Full cast revealed for My Fair Lady in London

With rehearsals about to start, ull casting has just been revealed for My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum this May.

Joining Amara Okereke (Spring Awakening, The Boy Friend) as Eliza and Harry Hadden-Paton (returning to the role following his turn on Broadway) as Henry Higgins will be Stephen K Amos as Alfred P Doolittle and Malcolm Sinclair  as Colonel Pickering.

Stephen K Amos is a BAFTA award-winning comedian whose stage work includes My Night With Reg and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. Malcolm Sinclair  has performed in more than 50 theatrical productions and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2019 Olivier Awards for his performance in Pressure at The Ambassador's Theatre. 

The score, which includes such standards as "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Get Me to the Church on Time," and "On the Street Where You Live", will be performed by the English National Opera orchestra.

The full company is completed with Dammi Aregbeshola, Bernadette Bangura, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, Jamie Cruttenden, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Barry Drummond, Bethany Huckle, Heather Jackson, Emma Johnson, Charlotte Kennedy, Sinead Kenny, Jenny Legg, Tom Liggins, Rebekah Lowings, Carl Patrick, Tom Ping, Dominique Planter, Joseph Poulton, John Stacey, Joshua Steel, Oliver Tester, Adam Vaughan, Annie Wensak and Paul Westwood.

First casting news for My Fair Lady at the Coliseum

The West End revival of Lerner and Loewe’s musical My Fair Lady is coming to the London Coliseum for the first time in 21 years. The Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning production will head to the London Coliseum in Summer 2022 for a limited 16-week engagement which runs from 7th May-27th August 2022. Directed by Bartlett Sher with the full Broadway creative team, this production will feature the English National Opera orchestra playing Frederick Loewe’s  score with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner.

First casting news is that Amara Okereke ( Cosette in Les Miserables and Polly in The Boy Friend) is playing Eliza Doolittle with Harry Haddon-Paton (Downton Abbbey) reprising his Broadway performance of Henry Higgins for the London production with Academy Award-winner Dame Vanessa Redgrave as matriarch Mrs Higgins (she is returning to the West End stage for the first time since her appearance in The Inheritance in 2018), Sharif Afifi as lovestruck Freddy Eynsford-Hill with Maureen Beattie as housekeeper Mrs Pearce

Amara Okereke was seen in the Almeida’s acclaimed production of Spring Awakening and she won the Stage Debut Award for her performance as Cosette in Les Miserables. She will be joined by Harry Hadden-Paton who reprises his performance as Henry Higgins which he originated at the Lincoln Center in New York and for which he received Tony and Grammy award nominations. Hadden-Paton has worked extensively on stage in both London and New York and is perhaps best known for his roles as Martin Charteris in The Crown (Netflix) and Bertie Pelham in Downton Abbey (ITV).

Final cast announced for 60th Anniversary Gala of My Fair Lady

Updated 27th June:  The full cast has just been announced and now includes Patricia Routledge (Keeping Up Appearances) as  Mrs Higgins whilst Bradley Jaden (Wicked) will star as Freddie Eynsford-Hill. 

Sam Hiller (My Fair Lady/Phantom) will play Colonel Pickering with Rebecca Louis (Mack and Mabel) as Mrs Pearce. Joining the ensemble are Andrew Bateup, Jordan Lee Davies, Katy Hanna, Emma Harrold, Sejal Keshwala and Joe Vetch.

There is to to be a 60th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser in Celebration of My Fair Lady  on Sunday 19th  June at  St. Pauls Church, Covent Garden

Directed by Alastair Knights (Putting It Together St James Theatre, Kings of Broadway Palace Theatre) with Musical Direction by Alex Parker (Les Miserables Queen’s Theatre, Kings of Broadway Palace Theatre) the performance willinclude rare material cut from the original 1956 production including two new songs – Come To The Ball and Say A Prayer For Me Tonight, which have never before been heard on the London stage. The evening will also include classic scenes from My Fair Lady, its source material Pygmalion and excerpts from Alan Jay Lerner’s autobiography The Street Where I Live. Accompanied by an 18 piece orchestra, the concert will feature many of themuch loved songs of Lerner and Loewe’s timeless score including Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, I Could Have Danced All Night

The role of Eliza Doolittle will be performed by multiple West End leading ladies including Gina Beck (ShowboatNew London Theatre, Wicked Apollo Victoria); Alexia Khadime (Winner ‘Best Supporting Actress in a Musical’ at the 2014 WhatsOnStage Awards for The Book of Mormon Prince of Wales Theatre); Amy Lennox (Nominated fora 2016 Olivier Award for her performance in Kinky Boots Adelphi Theatre); Eva Noblezada (Winner 'Best Actress in a Musical' at the 2015 WhatsOnStage Awards for Miss Saigon Prince Edward Theatre); Laura Pitt-Pulford(Nominated at the 2016 Olivier Awards for her performance in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Open Air Theatre)and Kara Tointon (Mr Selfridge ITV, The Sound of Music Live ITV). The concert will also feature BAFTA award winner, Anthony Andrews (My Fair Lady Drury Lane, Brideshead Revised ITV) as Henry Higgins and comedian Frank Skinner as Alfred P. Doolittle. Liz Robertson, the widow of playwright and lyricist, Alan Jay Lerner, and star of the 1979 London production will be the narrator with  more casting to be announced soon.

The evening is generously supported by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and produced by ebp. All proceeds from this charity gala will go towards the restoration of St. Paul’s Church and to improve disabled access.

Tickets for  the 60th Anniversary Gala of My Fair Lady

Cast for My Fair Lady at Sheffield

Full casting has been announced for the Sheffield Crucible Christmas musical Mr Fair Lady which runs there from Thursday 13th December 2012 – Sat 26 January 2013.

Carly Bawden/Eliza Doolittle, Dominic West/Professor Higgins, Anthony Calf (New Tricks, Upstairs Downstairs)/Colonel Pickering, Richenda Carey (Monarch of the Glen)/Mrs Higgins and Martyn Ellis (Guys and Dolls) as Alfred Doolittle.

Joining them are Chris Bennett (Harry),  Joanna Lee Martin (Mrs Hopkins),  Louis Maskell (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Laura Medforth (Mrs Eynsford-Hill), Carl Sanderson (Jamie), Nicola Sloane (Mrs Pearce) and ensemble members Carly Anderson, Nick Butcher, Matthew Clark, John Coates,  Adam Dutton, Emily Goodenough, Victoria Hinde, Adam Jones, Matthew Malthouse, Stephen Whitson and Anna Woodside.

Book tickets for My Fair Lady

Cameron Mackintosh postpones My Fair Lady film

Chichester Festival Theatre currently has a superb production of Pygmalion starring Rupert Everett as Professor Higgins and Honeysuckle Weeks as Eliza Doolittle.

It has received rave reviews and is expected to make a swift transfer into London’s West End. It is also hotly tipped to make actress Honeysuckle Weeks (best known for her role as Samantha Stewart alongside Michael Kitchen in the ITV series Foyle's War since 2002) into a big star.

With this in mind, and because of difficulties in finding a director and casting the lead role, Sir Cameron Mackintosh has decided to postpone production of his musical film version of My Fair Lady from 2010 to the second half of 2011.

Keira Knightley not a Fair Lady after all

Keira Knightley, who is currently making her stage debut in The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre, will not play Eliza Doolittle in the new Cameron Mackintosh and Duncan Kenworthy movie version of My Fair Lady.

Miss Knightley has been discussing the possibility of recreating the role of the Covent Garden flower girl played originally (and so memorably) by Audrey Hepburn, over the past two years. During this time she had singing lessons and sang for Mackintosh but was never officially offered the part. It is now believed she feels the project is taking too long to get off the ground and has therefore withdrawn.

Despite rumours of an American actress such as Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway being in the running to play Eliza, the film-makers are insistent the role will go to a British actress and now Carey Mulligan (pictured)  has been asked to meet director John Madden. Other actresses being considered include Gemma Arterton and Emily Blunt.

Filming on My Fair Lady is expected to begin on location in London later in the year