Review: Aussie My Fair Lady is still 'loverly'

The largely Australian cast is helped out by a sprinkling of Kiwis. Photo / Supplied

What: My Fair Lady
Where and when: The Civic, for a limited season

Opera Australia has pulled together all the right ingredients with a fabulously entertaining and surprisingly poignant presentation of the musical whose songs are embedded in the memories of all who grew up in the late 50s and early 60s, when the soundtrack album dominated the airwaves.

The story is rooted in George Bernard Shaw's witty analysis of the role of language in enforcing class barriers. But the musical genius of Lerner and Loewe has grafted an inspiring fable of self-transformation on to Shaw's sturdy stock and the story blossoms into an enthralling psychological duel between an arrogant creator and his fiercely independent creature.

Taryn Fiebig's spirited performance carries us through Eliza Doolittle's transformation, from the feisty guttersnipe with modest aspirations in Wouldn't It Be Loverly to the steely determination and vengeful passion of Just You Wait Henry Higgins. Fiebig also displays a flair for comedy in the hilarious scene at the Ascot races where her outward display of aristocratic civility is betrayed by an inner coarseness of attitude.

William McInnes brings a wicked charm to his portrayal of the egotistical phonetics professor Henry Higgins and as the story progresses he brilliantly captures the slow disintegration of the seemingly impregnable armour of aristocratic complacency. His inability to acknowledge his feelings for Eliza takes on an almost heroic quality as Higgins stubbornly refuses to compromise his sense of what he is.

In the role of Eliza's father, Robert Grubb delivers a wonderfully exuberant Get Me to the Church on Time and nails the down-to-earth, up-yours attitude of the classic British yobbo.

The Australian cast is nicely seasoned with a sprinkling of Kiwi talent. Ilona Rodgers effortlessly commands the stage and brings an understated irony to the imperious Mrs Higgins. In the role of offsider Colonel Pickering, Rhys McConnochie shows superb comic timing - the perfectly solid foil for the mercurial Higgins.

The sumptuous production design uses a rotating set to spin us across the class barriers of the play's different worlds and the lively choreography features a grab bag of music hall mannerisms that allows the actors to bring individual quirkiness to their movement.