Broadway Musical Home - My Fair Lady

This Lerner and Loewe 1957 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical is based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play “Pygmalion” and is the basis for the 1964 Academy Award-winning film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

Story:

Eliza Doolittle, a rough Cockney girl, meets Colonel Pickering and Henry Higgins in Covent Garden where she’s selling flowers. When Higgins remarks that he could help Eliza speak properly and raise her status in the community, Pickering challenges him to do so and Eliza takes him up on the offer. Though difficult and frustrating for both Eliza and Higgins at first, the lessons soon begin to work wonders, and produce results that neither predict.

Fun Fact

Alan Jay Lerner wouldn't let theatres mount productions of My Fair Lady unless they guaranteed they'd have chandeliers in the ball scene. He didn't want cheap productions of the show!
Show & Tell: The New Book of Broadway Anecdotes by Ken Bloom

: Composer
Frederick Loewe

: Lyricist and Librettist
Alan Jay Lerner

Broadway Premiere

Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre, Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway Theatre

Opening Night: Mar 15, 1956

Total Performances: 2,717

Original Cast: Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, Stanly Holloway, Cathleen Nesbitt, Robert Coote, John Michael King, Christopher Hewett, Reid Shelton

Director: Moss Hart

Choreographer: Hanya Holm

Producer: Herman Levin

Musical Director: Franz Allers

Musical Arrangements: Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang

Scenic Design: Oliver Smith

Costume Design: Cecil Beaton

Lighting Design: Feder

1976 Broadway Revival

Theatre: St. James Theatre, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Opening Night: Mar 25, 1976

Total Performances: 377

Original Cast: Christine Andreas, Robert Coote, Ian Richardson, George Rose, Brenda Forbes, Jerry Lanning

Director: Jerry Adler

Choreographer: Crandall Diehl

Producer: Herman Levin

Musical Director: Theodore Saidenberg

Musical Arrangements: Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang

Scenic Design: Oliver Smith

Costume Design: Cecil Beaton

Lighting Design: John Gleason

1981 Broadway Revival

Theatre: Uris Theatre

Opening Night: Aug 18, 1981

Total Performances: 120

Original Cast: Rex Harrison, Jack Gwillim, Cathleen Nesbitt, Milo O'Shea, Nancy Ringham, Nicholas Wyman

Director: Patrick Garland

Choreographer: Crandall Diehl

Producer: Don Gregory and Mike Merrick

Musical Director: Franz Allers

Scenic Design: Oliver Smith

Costume Design: Cecil Beaton

Lighting Design: Ken Billington

1993 Broadway Revival

Theatre: Virginia Theatre

Opening Night: Dec 9, 1993

Total Performances: 165

Original Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Melissa Errico, Glynis Bell, Julian Holloway, Robert Sella, Dolores Sutton, Paxton Whitehead

Director: Howard Davies

Choreographer: Donald Saddler

Producer: Barry & Fran Weissler, Jujamcyn Theaters

Musical Director: Jack Lee

Scenic Design: Ralph Koltai

Costume Design: Patricia Zipprodt

Lighting Design: Natasha Katz

2018 Broadway Revival

Theatre: Vivian Beaumont Theatre

Opening Night: Apr 19, 2018

Total Performances: 548

Original Cast: Lauren Ambrose, Harry Hadden-Paton, Norbert Leo Butz, Diana Rigg, Cameron Adams, Shereen Ahmed, Kerstin Anderson, Heather Botts, Allan Corduner, Jordan Donica, John Treacy Egan, Rebecca Eichenberger, SuEllen Estey, Christopher Faison, Steven Trumon Gray, Adam Grupper, Michael Halling, Joe Hart, Sasha Hutchings, Kate Marilley, Liz McCartney, Justin Lee Miller, Linda Mugleston, Manu Narayan, Rommel Pierre O'Choa, Keven Quillon, JoAnna Rhinehart, Tony Roach, Lance Roberts, Blair Ross, Christine Cornish Smith, Paul Slade Smith, Samantha Sturm, Matt Wall, Michael Williams, Minami Yusui, Lee Zarrett

Director: Bartlett Sher

Choreographer: Christopher Gattelli

Producer: Lincoln Center Theater in association with Nederlander Presentations Inc.

Musical Director: Ted Sperling

Orchestrations: Robert Russell Bennett & Philip J. Lang

Scenic Design: Michael Yeargan

Costume Design: Catherine Zuber

Lighting Design: Donald Holder

Sound Design: Marc Salzberg

1964 Film Version

Movie Name: My Fair Lady

Type: Hollywood Musical

Director: George Cukor

Screenplay: Alan Jay Lerner

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway

Musical Numbers

Why Can't the English?

Wouldn't it be Loverly?

With a Little Bit of Luck

I'm an Ordinary Man

The Rain in Spain

I Could Have Danced All Night

On the Street Where You Live

Show Me

Get Me to the Church on Time

You Did It

Without You

I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face

Click on a song name to listen/purchase it on

CDs

: Original Broadway Cast Album

: 2018 Broadway Revival Cast Album

: Original London Cast Album

: 2001 London Revival Cast Album

: 20th Anniversary Broadway Cast Album

: Motion Picture Soundtrack

: Songs From My Fair Lady by Laura Benanti

Vinyl

: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Sheetmusic

: Vocal Selections

Videos

: Original Hollywood Version DVD

: Original Hollywood Version Blu-Ray

: Original Hollywood Version Multi-Format

Books

: Loverly: The Life and Times of My Fair Lady

Other

1957 Tony Award Nominations

Best Musical
Best Actor in a Musical - Rex Harrison
Best Scenic Design
Best Costume Design
Conductor and Musical Director
Best Actress in a Musical - Julie Andrews
Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Robert Coote
Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Stanley Holloway
Best Choreography

1956 Theatre World Award Nominations

John Michael King

1976 Tony Award Nominations

Best Actor in a Musical - George Rose
Best Actor in a Musical - Ian Richardson

1976 Theatre World Award Nominations

Christine Andreas

1976 Drama Desk Award Nominations

Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Ian Richardson
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - George Rose
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Outstanding Revival

1982 Tony Award Nominations

Reproduction (Play or Musical)

1994 Drama Desk Award Nominations

Outstanding Musical Revival
Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Melissa Errico
Outstanding Costume Design

2018 Tony Award Nominations

Best Revival of a Musical
Best Leading Actor in a Musical - Harry Hadden-Paton
Best Leading Actress in a Musical - Lauren Ambrose
Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Norbert Leo Butz
Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Diana Rigg
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Choreography

2018 Drama Desk Award Nominations

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Harry Hadden-Paton
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Diana Rigg
Outstanding Director of a Musical

2018 Drama League Award Nominations

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Distinguished Performance Award - Lauren Ambrose
Distinguished Performance Award - Harry Hadden-Paton

2018 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations

Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Lauren Ambrose
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Norbert Leo Butz
Outstanding Choreographer
Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical)
Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical)
Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Harry Hadden-Paton

2018 Theatre World Award Nominations

Harry Hadden-Paton

2019 Grammy Award Nominations

Best Musical Theater Album

My Fair Lady

Playing at a Theater Near You

About the Musical

Fun Fact

Cast and Creative Team