Phonetics Professor Henry Higgins meets cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle in London’s Covent Gardens circa 1900. When Higgins (Alex Pinkston) hears Eliza (Joanna Bauernfeind) screeching, mutilating vowels, and dropping h’s, he demeans her by declaring to the crowd that she is a prisoner of the gutter by virtue of her inability to speak proper English.
The truth of Higgins’ tirade is not lost on Eliza. She seeks him out to teach her how to speak properly so she can get employment in a flower shop. Higgins boasts to his friend, Colonel Pickering (Richard Behrendt), that he can pass ‘this guttersnipe’ off as a cultured lady in six months under his instruction. Pickering wagers that he cannot.
Lerner and Loewe set the George Bernard Shaw’s classic play “Pygmalion” to music for “My Fair Lady” the season closer at the Ocala Civic Theatre.
Guest Director Katrina Ploof made her task less daunting by casting the splendid leads from last season’s “Camelot” at OCT which she also directed. Bauernfeind sings and acts so effortlessly, that you are immediately captivated. Villager Behrendt sports a resume an arm’s length long and again demonstrates his acting prowess as Pickering. But it is Pinkston who gets top accolades. As Higgins he weaves everything together and sets the tempo with a force that raises the show to its top potential.
Eliza’s ne’er-do-well father Alfred P. Doolittle (Tom Ferreira) is the comic relief. However, Tom Ferreira lacks the girth for this role and never reaches the level of audaciousness needed to ace his assignment. Joan Singer is an absolutely delight as Higgins’ mother.
Memorable songs like “Wouldn’t it be Loverly,” “I Could have Danced All Night,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” make MFL one of Broadway’s favorites. Young Sam Dugger as Freddie takes top male singer honors for “On the Street Where You Live.”
OCT’s set design and construction is, again, impressive. The multiplicity of scene changes are seamlessly executed. Backdrops rise up and fall from the fly space right on cue. The trapezoidal structures and backgrounds are ingenious.
The nine-piece orchestra performs in the pit and is totally in sync with the performers. Personal sound microphones excel. Spots on opening night, however, are scraggy.
Ocala Civic ends its 2014-15 season on a high note. “My Fair Lady” runs Thursdays-Sundays through June 7. The musical runs a full three hours including intermission. For further information visit their web site at www.ocalacivictheatre.com.
Villager Jack Petro reviews local theater for Villages-News.com
