My Fair Lady

This was the first of, what I suspect will be, many productions of the show.  Having been recently re-released for amateur performances it is inevitable that many companies want to perform it.

Personally, I love the show and I was pleased that TOPS, once more, delivered a strong production.  The two lead roles, Professor Higgins, played by Mike Rawlinson, and Eliza Doolittle, played by Nicola Harrington-Smith were both exceptional.  Mike’s delivery was immaculate and with his excellent vocals, very entertaining.  Nicola looked and sounded superb.  I did feel that the relationship, between them, did not quite deliver the magic that I have come to expect of the roles.  Technically, though, I couldn’t fault their performances.

Harry Doyle was delightful as Colonel Pickering and Trevor Povey very entertaining as Alfred P Doolittle.  Luke Coldham was excellent as Freddie Eysnford-Hill.  The ladies were also very good, Vanda Mercer (Mrs Pearce) managed to convey both her disdain at Professor Higgins actions and her compassion for Eliza.  Dawn Peat was delightful as Mrs Higgins and Teresa Andrews made Mrs Eynsford-Hill strong and watchable. 

The quartet of Christian Mann, John Hunting, Alan Watts and Simon Mann were very good, some excellent harmonies and a well sustained chorale sound.  Simon Lambert joined Simon Mann as two lead male characters (Jamie and Harry) and they were very entertaining, especially in With a Little Bit of Luck with Trevor Povey.

The ensemble played a variety pf parts and they all had their individual characters, all of which were well portrayed.  The singing was very strong, and it was evident that everyone was enjoying themselves on stage.   I was interested to see the inclusion of two children in the show, George Lane and Summer Leslie, who were both delightful to watch.

This theatre has very limited scenery possibilities and Director Ann Sullivan made the best of it.  There was excessive use of one traveller, but I really do not see how the scene changes could have been done any other way.  They were quick and the use of the front area for some interim scenes meant that the pace of the show did not lag.

Costumes were beautiful, although I would caution the use of a pink closure on a white dress.  Eliza’s Ascot dress fitted extremely well but this did mean that we saw more of the closure than perhaps we should have!  I loved the variety in the Ascot costumes and the attention to detail in the use of the right coloured tights (black for cockneys and white for ladies) is to be commended.

The band, under the direction of MD Patrick Tucker, was well balanced and supported the singing throughout.  Lighting and sound were spot on and this all came together in a, really, enjoyable production.

Thank you for inviting me and for your hospitality in the interval, I had an lovely evening’s entertainment.

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