My Fair Lady--Original Broadway Cast album on CD

After Sunday's entry on Julie Andrews' final Broadway incarnation, I thought I needed to go back to an earlier Julie with the Broadway show that made her a star--My Fair Lady.

As a performer I've never been interested in My Fair Lady. It's not a great chorus show. The number of principal parts are few. And except for the music for Eliza and Freddy which requires real singing, the score is clever and memorable, but not beautiful. As a listener, though, My Fair Lady is a delightful score--lively, upbeat, and as I say, memorable.

One of the few chorus scenes that must be fun to be part of is the Astor Race. Composer Frederick (Fritz) Loewe invests the scene with a wonderful mock operetta-like number--all restrain and primness.

I had forgotten how many songs there are for Higgins, and the score (and the book, I'm sure, too) really give him much focus over Eliza. "Hymn to Him" and "I'm an Ordinary Man" are witty and performed by Rex Harrison without any sense of irony. These songs only work when Higgins is not in on the joke.

Julie Andrews sounds delightful in this recording, a far cry from the huskiness on display in Victor/Victoria. I was surprised though that the songs for Eliza do not lie very high--they are much more for a soubrette soprano voice than a true soprano. And when Andrews does reach into her upper register, it is with what feels like a lot of vocal preparation.

Ms. Andrews is very successful, though, at imbuing this music with a lot of character. While singing in her "Cockney" accent, Andrews is not afraid to make some pronunciations ugly, and is able to do so without leaving the core sound of her singing voice. And once she lets go of the accent, there is no doubting the meaning and emotion behind the words.

There is a funny misprint in the booklet to this CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Album. It lists "Show Me" being sung by John Michael King (as Freddy) and Rex Harrison! Who is showing whom what?

My Fair Lady
Music by Frederick Loewe
Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Original Broadway Cast Album released in 1956
The date of the CD release is not listed on the booklet
Cast: Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison, Robert Coote, Stanley Holloway, John Michael King,