DODS have come up trumps again! Altogether, this was a splendid account of the Lerner and Loewe musical that still retains a strong flavour of Shaw's Pygmalion. On the second night of the week-long run everything appeared to run smoothly from the start although the otherwise competent orchestra under Roger Winter took just a little while to get into its stride.
The opening scene in Covent Garden (and many subsequent scenes) was most effectively choreographed by Val Lockley and set a good standard that was maintained throughout. In particular, the Ascot scene was well realised with all those classy gowns (Jalea Ward and her team) gracing the stage. The wardrobe team under Ros Montague are equally to be congratulated - what a wonderful array of outrageous hats!
The cast all did extremely well and nobody worked and tried harder than David Shears as Professor Higgins. But I felt he was miscast in the role in spite of many good moments . Emma Hitchings as Eliza was first rate and convincingly transformed from flower seller to society lady. She acted and sang extremely well. Equally good was Craig Hewlett's realisation of the role of Alfred Doolittle. This part must be an actor's dream. Chris Lambert was a suitably conservative Colonel Pickering and Sue Withers was just right as the motherly Mts Pearce. In cameo roles there were attractive performances from Jane Hitchings (Mrs Higgins) and Charlie Marshall who sang musically as Freddy. It would be remiss of me not to congratulate the Servants, the Dancers and the Chorus who were all employed a lot and performed well. Director Ken Hitchings kept the events moving at a good pace and managed his large forces well. Stage manager Sarah Hodge and her team were also active throughout with all those scene changes. So once again DODS continue to give enjoyment as the large and enthusiastic audience demonstrated and I must not forget the friendly and efficient front of house team who, as always, were thoroughly welcoming.
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