My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum: a ‘daringly sumptuous’ show
This ‘Rolls-Royce of a revival’ gives the classic musical a modern feel

Lerner and Loewe’s 1956 musical My Fair Lady is so “witty and well-crafted” that, given enough resources, it’s hard to mess it up, said Nick Curtis in the London Evening Standard. Bartlett Sher’s “Rolls-Royce of a revival” at the Coliseum has certainly had money spent on it. “The sets are clever, the costumes stunning, and there’s a full-on Broadway dance routine featuring showgirls, showboys and everything in between” for Get Me to the Church on Time.
But the production also feels “fresh” and modern, with “colourblind casting of proles and aristocrats” and a sensational performance from Amara Okereke as Eliza Doolittle. The first black actress to play Eliza, she has an “effortlessly clear, full and expressive singing voice, and can be meltingly soft, blazingly furious and beautifully still. She owns the Coliseum stage, and the role.”
From the moment the overture begins, this My Fair Lady – a hit in New York – is “daringly sumptuous” and “unashamedly sensuous”, said Quentin Letts in The Sunday Times. It has a “mission to entertain and enchant”, and its three-hour running time flies by.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It is the “definition of a comforting night out at the theatre”, said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian – “it glides from one well-loved song to the next on an elegantly twirling set”. Yet it is oddly flat: “solid” and efficient rather than “spectacular”. There are no “knowing winks, twists or clever allusions to the here and now”, and there is no real chemistry between Okereke’s Eliza and Harry Hadden-Paton’s unusually boyish Higgins.
Some of the choreography lacks a “sense of self-determined spontaneity”, said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph, and the sets “can look empty during the street scenes and cluttered for the interiors”.
I found much to enjoy, said Dominic Maxwell in The Times – including some fine supporting performances. Malcolm Sinclair excels as Colonel Pickering, while Vanessa Redgrave appears in an “emotionally intelligent cameo” as Higgins’s mother. Overall, though, the production is more diverting than transporting. It’s a “very decent” My Fair Lady – but not a great one.
London Coliseum WC2. Until 27 August
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
China’s rare earth controls
The Explainer Beijing has shocked Washington with export restrictions on minerals used in most electronics
-
Quiz of The Week: 11 – 17 October
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Can bullfighting win over young Spaniards
Podcast Plus, is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And is Putin’s economy running out of gas?
-
Heirs and Graces: an ‘enthralling’ deep dive into the decline of nobility
The Week Recommends Eleanor Doughty explores the ‘bizarre fascination’ with the British aristocracy
-
6 sporty homes with tennis courts
Feature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
-
Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlight
Feature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Theater review: Masquerade
218 W. 57th St., New York City 218 W. 57th St., New York City
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Cyrano de Bergerac: a ‘huge-hearted’ production
The Week Recommends This ‘playful’ and ‘poignant’ rendition brings new life to the ‘gilet-sporting, verse-spouting’ titular soldier
-
I Swear: a ‘warm-hearted’ comedy-drama
The Week Recommends While ‘inescapably hilarious’, the drama also lifts the lid on John Davidson’s experiences with Tourette syndrome