WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — REVIEW: Tuesday was opening night for 'My Fair Lady' at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.
And for the first time since the pandemic things seemed back to normal. Thanks to masks being suggested and not required you could see the boisterous laughs among friends, people gossiping behind their Playbills, and hearty belly laughs at lines of humorous prose.
The star of the show, Shereen Ahmed, plays Eliza Doolittle who has the daunting task of filling Audrey Hepburn's shoes and does not disappoint-bringing her own spin on the classic character.
"I don't say I walk in her shoes, I'm right next to her. We're on the same journey and she's with me on stage," said Ahmed.
Full Interview with Ahmed
The show's sets are a thing of wonder, Professor Higgans' house rotates on a turntable to change scenes, lamp posts and fences rush in and out by cast members to create new places, and the authentic-looking props take you back to 1912.
And OH MY GOD, when Ahmed came out in Hepburn's classic champagne gown with her tiara glittering like a disco ball you could hear all the gay men in the audience gasp in unison (like it was rehearsed). She looked stunning!
Like the classic movie, the musical runs a bit long, 90-minute first act and a 80-minute second act (but what do I know, I have the attention span of a gnat).
I like the forward-thinking of having Martin Fisher play Alfred P. Doolittle though my suspended disbelief was crushed when he seemed to fall in and out of his accent.
About 'My Fair Lady'
The classic Audrey Hepburn movie, 'My Fair Lady', comes alive at the Kravis Center. It tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed? The Kravis on Broadway Series runs through Sunday, April 24. Tickets start at $33 plus taxes and fee.
