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Few musicals have transcended time in the way of “My Fair Lady.” The show, originally based on the George Bernard Shaw play “Pygmalion,” has been adapted to film many times (most famously in 1964 with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle) and began its run as a stage musical in 1956.
The world has changed a great deal since 1913, when Shaw’s (non-musical) play opened on stage in Vienna, but the present- day touring company of “My Fair Lady” has returned to what Shaw originally envisioned for his story.
“It’s really more of a return of what George Bernard Shaw had in mind with ‘Pygmalion,’” said John Adkison, who plays the courteous and distinguished Colonel Pickering in this tour. “He was outspoken about women’s rights, particularly the Suffrage Movement, which was going on in his country at the time.”
In his day, Shaw wanted to portray Eliza Doolittle as a woman with agency and a mind of her own.
“So it’s a very empowered Eliza Doolittle we see on stage, without changin ing a single word of dialogue,” Adkison said. “All of that was in there from the beginning. It’s nice to return to those values that were important to him.”
One of the things Adkison particularly enjoys about this iteration of “My Fair Lady” is that, without spoiling the ending, the outcome is left open to interpretation.
“That’s the greatest part of live theater,” Adkison said. “Because it leaves it to the audience, which is the beauty of ‘My Fair Lady.’ It presents material that you can interpret and have conversations about with the people that you went to the theater with. The audience has a role to play when they come to the theater. We all take the experience together.”
Adkison stars in the role of Colonel Pickering, a retired military officer who shares in Professor Henry Higgins’ experiments in phonetics in teaching Eliza, a flower shop girl, to speak in the manner of a duchess.
“The small backstory is that he’s retired military and extremely wealthy,” Adkison said. “He’s very much bored with society in London. Now he meets Higgins and Eliza, and this is very exciting. Higgins shoots his mouth off about how he can transform Eliza from a flower girl to a Duchess. Apart from setting the bet to get the plot rolling, Pickering plays a part to be kind to her.”
Pickering’s kindness is something Eliza internalizes, later crediting his example for her transformation into a lady.
Though the characters’ portrayal has shifted to something closer to what Shaw intended, the musical remains true to its time period with its set pieces, music and costumes.
“They are the Lincoln Center Broadway costumes,” Adkison said. “The actual garments. They are Tony Award-winning costumes. And I can’t think of another show that has so many songs enter into the Broadway catalog. The tunes are amazing. It’s a classic mid-century musical comedy. Is there anything better to play or see?”
“My Fair Lady” opens at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin Dec. 5, presented by Texas Performing Arts as part of the Broadway In Austin series. The musical will run Dec. 5 - 10, Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. (Please note new curtain times). Bass Concert Hall is located at 2350 Robert Dedman Drive. Tickets start at $30 and available at texasperformingarts. org, BroadwayinAustin. com, by phone at (512) 477-1444 or from the Texas Performing Arts ticket office at Bass Concert Hall.
