BEAU CABELL/THE TELEGRAPH Emma Stitt, as Eliza Doolittle, exults after finally getting the rain in Spain lesson down from M. Jared Carson as Henry Higgins, center, in Theatre Macon’s production of “My Fair Lady.” Rob O’Quinn, left, stars as Pickering.
By Hal Tift
"My Fair Lady" begs for a Broadway-sized budget. Theatre Macon and local director Jim Crisp took on this classic show without such a luxury, however, and the result is a carefully crafted production that is wholly entertaining despite its constraints.
The story opens on the streets of London, where crude and lovable Eliza Doolittle attempts to earn a meager living selling flowers. By chance she eventually finds herself as the subject of a social experiment, whereby the cold and tactless linguist, Henry Higgins, takes a bet that he can shape Doolittle into an elegant lady within six months.
Over that time, Doolittle is exposed to the ostentatious lifestyle of London’s upper class. At times, she only ekes by without being discovered, but eventually Higgins has her perfectly trained. For a small production, to provide a convincingly flamboyant atmosphere may be a daunting task.
Director Crisp told me after the show that indeed the budget was a major concern and that he had harbored reservations about choosing the show at first. For instance, the size of the venue, which seats just more than 200 guests, does not immediately lend itself to hosting royal galas. In the end, though, Crisp was pleased, deflecting most of the credit in the direction of his actors, the set and costume designers and the orchestra.
Indeed, the set and costumes were not indicative of the Crisp’s self-proclaimed small budget. Much of the play takes place in the interior of Higgins’ home, where two enormous bookshelves, lined with authentic-looking books and gadgets such as a phonograph and a xylophone, both of which are used as props in addition to decor. Costumes never detracted from the audience’s immersion in the story and (by design) only drew attention in formal settings, such as when characters are gawking at Doolittle’s dress at a ball.
The success of any musical, of course, depends substantially on the music itself. With regard to instrumentation, the modest six-piece orchestra rises to the challenge in "My Fair Lady," providing an in-tune and surprisingly full sound throughout the show. The actors sing well too, especially as an ensemble. At several moments during the production, primary or even secondary characters join together in producing some memorable barbershop-style harmonies.
Leads Michael Jared Carson (Higgins) and Emma Stitt (Doolittle) do not squeeze all of the vocal potential out of their well-known roles, but their voices are certainly no letdown, and at times they are magnificent: Stitt in “I Could Have Danced All Night,” for instance. Along with the majority of the cast, their command of the various English accents is solid enough to leave some audience members believing that they natively speak with an English accent (they do not).
A notoriously fun aspect of the show is Doolittle’s jarring lower-class English accent, and Stitt delivers, providing laugh after laugh with a dropped ‘h’ or badly misspoken vowel. Carson too evokes audience-wide chuckles, with his screeching impression of a nagging woman during one of the show’s most colorful songs, “A Hymn to Him.”
Carson’s acting is what sets him apart, more so than his singing, and by the end of the production, there’s little doubt that he has stolen the show. During songs his ability to weave spoken-word acting and humor into his performance is impressive and truly makes the show. There are dozens of components, on and off stage, that deserve praise for this production, but "My Fair Lady" simply cannot succeed without a charismatic and humorous Higgins — Carson’s take on the eccentric Englishman is just that.
The strongest vocalist in the cast is Bryson Halloway (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), who appears only sparingly in the story. The infrequency with which Halloway’s charming singing voice is showcased throughout the show is somewhat disappointing, but in light of Carson’s knack for the role of Higgins, it is not difficult to see why he ultimately was chosen for the part over anyone else, Halloway included.
While the production transcends its budgetary limitations to a remarkable degree, the show cannot escape them completely. Even with the talented orchestra and cast, climactic musical moments sometimes fall a bit flat, simply because of the physical limitations of the space and the number of performers. For those viewers who approach the small production with reasonable expectations, though, you’ll be on your feet when the curtain falls.
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