|
|
My Fair Lady is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. The show's 1956 Broadway production was a smash hit, setting a new record for the longest run of any major theatre production in history. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals. It has been called "the perfect musical."
In the mid 1930s, film producer Gabriel Pascal acquired the rights to produce film versions of several of George Bernard Shaw's plays, Pygmalion being one of them. He approached lyricist Alan Jay Lerner to write the musical adaptation, and Lerner agreed. He and writing partner Frederick Loewe began writing, but they quickly realized that the play seemed incapable of obeying the rules for the construction of a musical. First of all, there was no place for an ensemble. Secondly, there was no subplot or secondary love story.
The musical had its pre-Broadway tryout at New Haven's Schubert Theatre and, starting on February 15, 1956, for four weeks, at the Erlanger Theatre in Philadelphia before opening on March 15, 1956 at the Mark Hollinger Theatre in New York City. It ran for 2,717 performances, a record at the time. The original cast directed by Moss Hart and choreographed by Hanya Holm, included Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, Stanley Holloway, Robert Coote, Cathleen Nesbitt, John Michael King, and Reid Shelton. Edward Mulhare and Sally Ann Howes replaced Harrison and Andrews later in the run.
The show also had a West End revival in 1979 at the Adelphi Theatre with Tony Britton, Liz Robertson, Dame Anna Neagle, Richard Caldicot, and Peter Land. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, it was first directed by Robin Midgley and then by the Lerner himself, and choreographed by Gillian Lynne. Mackintosh again produced the show in 2001 at the Royal National Theatre and later the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with Martine McCutcheon as Eliza Doolittle and Jonathan Pryce as Professor Henry Higgins. This revival won three Olivier awards:
1. Best Actress in a Musical won by Martine McCutcheon
2. Outstanding Musical Production
3. Best Theatre Choreographer won by Matthew Bourne
In 2007 the New York Philharmonic held a full-costume concert presentation of the musical. The concert had a four day engagement from March 7th to 10th at Avery Fisher Hall. It starred Kelli O'Hara as Eliza Doolittle, Kelsey Grammer as Professor Henry Higgins, Charles Kimbrough as Colonel Pickering and Brian Dennehy as Alfred Doolittle.
The musical has been spoofed by or served as an inspiration for episodes of numerous television programs, including The Addams Family, The Andy Griffith Show, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Duckman, The Nanny, Will & Grace, Doctor Who, Arthur, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, ¡Mucha Lucha!, Animaniacs,3rd Rock From the Sun and Star Trek: Voyager.
Our wide selection of My Fair Lady tickets has the lowest markup rate. There is a discount on every My Fair Lady event. To avail the discount, enter your discount code in the discount field to view the discounted event price. You can also click on buy button to check the My Fair Lady theater performances in your city.
Here is your chance to buy My Fair Lady tickets, enjoy the shows and save your money with TicketMayor |
