STAGE REVIEW : New Harrison, New ‘Lady’--but Old Hat

With apologies to Alan Jay Lerner:

We have often walked

Down the “My Fair Lady” street before

But the pavement stays beneath our feet more and more.

California Music Theatre’s revival does nothing to lift us off the pavement. In fact, the casting of Noel Harrison as Henry Higgins--the role his father Rex Harrison made famous--virtually ensured that this production would exhume, not revivify, the past.

Not that this is Noel Harrison’s fault. He can’t help it that he looks so much like his father, especially when they wear the same outfits. And, in contrast with reports from a 1983 Long Beach production that also starred Noel (and was directed by CMT’s artistic director Gary Davis), Harrison at least sings a bit more than his father did.

Which makes sense--Noel, unlike his father, is a singer. He ought to go all the way and ignore completely his father’s model of speaking the songs. It would be the best way to declare independence.

It’s also possible that Noel keeps his hands in his pockets a bit more than his father did. But that’s not the kind of re-interpretation that’s needed; it seems inappropriate during the exasperated moments of “I’m an Ordinary Man.”

Such little details aside, the father-son resemblance is striking. Now, this kind of museum-quality reproduction may be a valuable service for a generation that has never seen “My Fair Lady.” But that generation was not heavily represented in the audience on opening night. One suspects that Noel actually was cast for the opposite reason--he helps “My Fair Lady” veterans stroll down memory lane.

It’s like seeing Rex redux. This has its charms; Noel is never less than professional. But a fresh interpretation could strengthen the show.

The show needs a little strengthening. The final scene, in which Eliza returns to Higgins with the unspoken implication that she’s there to stay, always seemed like a blatant attempt to make the musical more commercial than the play (George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion”) on which it was based. But it’s more inexplicable now than ever.

You don’t have to be a feminist to raise questions about that scene, but decades of feminism since the show’s premiere have made such questions unavoidable. Higgins has said nothing to induce Eliza to come back, so why is she there?

It’s possible that a different interpretation of Higgins could help answer that question.

This production’s Eliza, Betsy Joslyn, can’t provide the answer, but she does sing beautifully and she carries off the show’s funniest scene--Eliza’s debut at Ascot--to perfection.

Gary Beach is a vigorous Alfred P. Doolittle, with a pugnacious, florid music hall face reminiscent of a young Anthony Newley. Laurie Main’s Colonel Pickering is cut precisely from the original mold.

Amick Byram’s Freddy sniggers well but also lifts his voice off the pavement during his big number, and Lola Fisher and Ann Rittenhouse provide staunch support as the show’s sensible older women.

Jack Allison’s staging is as familiar as Harrison’s appearance. But the embassy ball scene is missing, which subtracts from the spectacle, reduces the “Embassy Waltz” to a few bars of the entr’acte, and eliminates the character of Karpathy. Wasn’t there enough money for another set?

The sets and costumes were created for other productions in San Bernardino and San Jose, respectively. They do the job, as long as they’re in the right place at the right time, but opening night was afflicted by a botched set change that quickly eroded the suspension of disbelief.

There also were a couple of moments when Lloyd Cooper’s direction of the Pasadena Pops Orchestra sounded slightly out of sync with the singers. But presumably these matters will be fixed for future performances. At least the words could be understood; CMT is making definite progress in that department.

* “My Fair Lady,” Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends March 24. $17.50-$32.50. (213) 410-1062. Running time: 3 hours.

‘My Fair Lady’

Noel Harrison: Henry Higgins

Betsy Joslyn: Eliza Doolittle

Laurie Main: Colonel Pickering

Gary Beach: Alfred P. Doolittle

Amick Byram: Freddy Eynsford-Hill

Lola Fisher: Mrs. Higgins

Ann Rittenhouse: Mrs. Pearce

Kathie Cole Freeman: Mrs. Eynsford-Hill

Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion.” Music by Frederick Loewe. A California Music Theatre production. Director Jack Allison. Sets Peter Wolf. Lights Ward Carlisle. Musical director Lloyd Cooper. Choreographer Carl Jablonski. Production stage manager Bill Holland. Stage manager Danny Michaels.