”
My Fair Lady,
”
the last production of West Valley Light Opera Association’s
44th season, captivates the audience from the moment the curtain
rises to the closing scene.
“My Fair Lady,” the last production of West Valley Light Opera Association’s 44th season, captivates the audience from the moment the curtain rises to the closing scene. The musical is more than 50 years old and still holds the charm and delight it did the day it opened on Broadway in 1956 with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. It ran for a record breaking 2,717 sold out performances, and went on to a multi Academy Award winning movie.
Take lyrics and music by Lerner and Loewe, and a super musical director Joseph Kelly conducting 18 top flight musicians, Michael Glenn Munoz and Bob Nelson give ideal lighting and sound with Les Dales sets that shows less is more. Add Doug Baird as a director who really knows about detail and staging and you have a top flight professional production that holds its own with any My Fair Ladies that has ever played in this area, including San Francisco. Oh just a minute – we have to add a well-casted talented group of actors that completes this absolutely enjoyable, exceptionally well done show.
With beautifully costumes by Carol Clever and understated choreography by Jillin Toby-Cummings, we are carried to prim and proper England and the musical version of Shaw’s Pygmalion. Henry Higgins (superbly played by Kevin Kirby) wagers with his friend Col. Pickering (a well cast John Musgrave) that he can make a lady of Eliza, (charming, extremely talented Jade Shojaee) a flower girl, off the streets of London.
This is not an easy score to play or sing. The “Show Me” number has been rumored to almost have brought Julie Andrews to distraction while rehearsing the original New York production. This entire cast delivers solidly and, believe it or not, you can understand just about every word of the wonderful lyrics in the clipped British accents.
Brian Palac as Freddy has a beautiful voice that gets the attention of the audience. His “On the Street Where You Live” holds its own with his Broadway predecessors.
This caliber of community theatre is truly amazing. Going to the theatre in New York or San Francisco is almost unaffordable for many. Parking, fuel and dinner makes a night to a show sometime out of reach. Not here. Parking is easily available. You are a hop, skip and jump from just about anywhere in the area. Your ticket price is easily in reach for the whole family and the theatre itself is charming.
This ” My Fair Lady” is a production not to skip. You can’t find it done better anywhere. If word gets out, the San Francisco crowd will be coming down here for their theatre fix and we won’t be able to get seats!
***
‘My Fair Lady’
Where: The Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga
Through: July 25
Tickets: $26-$28. Season Subscriptions are available for the 45th season
Details: (408) 268-3777 or visit www.wvlo.org.
