My Fair Lady enchants audiences at Melton Theatre
The Melton Musical Theatre Company’s (TMMTC) last show, Dracula the Musical, brought the house down with thrilling tension and gruesome horror, but their latest outing couldn’t be further from October’s production.
Performing Lerner and Loewe’s classic, My Fair Lady, the large company shone under the direction of Kate Felts, choreography from Victoria Adams, and Musical Director Sandra Tebbutt.
It wasn’t TMMTC’s first time at the races, with previous performances of My Fair Lady in 1971, 1982, and 1999 – the latter of which Tebbutt starred in as lead role Eliza Doolittle.
This time it’s the turn of TMMTC debutant Georgie Bladon, who shines under the spotlight as she morphs from ‘squashed cabbage leaf’ to ‘queen of Shiba’ behind the veil of a gorgeous soprano.
From the boundless childlike innocence of “I could have danced all night”, to the humorous maturity on “Just you wait”, Bladon captures every aspect (and accent) of Doolittle’s journey with quality.
Felt’s direction is keen to make Eliza completely independent from the male dominated world surrounding her.
A key part of this is Professor Henry Higgins, played in magnificently cringe-inducing and antagonistic style by local star of stage, screen and samosa, Keran Turakhia.
Elsewhere, Jason Wrightham puts in a comical and crowd rousing shift as Eliza’s greed-loving father, and Pete Etherington provides additional humorous astuteness as Colonel Pickering.
With the fatal flaw in each of these characters masculinity masterfully communicated perfectly by the trio, Doolittle could shine as a free-spirited woman.
Outside of the principal cast, a stellar supporting troupe executed excellently period-appropriate choreography and complex vocal arrangements with ease and professionalism.
Although their roles were small in stature, shoutouts must go to the likes of Rachel Roberts, Amy Beale and Ryan Green for supporting the action with poise, elegance and strong characterization.
A final word must be reserved for Felt’s vision, and the excellent set pieces that allowed it to thrive.
The well-paced musical numbers, snappy transitions and nicely weighted ebb and flow would be nothing without set design that allowed the audience to be transported from Higgins study to the racecourse to the ball and back again with minimal fuss.
From the famous first lines of ‘Get Me to the Church On Time’, to the tender and vulnerable ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face’, Felt’s played into My Fair Lady’s main strengths - it’s humorous dialogue, affirming female liberation, and timeless music.
No greater review of TMMTC’s production can be given than the thoughts of those leaving the theatre.
Cecil Robinson told me, “If we could all spend another few hours in the presence of Eliza Doolittle and her supporting cast, well wouldn’t that be lovely…”
TMMTC will be taking to the stage again in October 2023 in ‘The Addams Family’.
For more details visit https://www.tmmtc.co.uk/ or check out TMMTC’s Facebook page.
***Melton Theatre has a full programme of top acts lined up for this year, including performances by folk rock band, Lindisfarne, Status Quo rocker, Francis Rossi, and comedian Tommy Cannon.
Click HERE for the full list of shows and to buy tickets.