"My Fair Lady" Comes to Bay Street

[caption id="attachment_53909" align="alignnone" width="800"] The cast of "My Fair Lady."[/caption]

By Dawn Watson

Seasoned theatergoers might think they know the complete story of “My Fair Lady.” They would most likely be wrong.

As it was originally written by George Bernard Shaw in “Pygmalion in 1912,” the five-act play was full of dark commentary on the British aristocracy and the subject of female independence. The Irishman writer’s wickedly sharp lampoon, which starred a penniless Cockney flower seller named Eliza Doolittle and a phonetics professor named Henry Higgins, was by no means a fairytale.

[caption id="attachment_53908" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul Alexander Nolan and Kelli Barrett.[/caption]

But then the play was reimagined in 1956 as an upbeat love story, complete with zippy musical numbers—including "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "Wouldn't It be Loverly"—and a happy ending, and “My Fair Lady” was born. The original Broadway production, which starred Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, went on to be set records as the longest-running musical of its time. Since, the two-act play has seen countless revivals and adaptations, and was turned into an Academy Award-winning film, starring Audrey Hepburn and Mr. Harrison in 1964.

Undergoing a bit of modern updating by Michael Arden, a Tony Award nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award-winner for Best Director of a Musical for the Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening,” the classic musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe will stage at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor from Tuesday, August 2, through Sunday, August 28. The production, which will feature two pianos, 15 actors, and loads of romance and happily resolved conflict, stars Paul Alexander Nolan (a Drama Desk nominee for his portrayal of Jimmy Ray Dobbs in “Bright Star,” Outer Critics Circle nominee for Pasha/Stelnikov in “Doctor Zhivago” and the title character in “Jesus Christ Superstar”) as the well-bred Professor Henry Higgins and Kelli Barrett (who played the original Sherrie in the off-Broadway production of “Rock of Ages,” Laura in “Doctor Zhivago” and Nessarose in “Wicked”) as the spunky ingénue Eliza Doolittle.

"This bold new production of one of the greatest musicals of all time will be a thrilling finale to the season,” says Bay Street’s Artistic Director Scott Schwartz. “sPaul Alexander Nolan and Kelli Barrett … will bring such life, vitality, humor and passion to Professor Higgins and Eliza. This ‘Fair Lady’ is a perfect musical for the whole family.”

It’s also the perfect break for Ms. Barrett, who says that playing Eliza is “the ultimate bucket list dream role.” And doing it at Bay Street with such an accomplished group of co-stars and crew is an opportunity of a lifetime.

“I would have played her in the back of a pickup truck in someone’s yard,” she says. “So the fact that this production is at Bay Street with this incredible team is making my brain explode.”

Taking on such an iconic role has been an amazing journey so far, she says, adding that playing the smart and sharp flower girl has been an empowering experience for her.

“I am absolutely in love with her spirit; a fighter, caretaker, feminist, and true survivor,” says the actress of her character.  “We are approaching the work with a new eye, which, to me, makes Eliza the perfect female role model.”

Ms. Barrett says she’s also looking forward to spending more time in the Hamptons. She recently co-headlined a duet production of “This is Dedicated: Music’s Greatest Marriages” at Guild Hall in East Hampton with her husband, Jarrod Spector, who was nominated for a Tony for his performance in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and is the actor who played Frankie Valli for a record 1,500 performances in Broadway’s “Jersey Boys.” She’s excited to come back for more, she adds.

“I’m ready to devour all the seafood and hit the beaches,” she reports.

But most of all, she can’t wait to see how the updated production of “My Fair Lady” affects the audience.

“I’m doing my dream role. I’m honored and grateful to be here and to tell this poignant story. I hope you love watching it as much as I love performing it, she says. “Without giving anything away, I hope the audience will be as inspired as I am.”

“My Fair Lady” stages at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor from Tuesday, August 2, through August Sunday, August 28. The musical is directed by Michael Arden and stars Paul Alexander Nolan, Kelli Barrett, Howard McGillin, Carole Shelley, Karen Murphy, John O'Creagh, Bobby Conte Thornton and Ryan Fitzgerald. Student Sunday Matinees will be held on Sundays at 2 p.m., and Talkback Tuesdays with Mr. Schwartz will be held most weeks during the show’s run. A "Pay What You Can" performance will be held on August 2. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.baystreet.org.