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‘My Fair Lady’ returning to town

The national tour of "My Fair Lady" returns to Kuss Auditorium on Nov. 5.

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By Andrew McGinn, Staff Writer 3:43 PM Thursday, October 27, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — It’s time for someone to take “My Fair Lady” and “reimagine” it.

Not that there’s anything wrong with the classic musical. The show’s national tour returns to Kuss Auditorium on Nov. 5.

But envision a new version of the legendary Lerner and Loewe musical set in the present.

Hank Higgins is a speech therapist who tries to convince an anthropomorphic TV gecko that, by shedding his cockney accent, he could elevate his social standing — and, in the process, go from being a shill for Geico to representing Lloyd’s of London.

Predictably, they end up falling in love in the hit new musical, “My Fair Lizard.”

No? OK.

But by now, there isn’t much new that can be said about “My Fair Lady” — that stone-cold stage classic about Professor Henry Higgins and cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle in swinging, Edwardian London.

Winner of the 1957 Tony for best musical, the original Broadway production starred Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, but not a single gecko.

Contact this reporter at amcginn@coxohio.com.

How to go

What: The national tour of “My Fair Lady”

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 5

Where: Kuss Auditorium

Tickets: $30 to $45; visit springfieldartscouncil.org or call (937) 328-3874 to order.

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