My Fair Lady

By Susan Davidson

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

2700 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20566
Phone: 202.467.4600

Nearby Metro Stops:

Foggy Bottom-GWU

Wheelchair Accessible:

Yes

Kid Friendly:

Yes

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“Loverly” is a good description of the 2001 London production of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s musical My Fair Lady, which at long last is coming to the Kennedy Center. For those who have forgotten or were too young to know, it tells the story—based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion—of Eliza Doolittle, a guttersnipe selling violets in London’s Covent Garden who undergoes a drastic makeover courtesy of Professor Henry Higgins. He transforms her into a fair lady who joins the “A” list for an embassy ball. Few shows match the elegance and style of this production, thanks largely to Anthony Ward’s sets and costumes, Trevor Nunn’s direction, and Matthew Bourne’s choreography. Heading the cast are Lisa O’Hare as Eliza Doolittle and Christopher Cazenove as Henry Higgins, above, along with Sally Ann Howes (who many years ago took over from Julie Andrews, the first Eliza Doolittle) as Mrs. Higgins, Henry’s sharp-tongued mother.