Davis Enterprise Review Out

Ouch! Oh well, that's live theatre!:

Not entirely loverly

By David Burmester Enterprise drama critic February 27, 2008 13:18


Left: Prof. Henry Higgins (Steve Isaacson, left), Eliza Doolittle (Lauren Miller) and Col. Pickering (Herb Schultz) build to a triumphant finale during one of the many much-loved songs for which 'My Fair Lady' has remained famous. (Greg Rihl/Enterprise photo)


'My Fair Lady,' adapted from George Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion' by the celebrated team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, opened to rave reviews in New York on March 15, 1956.

The following summer, the national company played a one-month engagement at San Francisco's magnificent War Memorial Opera House. That production marked my first encounter with this great musical.

Fifty years and change later, I found myself Saturday evening at the Davis Musical Theatre Company's Hoblit Performing Arts Center right here in Davis, for yet another production of this classic musical. Of course, the Hoblit is not the Opera House, and DMTC is not a professional touring company.

Still, the current production of 'My Fair Lady' has enough good moments and enjoyable performances to make it a satisfactory evening of theater.

Trevor Hoffman is especially impressive as Alfred Doolittle. Hoffman, a newcomer to the DMTC stage, absolutely nails the Cockney accent in his two songs, 'With a Little Bit of Luck' and 'Get Me to the Church on Time.' In addition to a solid acting performance, Hoffman is far and away the most engaging dancer on the stage.

Lauren Miller shines as Alfred's daughter, Eliza. The tall, lanky Miller makes the difficult transition from ragamuffin flower girl to 'princess' completely believable. She not only captures the linguistic shift but shows us Eliza's dawning realization of her own worth: a commendable acting feat. Miller's best moment is her tea table conversation at Ascot, during which she details the colorful demise of a favorite aunt.

Danette Vassar is in top form as Mrs. Pearce, Higgins' housekeeper. It's a pleasure to see this DMTC regular give a solid performance in an important supporting role. Laura Woodruff also is worth mentioning; she stands out in several small ensemble roles.

Steve Isaacson is a puzzling choice, however, in the pivotal lead role of Henry Higgins. Isaacson is the driving force at DMTC, and he has given a number of memorable performances in character roles.

He's a great second banana, but he's not Henry Higgins.

Higgins, the precise practitioner of upper-class English, is driven by his pride in the spoken language, a character trait essential to the plot. Unfortunately, Isaacson's attempts at a British accent are uneven at best. Moreover, while Higgins is something of a jerk, he's a pleasant one, but Isaacson makes him mean and small-spirited.

I came to the theater expecting to see Isaacson as Alfred Doolittle; it's intriguing to speculate on how different the show might have been, had Hoffman played Higgins and Isaacson taken on the Cockney dustman.

Director/choreographer Jan Isaacson occasionally misses the mark. One can only wonder why Herb K. Schultz was allowed to turn Col. Hugh Pickering into a timid wimp, when the role calls for a strong and rather avuncular figure: a foil for the edgy Higgins.

Even more troubling is the blocking of large group scenes: Ensemble actors stand about in clumps, watching the action rather than being a part of it ... waiting, it would seem, for the moment when they break into song.

At times, the 20-member ensemble utterly overwhelms the acting space.

Isaacson's choreography has a military feel, as though the objective is to move from Point A to Point B while keeping time to the music.

The one staging innovation comes during 'Ascot Gavotte.' Here, in stiff little groups, the ensemble shuffles rapidly from place to place on the stage, with drill-team precision. What should have been a burlesque of the stately elegance of British high society instead becomes, sadly, something just a little bit silly.

On the other hand, the singing ensemble, under the direction of Jonathan Rothman, is one of the best I've seen at DMTC. Jean Henderson's costumes are beautiful; Eliza's gown for the Embassy Ball is lovely, and the black and white costumes for the Ascot races are truly spectacular.

Ultimately, DMTC is community theater and a labor of love. The performers' enormous energy offsets the artistic rough spots, and the enthusiasm of this company's loyal audience makes 'My Fair Lady' - with Shaw's classic story and the great Lerner and Loewe score - a show that many theater-goers surely will appreciate.