My Fair Lady

On a cold Saturday afternoon, we were grateful for the warm welcome to the Priory Centre in St Neots by Front of House team Paul and Linda Riddy and Don McKay. It was also great to have the opportunity to speak to Dave Maltby, in charge of Lighting and Sound just before the start of the show.

As Chairman, Ian Worsford mentions in the programme, My Fair Lady is a ‘timeless classic’ which has been selected by VAMPS at the request of audience members to have a more traditional production. It also happens to be one of my favourites, so I was looking forward to the show.

The opening Overture was like a friend welcoming us all back to a familiar place and time, all the well-known songs played sensitively by an orchestra conducted by Alana Thackray. I was a little concerned that their sound could overpower the cast as they were situated on the floor between the edge of the stage and the first row of the seats, but this was not the case at all. There was a wonderful balance throughout the show, and it was lovely to be able to see them all playing.

VAMPS leading lady, Emma Driscoll once again shone, with great vocals and believable and sensitive reactions when dealing with the rollercoaster of emotions that the role of Eliza Doolittle requires.  She was matched perfectly by the double act of Russell Vincent as Henry Higgins and George Kelly as Colonel Pickering. I particularly enjoyed Russell’s rendition of ‘I’m and Ordinary Man’ and ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face’ both for the quality of singing and the plausible melancholy required. Young Rhys Nadin, as Freddy Eynesford-Hill was extremely impressive showing strong stage presence and excellent vocals. ‘On the Street Where you Live’ was romantic and endearing.

Alfred Doolittle is a lovely part to play with some great songs and lines. Ian Worsford was a believable and animated old rogue who was most definitely ‘Willing to tell you, wanting to tell you, waiting to tell you.’ He commanded the stage during his big numbers with a strong voice and great comedy timing. It was particularly good to see his two drinking companions Peta Riley as Harriet (Harry) and Kim Ulmer as Janie (Jamie) being played by women. The rearranged harmonies for the higher voices worked well.

Eleanor Ayres as Mrs Pearce played a wonderfully confident role displaying just the correct amount of disdain towards Professor Higgins treatment of Eliza. In this sometimes, overlooked role it was noticeable that she was not only in charge of the servants on stage, but also led them in the singing.  Christine Suggars was a lovely matriarchal Mrs Higgins with well delivered lines.

There was some good ensemble work in particular by Tom Monkhouse, who was also Professor Karparthy and Malcolm Crawford, who I noticed has a rich baritone voice. The maids worked hard on their ‘business’ around the stage and did not distract the audience away from the main action. I was particularly impressed how Katie Kitson and Eleanor Ayres dealt with the spillage around Professor Higgins desk. Ascot Gavotte was beautifully staged and had just that correct degree of aloofness displayed by the ensemble. Singing again was good, with clipped crisp diction.

Choreography by Kimberley Phillips-Arnott was clearly well thought out both for the ability of the company and the size of the stage. I particularly liked the ‘Wouldn’t it be Loverly?’ and ‘Get me to the Church on Time’ which were lively and had some great ensemble work and excellent use of tankards! The Ballroom Waltz was simple, but enjoyable to watch.

The set, by Ashley Radley and Paul Parsons was simple, and the projected scenes of London and Ascot worked well. This show must be near the top of the list for the number of scene changes, especially the number of times Higgins’ Study needs to be reset. Most of these worked really well, especially when the ensemble came through the audience at the end of numbers, but there were a couple of times when the pace of the show dropped, which was a shame.

Costumes, in the main, were good. Ascot Ladies had some lovely dresses, hats and gloves. Unfortunately, a few of the ladies dress lengths in other scenes were not correct for the Edwardian era – a time when ankles were sometimes just visible, but rarely more than that. It didn’t detract from the overall performance but would have made a good show even better.

It was a long show – with the interval, nearly three hours, but credit must go to Director Collete Parker because time flew – and that only happens when you’re enjoying yourself!

Thank-you VAMPS for a ‘loverly’ afternoon

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