SHAW'S SOCIALIST ORIGINAL IS RENDERED LIBERAL IN THIS TEXT
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Steve Cramer finds class conflict and love at the heart of Trevor Nunn’s
acclaimed production of My Fair Lady.
‘ye gotten so Used to sunny delight pieees (net the last quarter eentury or so that it's easy to l‘orget that great musieals hay e real meaning and strength. with pow erl‘ul soeial and politieal undet'eurrents beneath the text. Look baek a year to the amusing but trite .llumu .lliu at the
Playhouse. and you ean spot the prol‘ound gull
between the generations. l‘or Lerner and l.oewe\ magnilieent adaptation ol~ Shaw's l’y'eniu/i'un has a prolound eommentary about elass and loye under a joyl‘ul and \ery moying \eneer. 'l‘reyor .\'unn’s prodttetion in tact allows its to projeet all the joy. and eoneentrates on the eatastrophie soeial eorruption that is the British elass sy stem. Along the way. w e‘re moy ed in spite ol ourselyes.
The story ol~ Iili/a l)oolitt|e‘s (Amy \uttal) Frankenstein-like journey l‘rom impoyerished
('oekney How er girl to posh bird under the tutelage ol'
the eold and misogynistie l’rolessor Henry Higgins (Christopher (‘a/enoye) is well known enough not to reiterate at length. but the subtle emphasis on elass in [his production is worthy ()I' lltlIL‘. It is its H. the rel‘erenees to the opera in (‘oyent (iarden as 'a plaee ol worship‘. where the rieh must pass among the poor. are highlighted. while Higgins‘ eomment. 'She’ll only drink it you giye her money’. is striking in the etintemporaneity oi its bigotry.
In the .lliimu .I/iris ol- this world. we tneel middle elass and aspirational tolls who ntight be temporarily short ol‘ lunds. but here we meet the genuine. long- term poor in the shape ol' Iili/a and her lather ta guilel'ul and l‘unny Russ Abbot). who are rendered as emotionally dyslunetional by their eireumstanees as
their grotesquely inhumane ‘betters' l‘rom the upper
elasses. But Shaw's soeialist original is rendered liberal in this test. So it is that indiyidual human ageney. sueh as Higgins” sudden kindness to lili/a produeing a ehange ol' aeeent in "the Rain in Spain'.
beeomes the eentre. Where Shaw eondemned the elass system and the language that stistains it as inherently corrupt and philosophieally untenable. these little touehes seem to when the idea of an absolute and sy stemie injustice into a strueture that ean be altered with the generosity and insight of Higgins' eommtinsensieal. posh mother (Hannah (iordon).
l’or all that. it works splendidly through a strong strueture. whieh relentlesst and unl'oi‘giyingly' lorees its audienee to see romanee in these monstrous. but \ery human eharaeters. Middle—elass marriage is a burden upon old Doolittle. so '(iet Me to the ('hureh on 'l‘ime‘ beeomes a song about a free life with a hideous deadline to it. rather than a celebration of marriage. .\'unn‘s produetion makes this elear. yet still we eelebrate. So too. the deeply ambiyalent and problematieal linal reunion ol‘ Higgins and Eliza is only really romantie beeause we want it to be.
But we do. and it is. 'l'his is in part down to the perli)rmanees. Nuttal is absolutely tremendous in the role of lili/a. and one ean't help but feel that we got a better deal here than the original London audience did with Martine .\le('uteheon. So too. it (‘a/anoye leans pretty heayily on the Rex Harrison original. he does so with pleasing panaehe. Matthew Bourne's ehoreography is a mixed blessing. sinee the dark llogarthian energy that underlies his tay'ern seene in ‘\\'ith a Little Bit ol‘ l.uek‘. eaptures the spirit. but the :\seol seqttenee seems a little abslrael. So too. l‘reddie‘s (Stephen (‘arlilel ‘()n the Street Where You l.i\‘e' is thrown away a little with its eampiness.
l‘or all that. this is a wonderl‘ully smart and moving rendering of one ol' the truly great musieals. and will proy ide a l‘risson to any man who‘s grown aeeustomed to her laee. and any woman who eould‘ye daneed all night. Very reetnnmended.
Playhouse, Edinburgh, until Sat 7 Jan. 0000
Theatre
Hit
THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
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all My Falr Lady Trevor Nunn’s production of Lerner and Leowe's classic musical contains some earthy truths within its high octaine entertainment. It's not just the magical showtunes, but some spectacular visuals and choreography that will keep you entertained. Go see. Playhouse, Edinburgh, until Sat 7 Jan.
II‘ Molly Sweeney The Citz plays host to this highly accomplished and much acclaimed production of Brian Friel’s haunting tale of a woman who recovers her sight after a lifetime’s blindness. A moving and ultimately redemptive story, by all accounts beautifully performed. Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, until Fri 23 Dec.
* Mother Goose Andy Gray and Allan Stewart are up to their old tricks again in this polished and very amusing panto capturing both the spirit and tradition of the season. Acrobatics, jokes about Little Britain, Joss Stone and Chico time are included for good measure. King’s Theatre. Edinburgh, until 15 Jan.
3|: Cinderella A sweet and quietly enjoyable version of this familiar story comes in the form of this Christmas show from the pen of Stewart Paterson. Dundee Rep's ensemble is in good form for the season under James Brining. Dundee Rep, until Sat 37 Dec.
* Weans in the Wood Forbes Masson's terrifically entertaining Weegie epics have become part and parcel of Christmas in Glasgow. This year there's material for adults and children alike in this endearing but edgy comedy. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, until Jan 7.
Li if Nt)‘. 20th THE LIST 99