I’m usually wary of the sentimental manipulation in which musical theatre seems to specialise. However, My Fair Lady is just LOVERLY!

Amy Nuttall is fabulous both pre and post elocution transformation. With her flawless accents, she is equally convincing at guttersnipe screeching and when wrapping her lovely lips around Hertford, Herefordshire and Hampshire (where, apparently, hurricanes hardly ever happen). One criticism, made by a friend, is that she imitates Audrey Hepburn too closely, but having not seen the movie version myself, I found her performance to be original, funny and moving. It must be said though that the real show-stealer is Russ Abbot, playing the part of Eliza Doolittle’s father, who turns each scene from merely amusing to laugh out loud hilarious. The stomping rendition of ‘With a Little Bit O’ Luck’ is an inspired piece of physical theatre. Indeed the choreography as a whole is simple but incredibly effective, characterised by a wholesome and hearty, arm-swinging, foot-stamping style.

The costumes proved to be another highlight, in particular, in the Ascot scene at which every girl in the theatre must have longed to belong to that era. It’s the clever, thoughtful detail that makes this possible, from each sequined hat, to the presence of a prancing, purple-suited jockey amidst the uniform elegance of the upper-classes. The same can be said of the set: immaculate, elaborate and lavish, without distracting too much from the action on stage.

A few, regrettable criticisms though. It was often difficult to understand what the characters were saying. Ironically, this was mostly the case with Henry Higgins whose singing voice was perhaps not as strong as it ought to be. At times, I suspected that it might not hold out for the whole run (book now to avoid disappointment!) That said, the fault was, in part, due to the microphones which didn’t seem loud enough, a fault which will, with a little bit o’ luck, be rapidly rectified. The second half also feels a little weaker, predominantly because the majority of the show-stopping songs belong to the first act, with the only notable exceptions of ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’ and ‘Ascot Gavotte’.

Overall, I can totally recommend this; it’s an exceptional staging which does full justice to the warm, witty story. Make sure you go, not least because of Colonel Pickering’s genius comic timing and predilection for frilly trimmings, Eliza’s Ascot hat and shiver-inducing* delivery of ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and Alfred P. Doolittle’s propping up of the lamppost. Indeed, (cue music) ‘I could have waaatched all night!’

* N.B. I do have a conspiracy theory regarding this which is that the auditorium’s air conditioning is given a surreptitious tweak at such moments, resulting in the ‘thrill of a chill’!

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