by Diana Goldammer

Makeover shows are all the rage on television these days.  People transform their diets, their families, their faces, their homes, their parenting skills… you name it, someone is making it over.

But long before reality TV, there was “My Fair Lady.”  Mitchell’s ACT has done it again with this production in their quest to showcase local talent and deliver unmatched family entertainment.

"My Fair Lady" is the story about the makeover of an uneducated London flower girl named Eliza Doolittle into a grand lady.  At the end of the show, however, it isn’t just Eliza who has been made over.  Her teacher, Henry Higgins, finds he may have had a fragment of heart after all.

The two bump into each other in London’s music district, Covent Garden.  He is a linguist, and can tell by an accent where anyone comes from.  She is a poor flower seller, and he tells her that if she can get rid of her accent and speak like an upper-class lady, she will be able to get a better position in society.  She takes him up on his offer, and the rest is history.

With a great cast, beautiful costumes and an impressive set, this is definitely a production to remember.  One of the joys of this show is the music, and the ensemble outdid themselves with "Wouldn’t It Be Loverly" and "With a Little Bit of Luck."  The barbershop harmony is wonderful.  The harmony by Tim Stanga, Jack Mitchell, Steve Laufman and Richard Goldammer is so much fun to listen to.

It is the leads, though, that have the best songs, and Elsa Tapio as Eliza and Kurt Schwarzenbart as Higgins are terrifically memorable.  Schwarzenbart demonstrates severe mood swings as he sings, leaving no emotion to the imagination.  He’s rigid and wistful, irritating and endearing.  Tapio’s voice is spellbinding, captivating, breathtaking … she’s just phenomenal.  And you just can’t be any more adorable than she is.

Tapio’s take on the character was right on - her Eliza is strong and funny, but also vulnerable.  Tapio also manages that Cockney accent so well – almost to the point of being realistically annoying!  The scene at the Ascot, where she first tries out her new skills, is hilarious.  And the hats they wear there?  You have to see it for yourself.  As for Schwarzenbart, his Higgins is marvelous – insufferable, snotty and arrogant to the end, even though he finally can’t do without Eliza’s charms.

Played by Brett Farnam, Freddy is a likable enough guy who meets Eliza at the Ascot horse races, becomes smitten and starts hanging around her house night and day (described with the song "On the Street Where You Live").

There’s plenty more color in an already colorful cast, and much of it is supplied by Alfred Dolittle, Eliza’s rascally father.  Ever the opportunist, he decides to get money from Higgins once he finds out his daughter is living there taking dialect lessons.  Kim Lorenzen plays the role with a great deal of gusto, and shines on numbers such as "With a Little Bit of Luck" and "Get Me to the Church on Time."  Watch his eyes – they are the key to his character.  I challenge you to catch him making eye contact with anyone on stage.

Supporting players, including Karen Harrington as Higgins’ long-suffering housekeeper, Blaine Tirrel as Higgins’ friend Col. Pickering and Pat Buechler as Higgins’ mother, all give delightful performances.  Harrington is matronly and professional, Tirrel does a mean Spanish dance number, and Buechler keeps a straight face in spite of the great one-liners she delivers.

The cast includes ensembles of bystanders and chorus members who provide great support.  So many of those folks have been on stage before and it’s fun to see them mentor the ACT newcomers.  They bring incomparable talent to the show.

The character you won’t want to lose in the crowd at Covent Garden is Micaela Nelson as Mrs. Hopkins.  She’s loud and opinionated, and her face tells you exactly what she’s thinking.  Watch her expressions for unexpected entertainment.

The behind the scenes crew deserves a big hand.  There wasn’t a glitch, a missed cue, or anything else to distract from the performance.  Transitions between the many scenes went like clockwork, and it was mesmerizing to see the stage transform each time the lights came up.  Lonnie Burns on piano and Cheryl Hohbach on keyboard were unstoppable as they kept the action moving and everyone singing. 

My compliments to Cheri Hamilton and her entire cast and crew for great entertainment in spite of uncooperative weather and jam-packed spring calendars.

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