Throughout my long career as a theatre director, I have had many magical moments. I made it a point never to select a musical or a play that I wasn’t totally in love with from the second I picked up the script and began reading page one. Directing is extremely personal. You must open your heart and soul to allow the creative energy to flow. You must live with the words and music for weeks at a time, every hour of the day and night. My dreams were always haunted by the entire production playing out in my mind while I slept. I took it as a positive sign that I had made the right choice. My dreams were a gateway into thinking outside the box. My best, most outrageous creations always began when I closed my eyes. It was the best gift the universe shared with me. I never took it for granted.
My students, their parents, friends, colleagues, the community, and my family would approach me and ask, even before the final curtain had fallen on my current production, what I was going to do next or how I could possibly top what I had just created. It never ceased to amaze me. They all meant well. Directing a play or musical is like standing naked in front of the world. Every juicy bit is on display. It is who you are at your core for all to witness and judge. A director must have thick skin and truly maintain a strong, impenetrable sense of self. I was one of the lucky ones. I loved every minute of holding an audience in the palm of my hand and gently guiding them through my visions. Some were easier than others. Sometimes, a director can never fully release when their run is done. MY FAIR LADY was one of these that is etched forever within my very being.
It all began when I first read the play, PYGMALION. I then saw several productions of this script on stage. Miraculously, years later, it brilliantly morphed into the famous musical Broadway show known as MY FAIR LADY, and in 1964, it became a movie. I watched this film dozens of times, secretly storing away every sparkle and nuance for a future date. I knew I would recreate it on my own stage one day in the future. And I did over thirty years later. Little did I know then that my own daughter would make her debut on my stage as a freshman, and it would be the last performance for one of my precious seniors before she was fatally injured in an auto accident two months later. The movie MY FAIR LADY made a difference in my life in ways I can never say.
MY FAIR LADY won eight Oscars out of the twelve nominations it received. Very impressive. It won Best Picture, Director, Actor, Cinematography, Sound, Costumes, Music, and Art Direction. It also created one of the biggest Hollywood snubs in history.
The Academy did not recognize Audrey Hepburn as Eliza with a nomination for Best Actress. The irony was Julie Andrews (who portrayed Eliza on Broadway and was not chosen to be Eliza in the movie) received the Golden Statuette for MARY POPPINS, the very same year. In Andrew’s acceptance speech, she thanked Jack L. Warner, MFL’s producer and head of the studio, for not casting her. It brought down the house. There were rumors that Hepburn and Andrews had an ongoing feud, but this was not true. In fact, they were good friends, and Hepburn always believed that Julie Andrews should have portrayed that part. It has been said that the reason she was not chosen is that she was merely a Broadway actress, not a major film star. Was it a mistake? Who really knows? MFL cost $17 million to create and grossed close to 75 million. Money always talks.
Rex Harrison took on the role he had begun on Broadway (and won a Tony for) as Professor Henry Higgins. Warner originally wanted Cary Grant to play the part, but he refused, saying no one else could be Henry Higgins. Harrison could not sing, but he could speak the words of the songs in tempo and with conviction. He was the perfect Higgins. His facial expressions, his physicality, and his sarcastic tone created the genius, narcissistic, whiny, lovable, contentious professor you would ever meet. He was magnificent and larger than life. He later said in interviews that when he sang the song, I’VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE, he was singing about his third wif,e who had recently died from cancer. It was possible to see how much grief and sadness he put into every word spoken.
Audrey Hepburn, as Eliza, was not allowed to sing all her songs. Marni Nixon dubbed her. Hepburn was greatly disappointed because she had been taking voice lessons and was prepared if the music was rewritten in her range. Warner would not do this. Hepburn walked out once when she learned she would not be singing her songs, but in the end, she agreed to do it. She was allowed to sing the song, JUST YOU WAIT, along with several phrases in other musical numbers. If she had been allowed to sing, I often wonder if she would have received an Oscar nomination as well. Hepburn was stunning as Eliza. Her beauty and grace were truly immortalized, especially when she walked down the stairs in her white ballroom gown. The transformation from a mere flower girl to a Lady was visually spectacular. It was said that the entire cast and crew gasped when they saw her. Then they followed with resounding applause. I think that was what the audience felt as well when everyone saw her transformation. No one can forget her exquisite beauty.
The costumes from MFL were impressive. The attention to detail was astounding. The beadwork, the jewels, and the placement of each bow or tiara were breathtaking. Audiences will remember the black-and-white costumes from the Ascot Races. The hats were to die for, each one bigger than the last. Eliza’s dress was the highlight of the entire scene except for her shouting, “Come on, Dover. Move your blooming arse!” This line makes me laugh out loud with pure delight.
There are so many extraordinary details created in every scene. My favorite must be the library. It was simply magnificent. The designer stated that he had no budget and was given free rein. This does not happen often. He was very lucky,, and so were we, as moviegoers.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the ensemble that surrounded Harrison and Hepburn. Perfect casting especially with Colonel Pickering, Freddy, and of course, Eliza’s Dad. George Cukor, the director, (THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, GASLIGHT) knew what he was doing. His thoughtful, poignant, entertaining vision was a true masterpiece. He ensured the film had substance, and yet it was oh, so much fun to watch. I stand in awe of his talent, and I even borrowed several of his techniques when I was designing my own stage production.
The fabulous team of Lerner and Lowe gave audiences the magnificent music from MY FAIR LADY, which included such songs as I’M GETTING MARRIED IN THE MORNING, WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK, I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT, WHY CAN’T A WOMAN BE MORE LIKE A MAN, and ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE. Each musical note evoked strong feelings and memories of places ,featured in the film, such as the flower market, the pubs, the ballroom, and the room where Eliza learned to change her speech patterns from a lowly guttersnipe to emerge as a genteel lady. A woman who can say THE RAIN IN SPAIN correctly can fool anyone, especially a Hungarian speech therapist played by the one and only Theodore Bikel. (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) Oh, what an explosive, gossipy scene.
MY FAIR LADY is a spectacular, socially challenging, musical classic. It prompts audiences to reflect on who they are, their place in society, and how others perceive them. It defines people in simple ways.
“The difference between a flower girl and a lady is how other people treat her. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because that is what he sees me as, but to Pickering, he sees more. He treats me like a lady. The question is not whether or not I have good manners, but the act of how everybody should be treated in the same way.”
Wouldn’t that be loverly?
MY FAIR LADY is available on TCM.
