My Fair Lady (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

“I mean no disrespect to Ambrose, who originated the role in this revival, to say that Benanti is a more effortless vocalist; she dispatches her very difficult and wide-ranging songs with glee...The show is lighter as a result, which is not to say it’s less compelling...But it is the recasting of the smallest principal role that makes the most touching difference, and like everything connected to Harris’s stage presence, her success as Mrs. Higgins cannot be pinned down.”
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"Sher is not an iconoclast or radical re-sculptor; instead, he acts as a restorer, leaving the shows on their pedestals but stripping off years of obscuration to reveal layers the works had possessed all along. So it is with the splendid new LCT revival...Sher is acutely alert to the shifts of balance within both 'My Fair Lady' itself and the way it plays to contemporary audiences, and nowhere is that clearer than in his clever solution to the show’s notoriously slippery ending."
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"A beloved musical from another era can keep on kicking, and, as is the case here, it can even do so without making radical shifts in aesthetic, as long as it’s got its eyes wide open...This production team knows what they’re making and when they’re making it...Yeargan’s dynamic set, combined with Ambrose’s beautifully calibrated performance, always makes us feel as if events—educational and emotional—are rushing forward."
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"Sumptuous staging from Bartlett Sher, a director who has proved to be among the very best at chiseling surprising nuance out of vintage musicals. So why is the stately revival also a slight disappointment?...It's a polished production with an accomplished — if not spectacular — cast. But it doesn't come close to the sweeping cinematic fluidity of Sher's best work...I found Ambrose's unrefined Eliza squawky and charmless, blunting much of the early comedy."
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"As a musical, and a product of its time and place, it is a masterful piece of entertainment...Though Ambrose sings beautifully, her voice doesn’t have the power of Andrews’...But Ambrose is a bold and electrifying actress, and her Eliza is more human than any Eliza we’ve seen before...Like the production itself, her performance is a thing of beauty. The men in Eliza’s life are everything you want them to be."
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"This jubilant revival is meticulously mounted and entirely welcome – despite the eccentric casting choice of Lauren Ambrose as Eliza...As Lincoln Center productions go, this one, under Sher’s scrupulous direction, is among the more spectacular...There are things that could have been better managed...But we’re nit-picking here. With Lerner and Loewe’s soaring score and Sher’s respectful staging, a beloved show comes alive in all its glory to end the theater season on a high."
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"Ambrose is a knockout and a wow...As for the production proper, nothing about it is surprising save for Mr. Sher’s staging of the final scene...This version works—up to a point...Mr. Hadden-Paton is competent but less than exciting as Professor Higgins...I was also taken aback by the blandness of Norbert Leo Butz’s performance as Alfred Doolittle...I enjoyed this revival very much, but I’d expected to be more wholehearted about it."
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"With Ambrose and Hadden-Paton, this 'My Fair Lady' seems at least a fair fight...Ambrose’s performance, a portrayal at times almost feral in its presentation of Eliza’s ambition...The actress gives the production the counterweight it needs to present a Higgins as undiluted as the one offered up by Hadden-Paton...Is it possible the entire affair is just all too tasteful?...A win achieved by smart stage directing and two finely matched performances...A relic, but it polishes nicely."
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"The talented actress-singer, showing off galvanizing vocal instruments, makes so abundantly clear the qualities of resilience and generosity in Eliza that we’re compelled to the certainty that the unworthy men who seeks to keep her caged are baser characters...Director Bartlett Sher locates in Ambrose and Harry Hadden-Paton a matchup that reveals the ecstatic extent of Eliza’s development...All of the famous numbers are winningly mustered by Sher and choreographer Christopher Gattelli."
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"The central question that besets anyone watching this production is whether or not this show still works if Higgins and Eliza feel no affection for each other whatsoever. That’s the way it feels here...The production is colossal...This really is one of those shows that make you wonder why they chose this material if it made them so uneasy...There is an excellent ensemble...But no hearts no change."
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"Both opulent and daring. But not every risk pays off equally...The show also jars. Primarily that’s due to casting a younger Henry Higgins and an older Eliza Doolittle...If the idea was to make the story that unfolds in 1913 London sexier, no such luck...Ambrose is marvelous start to finish...The large orchestra and original arrangements sound magnificent. The production is loverly...When all is said and sung and done, the show finds a conclusion to love."
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“Benanti...is a perfect match...One of today’s best stage actresses gets to tackle one of the greatest roles in the musical theater...Ambrose was radiant...but Benanti has such a command of her vocal and acting abilities that it takes the production to a whole new level. Benanti’s performance is so rich, vigorous and fully developed that she makes virtually every line and every moment count...This production has provided Broadway with a considerable and continuing amount of joy.”
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"Every so often, a revival comes along that re-invents itself in ways that remind you how truly indispensable great theatre can be...A timely commentary that also happens to be supremely entertaining. And where has Lauren Ambrose been all this time?...So pure and powerful, she is a true star in a performance that will be talked about for years...I can't say enough about Sher's inspired re-imagining of the show. He put a subtle but indelibly relevant stamp on Lerner and Loewe's masterpiece."
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"They haven't reinvented the wheel or excised anything potentially challenging. All they've done, really, is own the material...May not be the best sung, but it's infused with genuine emotion from all parties involved...Where the production really shines is in the characters' respective transformations...This 'My Fair Lady' is a revival for the ages, the perfect synthesis of director's vision and performers and designers working completely in sync."
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"There is marvelous thoughtfulness to Lauren Ambrose's superbly-acted Eliza...Don't expect her to sing with a gorgeous soprano...Although she certainly handles Loewe's melodies well, with every song you can hear her focus on the words...Sher's take on the musical's ending is a bit vague and open to interpretation, but nevertheless effective...This grand production...offers a 21st Century spin while allowing the magnificent musical to speak for itself."
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"Nothing in this life is perfect, but 'My Fair Lady' comes awfully close...It can even withstand Sher's production, which is covered with directorial fingerprints but has no strong point of view...You'll also have to contend with a pair of lackluster leads. But that book, those songs...Among the supporting players, Norbert Leo Butz is an efficient, if not inspired, Alfred...Some stardust, some authentic enchantment, is sorely missed."
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"Sher has done a fine job of showcasing the familiar elements of 'My Fair Lady' while harkening back to George Bernard Shaw's support of equal rights for women...It's all too easy, regardless of intentions, to come off as patronizing. Smartly, Sher establishes an overall and consistent pattern that has us follow Liza's evolving confidence in her own potential and self-sufficiency over the course of the evening."
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"The cherished musical comedy roles are in good hands...With those performers not only acting but singing—and occasionally dancing—this 'My Fair Lady' moves bracingly along...Though the offending sweep-out occurs during the final moments, it can’t completely distract anyone from the abundant successes of the revival. Enough of it is a potent reminder that Lerner, Loewe were able to take a property that others couldn’t tame into one of the most entertaining musicals ever written."
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“’My Fair Lady’ has been boosted with vitamin shots. What kept us dancing all night, back then, now positively soars...The biggest boost comes from Ms. B-12 herself, Benanti...A second B-jolt comes from Burstein...Adding to the high charm of the production is Harris...Sher’s staging and the exquisite production...remain in pristine condition...’My Fair Lady’ is enhanced...and the results are even more exquisite than before.”
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“If Ambrose’s turn as Eliza Dolittle was a revelation, Benanti’s is just as thrilling...Her elegance and sharp wit; her willingness to wax goofy, with the adroitness that only the smartest actors and comedians can manage; and of course, that glorious, silvery soprano...Benanti serves Shaw’s original vision, and his wit, with as much zest as her predecessor—and, it must be said, more palpable joy...The production retains the directional and design elements that made it both ravishing and wise.”
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"Impeccable is the first word that springs to mind to describe the LCT revival...Faithful without being reverent, equally attentive to the nuances of character and musical values...Unlike the other shows Sher has revivified for a new century, it lacks a vitally beating heart, and feels like a beautifully restored artifact rather than a still resonant work of art...The production is of such a high quality that it’s easy enough to simply put your blinders on and be carried away."
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"Inarguably one of the greatest musicals of all time, 'My Fair Lady' is receiving the same luxurious and royal treatment director Bartlett Sher brought to his previous revivals of both 'South Pacific' and 'The King and I,' all at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater. To paraphrase one of Alan Jay Lerner's lyrics from 'Camelot'--another stunning musical he wrote with composer Frederick Loewe--it's nothing less than 'a sumptuous display.'"
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"This latest revival is a not to be missed opportunity to see an indestructible classic...Bravo to Sher for giving us a chance to view 'My Fair Lady' with a fresh perspective...without any drastic diddling with the text or lyrics. It's all accomplished via deft visual touches and the actors' interpretations...Sher's most obvious and unmistakable update comes at the very end...A visual and aural feast."
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"Hadden-Paton is a mercurial performer. Even with his back turned toward the audience he is revealing this man of many layers...Butz is brilliant in his limited time on the stage...Ambrose is a perfectly fine Eliza, with a lovely voice, who discovers her footing in the last third of the production...Overall the direction plays it safe. Which is okay because the story takes over anyway. Lerner and Loewe – sublime. Sublime. Sublime. And magnificently presented by this 20 piece orchestra."
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"Ambrose has a lovely soprano voice. She is a good actress...One need only watch her face to read her gamut of emotions...Hadden-Paton does fine performing as the impersonal, rude professor. Unfortunately, he has only a modest singing voice...Butz stops the show as Alfred Doolittle...The musical is beautifully staged and is a visual feast...This revival has good performances, wonderful music, and marvelous sets and costumes."
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"Ambrose is glorious in the part of Eliza Doolittle...Somewhat of an equal footing with the young and equally magnetic Hadden-Paton...Their chemistry is strong, and although, as written, their interactions heavy with troubling dynamics of unequal power, the two, somehow, through their performance with assistance from some solid and smart editing and good casting choices, the production manages to not make it feel creepy or lecherous...Directed with a sheer genius by Sher."
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"Sher's production...finds a way to stage the notoriously troublesome musical with a sense of where we are today...Elegantly wrought but brings necessary contemporary perspective...Ambrose has a lovely soprano. Her acting can come across as a little overwrought in certain scenes... Hadden-Paton straddles the line between nearly but not charming and exasperating fool...We can tolerate him but we never embrace him."
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"The phenomenal revival directed by Bartlett Sher puts a new and welcomed spin on the classic Lerner and Loewe musical, and is delivered in a big, lavish production...The entire creative team has forged a seamless new production from start to finish that is smart, intelligent and polished, representing what should be expected on a Broadway stage. There are few words that could aptly describe this cast, but oh what a perfect cast it is."
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"The show of course offers the same sumptuous design, lively choreography, and lush orchestrations. The performances of the original cast members who remain with the show have also deepened with detail...Benanti’s independent Eliza removes the question that I felt looming over this production of 'My Fair Lady' when I saw it last April: Does the story still work if, as the director intends, we see no romantic feelings develop between Eliza and Henry Higgins? Yes, it still works."
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"A first-rate revival...A thoughtful production...Sperling has brought out the best of his principal performers, and the score's lush arrangements sound as sweeping as ever, but it is Ambrose and Paton's deep dive into the pair's complex relationship that truly makes 'My Fair Lady' sing, helped along by Rigg's eloquent and captivating performance as Higgins' mother...Not a love story. It is a story about the ability to love."
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"One of my immediate thoughts upon leaving Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre last spring, after seeing Sher's splendid revival of the 1956 musical "My Fair Lady," was that great things come to those who wait. But now, I must amend that statement: Really great things come to those who wait. For by changing some of the show's principal cast members, Lerner and Loewe's gorgeous, clever adaptation of Shaw's classic 'Pygmalion' is even more delightful than before."
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"If you've got a little bit of luck, a wallet full of cash, and are looking for something lavish, luscious, and abso-bloomin-lutely loverly, my advice is to get to Lincoln Center on time to see 'My Fair Lady'…Exquisitely directed, designed, and performed...Stealing both the show and my heart…is the Eliza of redheaded Lauren Ambrose, giving an ambrosiac performance of charm, insight, warmth, defiance, passion, and humor that had me in tears at one moment, bursting with laughter at another."
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"Everything it needs to be, and quite a bit more...You know to expect a lavish spectacle. You won’t be disappointed...Director Bartlett Sher returned to the story’s origin in the George Bernard Shaw play 'Pygmalion' and made it more acceptable for our times without messing with the musical, but this isn’t a 'revisal'...If the central relationship is the jewel of 'My Fair Lady,' it gets a glorious setting here, from the high production values to the deluxe casting."
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"Expertly acted, pleasingly sung, and often visually splendid, it makes a good faith attempt to honor the show’s history and intentions while also acknowledging the charged sexual politics of the moment...What’s most striking about the revival is the strength of the performances...Sher is no natural comedian; once in a while the pace flags. But the Ascot number is actually funny, the ball scene is a dazzler, the orchestra is luxuriant and it all goes as smooth as a satin wrap until the end."
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"Sher boldly cast two actors whose names are not instantly recognizable and who had not previously been seen in musicals...Sher’s gamble has paid off handsomely. In addition to her considerable acting chops, Ms. Ambrose turns out to have a lovely voice. Mr. Hadden-Patton is a fine actor who negotiates the transition between speaking and singing with great skill...It’s a near-perfect production of what many have called the perfect musical."
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“You’ve never met a more determined Eliza Doolittle than Benanti’s...Eliza isn’t an ingénue on the verge of a fabulous new adventure...She sees Higgins as the last best chance to escape her father and life on the street...Benanti has the vocal range...but an idiosyncrasy of her voice is that it takes on a prim, studied quality...This operetta approach worked better in She Loves Me’...A genuine theater legend Harris gives us a definitive Mrs. Higgins.”
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"It is glorious interpretation of the Lerner-Loewe musical, one of the greatest of the genre, on so many counts. It is both an eyeful and an earful, with fabulous sets and costumes and beguiling singing...Sher deserves unstinting praise for his direction...It is an up-to-date example of striving for and achieving perfection in reviving a musical theater classic, or for that matter, the staging of any Broadway show—period."
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"It positively glows with class, in every sense, shimmering with confidence and oozing with delight...Hadden-Paton brings a nicely youthful yet appropriately flummoxed air to the role, and in what appears to be his first musical, carries the songs with conviction, too. He is ideally partnered by the earthy, gritty honesty of Lauren Ambrose’s Eliza...There is luxury casting all around them."
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"A grand, first rate, feminist revival of Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical, 'My Fair Lady.' Perfectly keyed to this moment while honoring the greatness of its text and score, director Bartlett Sher hits another home run, and Lauren Ambrose and Harry Hadden-Paton give smashing, revolutionary performances as Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins. A great revival of a great musical to end the season on a high note."
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"Lushly orchestrated, and beautifully sung and staged...The ending should make you applaud louder for Eliza (a truly transcendent Lauren Ambrose) than Alan Jay Lerner’s original book...Setting cultural politics aside for a moment, the show is a beautifully mounted success...This is a beautiful, gorgeous-sounding show—and Ambrose deserves a Tony nomination for her performance—but its presence, particularly at this cultural moment, still feels bizarre."
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"A glorious production, complete with imaginative sets, gorgeous costumes, and the decisive image of Eliza sweeping off the stage and down the aisle...Ambrose brings a fiery independence to this production...Hadden-Paton is far younger than the original Harrison...Yet their fit is 'loverly' and clearly emotional...Sher gives magical inspiration to his 'My Fair Lady,' directing it to a contemporary audience with his magnificent theatricality and Shaw's ambiguous ending."
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"Sher's modus operandi is a deep appreciation and luxuriant refurbishing of a show's virtues with no great proclivity for reinterpretation, although in 'My Fair Lady' he does give the ending a surprise twist...Shavian brilliance glitters throughout...with Lerner's book enacted to perfection by a cast headed by Hadden-Paton...and Ambrose...Sher's work gives the revival its own impressive sense of importance, with a series of breath-taking moments."
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"Sher excels at finding strong yet subtle resonance in classic musicals...What’s especially lovely is watching the tempestuous pair gradually fall in love...The production also looks and sounds great...Some might want to either lionize or lambast this as the #MeToo movement’s 'My Fair Lady.' But at the end of its three hours, it’s these magnificent characters, not political issues, that will be dancing in your head all night."
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“This production is about as sumptuous as you will ever get...However, there is a clear shift here that contradicts what the creators originally conceived...Ambrose is an unexpected miracle...She starts out rocky...but transforms into a magnificent butterfly...Hadden-Paton as Higgins never quite registers...Although casting and directorial choices are an issue here...Thanks to Ambrose and the outstanding design team, this is still a glorious revival.”
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“Spectacle supersedes Shaw in Lincoln Center’s overscaled revival...Still, Loewe’s marvelous score and Learner’s ageless lyrics prevail...It’s a narrative that transacts in chambers. At the Vivian Beaumont, much of it floats in space...This ’My Fair Lady’ seldom fails to impress. even if its parts seem non-integrated...But, at its core, this 'My Fair Lady' fails to elicit any empathy for Higgins or Eliza...There’s not much authentic conflict here to care about.”
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"Sher's lushly designed and largely traditional production catches both the romantic sweep of the musical and the bite of Shaw's wit. It has some fussiness and gratuitous oddities...The show is generally well cast, and everyone falls smoothly into place...The leads, curiously, all have a slightly inhibited air of self-consciousness...Ambrose's second act is a glorious piece of smooth sailing, in which her scenes with Higgins and with Freddy lift the show to the masterful heights."
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"The show felt sluggish, clocking in at about 3 hours, and the performances were hesitant...What Ambrose lacks is gumption, determination, strength of will. Her character barely travels past the lip of the stage...That said, Ambrose does have some lovely comic moments...and fares far better as wounded Eliza than angry or churlish Eliza...The production comes intermittently to life when Norbert Leo Butz enters as Alfred P. Doolittle. Butz is a sharp and robust as ever."
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"It is respectful to the text without insisting on remaining totally rooted to the past; and it is, for the most part, lovely, enjoyable, and satisfying...Nothing the production does makes much of a difference, ultimately: Higgins is still a pompous twit and pretty much everyone knows it...The idea to have a younger Higgins and an older Pickering was, at least as I see it, a far more ingenious and daring move, since it shifts the power dynamic so totally."
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"Benanti can really sing and plays the perfect waif with a Cockney accent and chameleon persona. Benanti hits all the right notes in playing Ms. Doolittle...This is a marvelous production with lots of treats and lots of heat. You can't leave the theater without humming any one of the marvelous musical numbers. It's impossible not to be teary eyed at the magical transformations occurring on stage. Sher's flawless direction gives the ideal balance of music & emotional heart."
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"Shaw was always on Eliza's side, and with Sher's brilliant directorial decisions, the bullies and dolts are left in the melodic dust...Ambrose is a delightful Eliza; she has a soaring voice, and she provides flawless accents in a plot that's about accents...Hadden-Paton is a superb and witty bully...The huge cast is full of great voices and impeccable diction; their timing, especially in the wondrous 'Ascot Gavotte,' is hilarious perfection."
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"Ambrose not only has the voice for Eliza Doolittle...but she also demonstrates how a masterful actor can bring new dimensions to a role that makes an entire revival a new experience...This production is quite traditional but very stylish...In the end, it is Laura Ambrose's Eliza Doolittle that makes this revival special. All of the elements that Ms. Ambrose exploits are in the book and lyrics; but she brings unique insight and deeply felt emotion in expressing them."
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"Sher's lush, elegant revival of 'My Fair Lady' has been triumphantly successful...Feels as contemporary as ever, its characters like they may have been written yesterday...A carefully, cleverly selected cast has given life to this classic...Ambrose gives a masterclass in leading-lady grace...She is everything posterity needed to thank this production...Hadden-Paton plays a first-rate Higgins...What shines in his performance is a comic sensibility that relegates Higgins to absurdity."
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"Sher adeptly and wonderfully integrates all of the elements of this complex structure, resulting in an enchanting three hours for theatergoers...This revival is replete with amazing portrayals. Laura Ambrose perfectly plays Liza Doolittle...Her voice is perfect for this role...The misogynist and narcissistic snob Henry Higgins, is wonderfully portrayed by Harry Hadden-Patton...This is a classic musical that would appeal to all members of the family."
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"The show is in many ways a triumph, despite my qualms. Sher's revival hits all the right buttons...Technically top notch...Much has been made of the relative youth of Harry Hadden-Paton as Henry Higgins...But by and large, no real insights are gained by this casting or by the actor's performance...He's good, not great...This production will probably be remembered for Sher's making the show more relevant by making Eliza the focus of the show...Ambrose alone makes this show a must see."
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"Hadden-Paton and Ambrose are exceptional, both bringing beautiful, nuanced and unexpected touches to their interpretations...The whole production is a tasteful and exquisite reimagining of this old show that is entirely respectful...The comedy elements of the show are all in place too...The directing is revelatory, the acting is top notch, the music is glorious and the visuals are stunning, in fact seeing this production was one of my top 10 best ever theatre going experiences."
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"A straightforward and first class production of one of Broadway's most beloved musicals with a little widening of actor's ethnicity for inclusions sake. And while neither Ambrose...nor Hadden-Paton...are a Julie Andrews or a Rex Harrison, they are more than adequate in their roles...This is a full 30 piece orchestra and the music shows no strain being compared by the great orchestras of the past: no corners are cut and the sound is terrific. The staging is its equal and more so."
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