The Questors Theatre ‘Could Have Danced All Night’ with a vibrant and fun staging of well-loved musical My Fair Lady. It follows a young flower seller Eliza Doolittle, who wants a better life for herself when she is discovered by the condescendingly eccentric Professor Henry Higgins as he overheard her speaking in her natural cockney accent. Eliza then embarks on a series of trials and tribulations as she learns how to become a lady under Higgins’ tuition. But are things all they seem on the surface?
This comic exploration of societal appearances (which is based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion) was a delight to watch as Eliza’s journey evolved. At the time of writing, as it was opening night, occasionally, some lines were stumbled over in the second half, plus one scene change towards the end of act one was a little slower than anticipated; however, the professionalism involved from everybody when that occurred was of a high standard and it enabled the show to run smoothly, making the experience really enjoyable.
One other observation was that, despite an extremely skilled and strong cast, Ant Foran’s Professor Higgins seemed at times low in energy in comparison, and lines were rushed through most of the show. Foran really needed to heighten Higgins’ condescending nature and energy to get the right tonal approach as he created his masterpiece with Eliza. Having said that, all the right ingredients were there and were particularly brought out when it came to ‘Why Can’t A Woman Be Like A Man’ and I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face’. Foran really needed to trust himself more as an actor here to make Higgins work as a character. Having said this, credit should be given to him as he has not sung professionally in musical theatre for 25 years and to make a comeback like this is extremely admirable, even if at times the vocals were quieter. When he trusted himself with comic timing, it worked really well.
His relationship with Kirsty King’s Eliza was particularly well handled and explored. You could tell the trust between them was mutual and they now need to settle into the complicated way these two characters work together to draw everyone in more.
King’s Eliza was a charming character with a good heart. Her vocals were really strong and had a beautiful emotional connection as My Fair Lady progressed. We engaged with her plight as she tried to find her way in the world after Higgins’ tuition and her strength lay in her full commitment to the character. Songs of particular note to her are ‘Just You Wait ‘Enrey Iggins!’ and ‘Wouldn’t it Be Loverley’.
One of the cast that deserves a special mention is Robert Vass’ Alfred P Doolittle. He fully embraced the cheeky drunk with energetic splendour, but was also not afraid to take on the ruthless nature of the character and he conned money out of people to get a quick fix. Vass had the perfect approach to ‘With A Little Bit of Luck’ and ‘Get Me To The Church On Time’ respectively. It had the right ambience of comedy, sauciness and interaction with the cast and audience alike.
Under the direction and choreography of Michelle Spencer, the whole cast was a strong, tight unit and painted the picture of My Fair Lady with such vigour that it left everyone wanting more. This is a show to watch if you love satire, societal mockery, great songs, and relatable characters.
Review by Sascha Cooper
Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl with big dreams, crosses paths with linguistics professor Henry Higgins. Higgins is confident he can transform the way she speaks to pass her off as a “proper lady” in high society. But as their friendship grows, he has a few lessons of his own to learn.
Enjoy beloved songs including ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ played by a live orchestra. Expect sumptuous costumes, spectacular dance routines and iconic characters in this charming comedy romance that the whole family will love.
Cast:
Eliza Doolitle – Kirsty King
Henry Higgins – Ant Foran
Colonel Pickering – David Leonard
Freddie Eynsford-Hill – Luke Baverstock
Alfred P Doolitle – Robert Vass
Mrs Pearce – Lesley McCall
Mrs Higgins – Patricia O’Brien
Harry/Cockney Quartet – Ben Connaughton
Jamie/Cockney Quartet – Tim Williams
Mrs Eynsford-Hill – Dorothy Lawson
Mrs Hopkins/Eliza Doolitle Understudy – Alexandra Upton
Professor Zoltan Karpathy – Stephan Mirre
Queen of Transylvania/Cockney Quartet – Elaine Griffin
Mrs Hopkins (Understudy)/Ensemble – Zonya Sullivan
Charles/Cockney Quartet – Daniel Thompson
Lord Boxington/Bartender – James Goodden
Lady Boxington/Ensemble – Vanessa Plessas
Ensemble – Tilly Benson-Reid, Alice Bruni, Diego Fonjac, Becky Hartnup, Christine Mills, Sally Parker, Sophie Platts-Martin
Creatives:
Director/Choreographer – Michelle Spencer
Assistant Director – Anna Fiscus
Musical Director – Tom Arnold
Set Designer – Robert Spencer
Costume Designers – Carla Evans, Sue Peckitt and Nichola Thomas
Lighting Designer – Martin Walton
Assistant Lighting Designer – Callum Hartnup-Williams
Sound Designer/Operator – Dan Tigg
Co Sound Designer/Operator – Ben Greenwood
Band:
Reed 1 – Ruth Whybrow
Reed 2 – Ella Pearson
Violin – Amy Price
Cello – Chloe Winard
Trumpet – Alex Pace
Trombone – Jacob Smallwood
Percussion – Dave Longman
Bass – Emily Griggs, Lesley Vincent and Graeme Hollingdale
MY FAIR LADY
The Questors Theatre
28 March to 5 April 2025
