By MARIA SCULLIO
By MARIA SCULLIO
My Fair Lady arrives for its January 30th – February 4th run at the Benedum Center. This is the Lincoln Center Theater production directed by Bartlett Sher and nominated for best revival at the 2018 Tony Awards. The production stars Jonathan Grunert as Higgins and Anette Barrios-Torres as Eliza.
Point Park University grad Gil Vaughn-Spencer, a triple threat recently seen in the Legally Blonde 23/24 national tour and A Chorus Line ’22 international tour, will be making a rare return to Pittsburgh with the My Fair Lady tour.
Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) wrote the quintessential 1956 Broadway hit, with songs such as “On the Street Where You Live,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face.”
Based on George Bernard Shaw‘s 1913 play, Pygmalion, it’s the story of a Cockney flower girl, Eliza, who is the object of a wager by two esteemed linguists. Arrogant professor Henry Higgins bets he can take this urchin and — training her to speak correctly — pass her off as a lady.
“Object” is an apt word, as Eliza’s humanity is hardly a consideration for Professor Higgins. She’s his experiment.
Before you can say, “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain,” Eliza is transformed. Meanwhile, her errant father, Alfred (Michael Hegarty), is ready for his big change — he’s getting married. A few more hours, that’s all the time he’s got.
The raucous “Get Me To The Church On Time” is a true show-stopper. As 11 o’clock numbers go, it is an undisputed winner. For Vaughn-Spencer it’s also a chance to cut loose, the lateness of the hour be damned. “It’s high-energy, it’s a great number, it goes on forever,” he said. “We all love spreading that energy [for the audience].”
In this newer version, Eliza’s father is surrounded by a chorus of dancing girls as he celebrates one last night of bachelorhood. Then he’s joined by a can-can lineup of male dancers in drag who perform twists, turns, and kicks. Vaughn-Spencer is the self-described “flip guy.” “They deboned my corset because I do a stunt: an assisted, one-handed rose plop on the stage.”
When Vaughn-Spencer grew up in Pocatello, Idaho, Point Park wasn’t on his original short list of colleges because he’d never heard of it. His mentor, Blair Bybee, was surprised Point Park wasn’t on that list, so Vaughn-Spencer set out to learn of its renowned theater arts and dance programs. He auditioned and received favorable attention from the school, and that was that. Wryly noted he graduated in the “lovely” year 2020.
Every city has its own adventures, said Vaughn-Spencer. While in college, he perfected his bartending skills at the Embassy Suites and on the Gateway Clipper. Best drink? “For anyone interested in gin, I will make them The Last Word… it’s just a matter of whether I can get green chartreuse; there’s a shortage right now.”
Jim Cooney, the show’s associate choreographer, has made a few modifications to Christopher Gattelli‘s original choreography. There is a deck that goes on top of the actual stage, and as theaters can differ in many ways, a cartwheel in Greensboro might land differently than on the deck at the Benedum. “A couple of times, we have thrown a little too much power into the stunts…” Vaughn-Spencer said.
Pittsburgh audiences appreciate the enduring charm of “My Fair Lady;” it’s been part of the CLO lineup seven times but not since 2003 when Charles Shaughnessy played Henry Higgins here. Sher’s Lincoln Center version has altered the final act in that Eliza is no longer cowed by Higgins’ bullying. It’s keeping in the spirit of Shaw’s original Pygmalion.
“With Eliza keeping her agency and eventually stepping into the more feminist role, that is where we start to get regional differences in [audience] reaction,” Vaughn-Spencer said.
“When we’re leaving the stage once in a while, [we’re hearing] there are people who absolutely loved the ending, or people who were more used to the original Broadway show,” Vaughn-Spencer said. “What I really love, and will try to point out, is that Pygmalion ends the same way we end our show.”
“So it’s bringing it back to its original intention.”
TICKETS AND DETAILS
THe Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway Across America presents My Fair Lady at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts January 30 – February 4, 2024.
For tickets visit https://trustarts.org/production/86817/my-fair-lady or the box office at 412-456-4800.
Categories: Show Previews
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