A lovely article<\/a> in the New York Times<\/i> about the production of My Fair Lady<\/i> I just saw, with pictures of my friend Kate, and others.<\/p>\n I did think, as I watched this production, that it seemed to be closer to Pygmalion than to My Fair Lady<\/i> – there was a depth to it, a passion to it, it wasn’t all played for laughs. You could feel Shaw in there, which you most definitely cannot in other versions of the show.<\/p>\n One result of all this is that in the end, unlike most versions of “My Fair Lady,” which lean toward satisfying romantic closure, this one leaves it uncertain how Henry and Eliza resolve their feelings for each other. Anything might happen after the curtain; she might even decide to marry Freddy. This really is closer to the ending for “Pygmalion,” though Shaw was adamant that Eliza and Henry would never end up together.<\/p>\n “The idea,” Mr. Murray said, looking as though he were mentally crossing his fingers, “is that instead of being a sheer emotional high, it has a dramatic entertainment value as well.”\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I absolutely loved the final moment of the show. Shaw was horrified at the thought that people wanted Eliza and Henry to hook up.) – but Eliza, now a lady, does return to Professor Higgins’ house, only to find him sitting alone in his study, listening to his phonograph recording of her practicing her vowels. He is so desperately lonely for her, so “accustomed to her face”, that even a recording is better company than not.<\/p>\n That’s how it ends. With her standing behind him, watching him.<\/p>\n It could go either way. It is highly ambiguous. You don’t know what will happen when he turns around and sees her, you don’t know why she has come back … It trembles in the balance.<\/p>\n This production does something completely different in the last moment, something so unexpected and so imaginative it brought tears to my eyes. Very glad to see that acknowledged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A lovely article in the New York Times about the production of My Fair Lady I just saw, with pictures of my friend Kate, and others. I did think, as I watched this production, that it seemed to be closer … Continue reading