, as Eliza, as Pickering, and as Alfred Doolittle. Higgins; Nixon had provided the singing voice of in the film version.A U.S.
Tour of Mackintosh's 2001 West End production ran from September 12, 2007, to June 22, 2008. The production starred Christopher Cazenove as Higgins, as Eliza, as Pickering, Tim Jerome as Alfred Doolittle and Nixon as Mrs. Higgins, replacing. 2008 Australian tour An Australian tour produced by commenced in May 2008. The production starred as Higgins, as Eliza, as Alfred Doolittle and as Mrs Pearce. Took the role of Alfred Doolittle in Queensland, and played the role of Henry Higgins at the Theatre Royal, Sydney. 2010 Paris revival A new production was staged by at the in Paris for a limited 27-performance run, opening December 9, 2010, and closing January 2, 2011.
It was presented in English. The costumes were designed by and the choreography was by Lynne Page.
The cast was as follows: Sarah Gabriel / Christine Arand (Eliza Doolittle), Alex Jennings (Henry Higgins), Margaret Tyzack (Mrs. Higgins), Nicholas Le Prevost (Colonel Pickering), (Alfred Doolittle), and Jenny Galloway (Mrs. 2012 Sheffield production A new production of My Fair Lady opened at on December 13, 2012. Played Henry Higgins, and Carly Bawden played Eliza Doolittle. Sheffield Theatres' Artistic Director was the director. The production ran until January 26, 2013. 2016 Australian production The Gordon Frost Organisation, together with, presented a production at the from August 30 to November 5, 2016.
It was directed by Julie Andrews and featured the set and costume designs of the original 1956 production by Smith and Beaton. The production sold more tickets than any other in the history of the Sydney Opera House. The show's opening run in Sydney was so successful that in November 2016, ticket pre-sales were released for a re-run in Sydney, with the extra shows scheduled between August 24 and September 10, 2017, at the.
In 2017, the show toured to Brisbane from March 12 and Melbourne from May 11.The cast featured as Higgins ( for Brisbane and Melbourne seasons), as Eliza, as Alfred P. Doolittle, as Mrs.
Higgins (later ), as Freddy, Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Colonel Pickering, as Mrs. Pearce, and David Whitney as Karpathy. Critical reception According to Geoffrey Block, 'Opening night critics immediately recognized that My Fair Lady fully measured up to the Rodgers and Hammerstein model of an integrated musical.Robert Coleman.wrote 'The Lerner-Loewe songs are not only delightful, they advance the action as well. They are ever so much more than interpolations, or interruptions.' ' The musical opened to 'unanimously glowing reviews, one of which said 'Don't bother reading this review now. You'd better sit right down and send for those tickets.'
Critics praised the thoughtful use of Shaw's original play, the brilliance of the lyrics, and Loewe's well-integrated score.' A sampling of praise from critics, excerpted from a book form of the musical, published in 1956.
My Fair Lady Bridal
' My Fair Lady is wise, witty, and winning. In short, a miraculous musical.' ,. 'A felicitous blend of intellect, wit, rhythm and high spirits. A masterpiece of musical comedy. A terrific show.'
Robert Coleman,. 'Fine, handsome, melodious, witty and beautifully acted. An exceptional show.' George Jean Nathan,.
'Everything about My Fair Lady is distinctive and distinguished.' John Chapman,. 'Wonderfully entertaining and extraordinarily welcomed. Meritorious in every department.' ,.
'One of the 'loverliest' shows imaginable. A work of theatre magic.'
John Beaufort,. 'An irresistible hit.'
. 'One of the best musicals of the century.'
,.The reception from Shavians was more mixed, however., for instance, called it 'a terrible treatment of Mr. Shaw's play, undermining the basic idea of the play', even though he acknowledged it as 'a delightful show'.
Principal roles and casting history CharacterBroadway(1956)West End(1958)Broadway(1976)West End(1979)Broadway(1981)Broadway(1993)West End(2001)Hollywood Bowl(2003)Broadway(2018)Nancy RinghamHenry HigginsAlfred P. HigginsCathleen NesbittColonel Hugh PickeringPaxton WhiteheadFreddy Eynsford-HillJerry LanningNicholas WymanRobert SellaKevin EarlyJordan DonicaMrs. Main article:An -winning was made in 1964, directed by and with Harrison again in the part of Higgins.
The casting of instead of Julie Andrews as Eliza was controversial, partly because theatregoers regarded Andrews as perfect for the part and partly because Hepburn's singing voice was dubbed (by )., the head of, which produced the film, wanted 'a star with a great deal of name recognition', but since Julie Andrews did not have any film experience, he thought a movie with her would not be as successful. (Andrews went on to star in that same year for which she won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actress.) Lerner in particular disliked the film version of the musical, thinking it did not live up to the standards of Moss Hart's original direction. He was also unhappy with the casting of Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and that the film was shot in its entirety at the Warner Bros. Studio rather than, as he would have preferred, in London. Despite the controversy, My Fair Lady was considered a major critical and box office success, and won eight, including, for, and for.Unrealized 2008 film announced a new adaptation in 2008. The intention was to shoot on location in, and the. Was signed to direct the film, and and were possible choices for the leading roles.
Wrote a new screenplay adaptation for the project, but it was shelved.
◎片 名 窈窕淑女 My Fair Lady◎年 代 1964◎国 家 美国◎类 型◎语 言 英语◎上映日期 1964-12-25◎豆瓣评分 8.0 分 / （总分10分）◎豆瓣链接◎ＩＭＤＢ 长 172分钟◎导 演 乔治库克◎主 演◎整理时间 2018年04月16日◎整理编辑 此电影信息由【】整理排版！◎获奖情况 第37届奥斯卡金像奖 最佳影片 杰克L华纳第37届奥斯卡金像奖 最佳导演 乔治库克第37届奥斯卡金像奖 最佳男主角 雷克斯哈里森◎简 介卖花女伊莉莎.杜利特尔，长得眉清目秀，聪明乖巧，但出身寒微，家境贫寒。她每天到街头叫卖鲜花，赚点钱补贴家用。一天，伊莉莎低俗的嗓音引起了语言学家希金斯教授的注意，教授夸口只要经过他的训练，卖花女也可以成为贵夫人。伊莉莎觉得教授说的话对她是一个机会，就主动上门请求教授训练她。教授的朋友皮克林和他打赌，如果让伊莉莎以贵夫人的身份出席6个月后将举办的大使游园会而不被人识破真相，那么皮克林愿意承担一切试验费用和伊莉莎的学费，这激起了教授的斗志，希金斯欣然接受了挑战。他是不甘示弱的，他从最基本的字母发音开始教起。希金斯是个精力旺盛和讲究科学的学者，对每一感兴趣件事都能废寝忘食。他胸怀坦荡、丝毫不怀任何恶意，但他又像孩子一样，毫不顾及他人的感情，对伊莉莎严加训练。.