Stockport Operatic Society
Stockport Plaza
Never underestimate the importance of casting in musical theatre. Understandably the writers, the director and choreographer are crucial to the success of a show but who plays the lead roles is even more important. Sometimes the casting is done by audition but there are times when the leads are recruited.
I was chatting to a friend of Stephen Johnson, who played Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, by Stockport Operatic, during the interval at the beautiful Stockport Plaza. He told me that the veteran am/dram performer of 33 years had been identified by director, Seb Lassandro, as being perfect for the role; and so it proved to be.
Cast of My Fair Lady
During the last few years I’ve seen everything from West End and Broadway productions, to UK tours and the very best amateur dramatics and I can honestly say I’ve never seen a more accomplished performance than that given by Stephen Johnson as Higgins.
The fact that Eliza Doolittle was also perfectly acted and sung by Kate Darlington will have helped him immensely, I have no doubt.
The show is a Lerner and Loewe classic, immortalised by the brilliant film starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. On the Broadway stage, it was Julie Andrews who debuted the role. How do you follow such legends as Dame Julie and Harrison and Hepburn who committed it to celluloid? Well Johnson and Darlington pulled it off to such an extent that I’d forgotten the original classic by the second act.
Having said that, the show was too long. The first act was an hour and forty-five minutes, and despite starting at 7.15, I wasn’t heading home until 10.30. No wonder the twelve-year-old sat in front of me was either trying to sleep on dad’s shoulder or playing Tetris on her phone, by half way through the first half.
Might she have been more interested if it had been “tightened up” for modern audiences? We’ll never know, but having said that, George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion debuted in 1913 and the film first hit our screens in 1964, so that young lady may have felt it old fashioned.
This 2024 version had attracted a largely mature audience, who loved the show. There is a professional version due on stage, over the festive period, at the always creative Curve Theatre in Leicester which may well tour the UK in 2025.
Cast of My Fair Lady
It’ll be interesting to see if the extensive dialogue is trimmed back, to shorten the running time, though to purists taking out some of the words, songs or reprises would ruin the classic; a bit like 20/20 cricket is despised by those who prefer five day test matches.
In conclusion I congratulate director Seb Lassandro for finding the right actors and for staging such a national treasure with such care. From Carol Ackers who played Mrs Higgins to Scott Lees who was Alfred P Doolittle and every single other member of the cast and ensemble, I applaud you.
The show was a joy from start to finish. Kate Darlington’s Eliza was note perfect but Stephen Johnson’s Henry Higgins would not be out of place on the West End stage. Stockport Operatic Society never disappoint.
IAN CHEESEMAN