Though the exquisitely crafted revival of My Fair Lady has concluded a glorious run at Lincoln Center Theatre, the Bartlett Sher helmed production will continue to live on in an upcoming National Tour. The Lerner and Loewe musical classic, based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, will commence a North American National Tour in Syracuse, New York, aiming toward an official opening at Opera House at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C, on December 19.
Playing the central characters of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins are Shereen Ahmed and Laird Mackintosh. Ahmed started out in the ensemble of the Broadway production of My Fair Lady, then understudied the role of Eliza, occasionally going on to play the lead when recent star Laura Benanti was vacationing. Mackintosh is currently playing Monsieur Andre in the long-running Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. He has also played The Phantom himself for more than 200 performances.
My Fair Lady tells the unlikely platonic relationship that develops between a determined cockney flower girl and an arrogant phonetics professor when she comes to him for lessons in proper speech. The Lerner and Loewe score is a time-honored classic, with standout songs including “I Could Have Danced All Night”, “On the Street Where You Live”, “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” The Lincoln Center revival has been lauded for its contemporary spin on the piece.
The currently announced North American Tour schedule is as follows:
Syracuse, NY; Landmark Theatre, December 10–December 13, 2019
Washington, DC; Kennedy Center Opera House, December 17, 2019–January 19, 2020
Charlotte, NC; Ovens Auditorium, January 21–January 26, 2020
Greenville, SC; Peace Center, January 28–February 2, 2020
Nashville, TN; Tennessee Performing Arts Center, February 4–February 9, 2020
East Lansing, MI; Wharton Center, February 26–March 1, 2020
Minneapolis, MN; The Orpheum, March 3–March 8, 2020
Columbus, OH; Ohio Theater, March 11–March 15, 2020
Des Moines, IA; Civic Center, March 17–March 22, 2020
Chicago, IL; Cadillac Palace Theatre, March 24–April 12, 2020
Milwaukee, WI; Marcus PAC, April 14–April 19, 2020
Madison, WI; Overture Center, April 21–April 26, 2020
Cleveland, OH; State Theatre, April 28–May 17, 2020
Durham, NC; Durham PAC, May 19–May 24, 2020
Orlando, FL; Dr. Phillips Center, May 26–May 31, 2020
Tampa, FL; Straz Center, June 2–June 7, 2020
Los Angeles, CA; Dolby Theatre, June 12–July 5, 2020
San Diego, CA; Civic Theatre, July 7–July 12, 2020
Denver, CO; Buell Theatre, July 15–July 26, 2020
San Francisco, CA; Golden Gate Theater, August 5–August 30, 2020
Full casting for the My Fair Lady tour will be announced at a later date.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs. He maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.
