...I can't help but wonder if the production's entire take on Eliza is going to shift.
Ambrose's Eliza's was hyper-vulnerabe. I felt that I was watching a woman with a history of being physically abused come into her own power, which was fascinating and moving, but, understandably, made much of the musical's first half less amusing than it has historically played. Benanti is, in general, a much funnier performer. I can imagine her vocal exercises eliciting big belly laughs instead of pangs of sympathy. Benanti also has an angularity that visibly suggests strength. I can imagine her bouts with Higgins being a fairer fight from their very first encounter. |
