My Fair Lady | 3/5

SINGAPORE — It all came flooding back about 15 minutes into the performance.

I was young lad the first time I saw My Fair Lady on TV — the one starring the lovely Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins. I hadn’t seen My Fair Lady since — not even a re-run — but when Eliza launching into that song of wishful thinking, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, I was reminded of all those tunes by written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe.

Now, I have to say I’m not really a big fan of musicals. None of them from, Phantom to Les Mis, made much of an impression on me, save perhaps, The Sound Of Music and Grease. I only liked Chicago because of the costumes, and I must say that I used to confuse My Fair Lady with Doctor Dolittle, not only because of the Dolittle/Doolittle similarity but because Rex Harrison is in both movies.

So I was rather suprised to find myself humming or quietly singing along to all the songs from My Fair Lady. Tunes like, I’m An Ordinary Man, Just You Wait, On The Street Where You Live, With A Little Bit Of Luck (which I once got confused with Paul McCartney’s With A Little Luck) You Did It, Get Me To The Church On Time, I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face, and of course, the two biggies, The Rain In Spain and I Could Have Danced All Night.

The story itself has been retold many times: Uncouth and unkempt flower girl Eliza (played by Aurora Florence) becomes the subject of Higgins’ (Chris Carsten) experiment after he tells Colonel Pickering (Richard Springle) that he can turn Eliza into a duchess in six months. We then are treated to Higgins’ methods, which basically consist of wearing the poor girl down until — by George — she gets it.

The show runs particularly long - it lasts just over three hours, including the break, which meant that because I’d skipped dinner, I was as hungry as a dog by the time I left the theatre.

Fortunately for the audience, Florence and Carsten’s chemistry manages to drive the show along. They play off each other brilliantly, and you find yourself just waiting for when they have scenes together. Carsten swings from genteel to abrasive with such aplomb - you can almost see him really relishing it; while Florence tracks Eliza’s growth from guttersnipe to lady of the ball with such grace and charm.

Of the supporting players Springle gives Colonel Pickering an almost buffonish turn and provides the necessary comic relief, while Michael Brian Dunn is engaging as Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s ne’er-do-well dad who “sells” his daughter to Higgins for five pounds.

Of course, as with any live performance (no taped music here, the orchestra plays the soundtrack) there were a couple of glitches with cues, and Carsten flubbed a couple of his lines, but was quick enough to cover it up.

So is it a show to watch? Sure. The songs from the musical have been embedded into our consciousness, such that you’ll perk up every time you hear a familiar phrase. And first-timers to the musical I spoke to loved the story. The cast put up a “loverly” performance and they did enough such that you didn’t really notice the time flying by.

But here’s a tip: Get some dinner first. Christopher Toh

My Fair Lady runs until March 2 at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre. 8pm (2pm weekend matinees). Tickets from S$95 to S$195 from SISTIC.