by Joanne Engelhardt

A curious mix of the good, the bad and the strange awaits theatregoers who attend The Pear Theatre’s current production of “My Fair Lady.”  It takes a lot of chutzpah to event try to stage a well-revered musical like “Lady” in a small theatre that seats about 70 people sitting on three sides of what could be a small basketball court in the middle.

At the far end is an attractive bar called The Rose and Pear with a few barstools and a bouquet of large white calla lilies on the back wall.

Director Sara Kannen Dean, who’s also the Pear’s artistic director, opted for what she describes as a “‘Pear’-ed down” version (pun obviously intended). Some might feel she has gone too far by casting a female (Melissa Mei Jones) as the upper-crust grammarian, Henry Higgins.  Jones is definitely a force of nature and portrays the haughty Higgins with verve and gusto. Still, with Jones as Higgins, what’s lost is the usual faint romantic pull between Higgins and Eliza.

There are a number of first-rate actors in this cast – many of whom play five or six roles!  As Mrs. Pierce, Professor Higgins’ maid, Sarah Thermond brings heart, compassion and sly wit to her performance.  Then there’s Debra Lambert, the production’s musical director. She also makes a positive impression as Professor Higgins’ rather haughty, yet thoughtful mother, Mrs. Higgins.

Dancers here get the biggest workout because they also double as stage hands, bringing out six chairs and setting them in a circular position facing outward.  Then, before a dance can begin, they take away the chairs, sometimes change a small piece or two of their costumes and come back on stage to dance to Loewe’s lovely musical numbers.

One of the best is Kristin Hill, a tall blonde woman, who not only dances beautifully but, at play’s end, shows she’s an acrobat as well.

Laskin has a lovely singing voice, so it’s great that Dean’s version of “Lady” includes such musical numbers as “Wouldn’t it be Lovely?,” “Just You Wait,” “Without You.”  And “I Could Have Danced All Night.”

Thomas Nguyen has a darlin’ dimple but isn’t a very effective or memorable Colonel Pickering. Another misstep is casting Ralph Shehayed as the love-struck young man, Freddy Eynsford-Hill, who spends his days and nights waiting outside Professor Higgins’ home in hopes he’ll get a chance encounter with Eliza.  Sadly, Shehayed sings “On the Street Where You Live” slightly offkey.

Still there is a well-known story to enjoy, especially when Eliza herself discovers that “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves but how she is treated.”

It’s likely that some theatergoers will find this production fun, exciting and appealing, while others may feel it’s too offbeat and weird to enjoy.  This reviewer found herself somewhat divided but, in the end, decided that it really wasn’t her cuppa tea.

My Fair Lady runs Through March 8 at The Pear Theatre in Mountain View.

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Rating: **1/2 (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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“My Fair Lady” by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Director: Sara K. Dean. Scenic Design: Louis Stone-Collonge. Choreographer: Lysander Abadia. Assistant Choreographer: Patty Flores Reinhart. Musical Director: Debra Lambert. Dialect Coach, Dance Captain: Kristin Hill. Costume Design: Trish Files. Lighting Design: Carsten Koester. Sound Design: Chris Beer. Stage Manager: Kelly Weber Barraza. Scenic Painter: Greet Jaspaert. “Flower Props” Designer: Patricia Bilello. Assistant Stage Manager/”Rose and Pear Sign: Skyler Riordan. 

Cast 

Mrs. Eynsford-Hill: Emily Acosta. Alfred Doolittle: Ray D’Ambrosio. Maid, Ensemble, Emily Understudy: Lela Gannon. Mrs. Hopkins, Maid, Ensemble: Kristin Hill. Eliza Doolittle: Corinna Laskin. Henry Higgins: Melissa Mei Jones. Colonel Pickering: Thomas Nguyen. Quartet/Violin: Skyler Riordan. Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Ensemble. Ralph Shehayed. Harry, Quartet, Ensemble, Bass, Trombone. Adam Strauss: Harry, Quartet, Ensemble, Bass, Trombone. Sarah Thermond: Mrs. Pearce, Ensemble. Alex Walleman: Bartender, Quartet, Ensemble, Violin. Mark Wong: Butler, Quartet, Ensemble, Piano, Violin, Cello, Oboe, Clarinet. Qian Zhang: Jaime, Ensemble, Violin. Debra Lambert: Mrs. Higgins, Musical Director, Piano.