THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 20, 1996 TAG: 9604190067
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY MONTAGUE GAMMON III, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
THE COMMONWEALTH Musical Stage production of ``My Fair Lady'' offers an engagingly fresh interpretation of the familiar Professor Higgins, a charming Eliza Doolittle, the usual stolid Col. Pickering and a generally enjoyable look at this deservedly popular classic.
As actor David Staller rails against ever letting a woman into one's life, it's clear that this Henry Higgins once had some woman in his life - one forever nameless, special woman whose intimacy left him bruised and resentful long before he met Eliza Doolittle.
Staller and director David G. Armstrong, with their vision of a Professor Higgins who is a hot-tempered, wounded romantic rather than a cool, middle-aged scorner of all femininity, breathe new life into a role that has become fossilized in the image of Rex Harrison.
Here the romance between Higgins and Eliza germinates at first meeting. The tiniest catch in his voice when he looks into her face and boasts that he could pass her off as ``the Queen of Sheba'' reveals that he has seen the beauty beneath the grime.
Higgins also has numerous funny moments of broad comedy that verge on slapstick buffoonery, though they generally preserve the image of respectable intellect.
The whole characterization allows us to realize that Higgins' aloof arrogance and his contempt for women are a protective pose. That vulnerability gives the play's ending credibility and force.
If ``My Fair Lady'' seems to focus more on Higgins than on his pupil, Christa Germanson's Eliza quite firmly holds her own. ``I Could Have Danced All Night'' leavens its usual triumphant tone with a hint of soulful amazement. ``Just You Wait'' revels in vengeful fantasy and ``Show Me'' is a demonstration of the young woman's confidence and self-possession.
Bill Barnard is admirably suited for the role of Col. Pickering, though one occasionally wishes he had been told to do something with his hands besides hold them out, palms up, in a standard gesture of resignation or incomprehension that is seen too often onstage.
There's a touch of daring and a real risk in any production that introduces novelty into a show strongly identified with one performer. Commonwealth Musical Stage touches ``My Fair Lady' with bits of originality; they succeed quite pleasantly. ILLUSTRATION: THEATER REVIEW
What: ``My Fair Lady,'' Commonwealth Musical Stage
When: 2 and 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Virginia Beach Pavilion
Tickets: $15-30; $7.50 for children and students
Call: 340-5446
by CNB