Arts & Entertainment
 

TUTS' 'My Fair Lady' a new twist on old story

By Ashley Grubbs
The Daily Cougar

The classic Cinderella story of a girlis rags-to-riches adventure is given a twist in Theatre Under The Stars production of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loeweis My Fair Lady. 

People who are unfamiliar with My Fair Lady are likely to be surprised by the quality of the characters. The two main characters, Eliza and Higgins, are not the most likeable people. Eliza is annoying during most of the show (she was particularly difficult to tolerate at the beginning, before her first song), and Higgins is pompous and unsympathetic until just before his pseudo love song, "Iive Grown Accustomed to Her Face", the last song of the show. 

My Fair Lady has no interest in presenting a fairy tale. It ignores the conventional soaring love ballads and furtive passions of other love stories. Nevertheless, the story is entertaining, and the unusual characters lead to a more believable story.

The performances are all impressive, and the actors are capable singers and dancers. Cramptonis voice is rich and full, almost too full for her street urchin character at the beginning. Still, her songs are enjoyable; they help give her character depth, and they make her Cockney whining easier to tolerate. 

Schoeffleris Higgins is arrogant and unkind to Eliza, but heis amusing in his own way. Both his speech and his songs are full of wry jokes, given mostly in undertone and at someone elseis expense. 

The show is also littered with engaging minor characters ­ most notably, Elizais scheming father. Alfred Doolittle, played by Ed Dixon, has two songs about his philosophy on life, both of which are accompanied by some of the best ensemble dancing in the show. 

There is also Freddy Eynsford-Hill, the unappreciated romantic who has the only "real" love song in the show, and Mrs. Pearce, Higginsi put-upon housekeeper. These extra characters round out the cast and act as amusing comic diversions from the main story.

Of course, one cannot forget the sets. TUTS founder Frank M. young touted this play as "the most expensive regional production of My Fair Lady ever mounted," and it shows. The sets are huge and meticulously detailed, particularly Higginsi office, where most of the show takes place. One or two of the scenes could do without such elaborate backdrops, but by and large, they are a nice addition.

The costumes are also impressive, especially the Ascot scene, full of snobby rich people dressed entirely in black and white (with bright pink accents). In every scene, the costumes are expertly chosen to add to the characters or action.

TUTSi production of My Fair Lady is not perfect, but it has good singing, excellent dancing and a timeless story that everybody should experience at least once. My Fair Lady runs through Feb. 16.

My Fair Lady

Theatre Under The Stars

The verdict: Elaborate costumes, songs, dancing and sets make My Fair Lady, if nothing else, nice to look at.

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