She dropped her aitches but picked up every note, sparkled more than the gems on her gown – and was a pitch perfect blend of fierceness and fineness. Kirsty King, playing Eliza Doolittle, lit up the stage in a new adaptation of My Fair Lady at The Questors Theatre in Ealing. One even forgot about Audrey Hepburn, as King captivated the audience with her precision singing and comedy chops. She was sweet, sassy, touching and terrific at all the right moments.
The show has much to be commended for, along with the lead performance. The director, Michelle Spencer, keeps the pace brisk and remains faithful to the material, both in word and spirit. One isn’t hit over the head with some sort of “relevancy” mallet, which one can often fall victim to in the theatre nowadays. And the production thankfully lost any memo or call to be “woke”. King is ably supported by a number of actors, including Ant Foran as Henry Higgins, David Leonard as Colonel Pickering and Robert Vass as Alfred Doolittle. The costumers and set designers should be congratulated and, given the success of the adaptation, things should be put in storage for when the production is staged again in the future.
The film can cast a large shadow over many a production of the musical, but there were plenty of young people in the audience who were probably unfamiliar with the acclaimed movie. Kirsty King may be their defining Eliza. Doubtless the cast were mindful of their cinematic counterparts, but they made their performances their own. Warmth and joy exuded from the principals and extras alike as they sang, danced and delivered their pithy lines with gusto.
I dare say I will not be the only critic recommending the show. Word of mouth will travel fast in Ealing and in Bobo Social – whether a number of the audience seemed to be having pre-theatre drinks – so do book your tickets early before various casting agents snap them up to catch sight of the new star in the theatrical firmament.
My Fair Lady is on at The Questors Theatre until 5th April. Richard Foreman is a bestselling author.
