Another Classic Never Dies

By Jonathan Jones

Friday, July 08, 2011

Tonight, I journeyed to the Garrick Theatre for a performance of Pygmalion featuring Rupert Everett as Henry Higgins and newcommer Kara Tointon as Eliza Dolittle. I have neither seen My Fair Lady (musical theatre blasphemy, I know – but what can you do?) nor Pygmalion, though through years of teaching musical theatre, I’ve grown accustomed to the tale. In this telling, directed and designed by Philip Prouse, all things clever and amusing were in full display, much to my delight and that of the capacity audience around me. Dialect hell could easily do this wrong, but with firm instruction, Ms. Tointon was an auditory symphony, though her later scenes were a bit bereft of honesty. Yet, she’s young and was a good sport about it. I last saw Mr. Everett in Blythe Spirit in New York. Bombastic and overblown as ever, tonight’s performance was in no way exceptional, though his charm was indeed a bit dim tonight (a combination of his performance and the thankless role). Diana Rigg was luminous as Mrs. Higgins, providing effortless warmth and depth, allowing the heart of the work to shine through. Similarly, Peter Eyre’s Colonel Pickering was every bit the savior one would hope he could be. The sum total was a tittering amusement that warmed me to the core on a chilly mid-summer evening.