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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Last Edit: JereNYC 09:35 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 09:34 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - Michael_Portantiere 09:59 pm EST 03/08/21 | |
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| One thing I wanted to mention is that I have always thought that Eliza hasn't had lovers. She says several times "I'm a good girl, I am." or things to that effect. And the connotation of the term "good girl" at the time was "virgin." My theory about that is that she's seen terrible male/female relationships starting with her own parents (then other women that her father's been with) and made a decision early on to focus on her independence and improving herself, specifically so that she doesn't have to rely on a terrible man to support her. Remember that she's only supposed to be 21 years old at a stretch, not a woman into her 40's, so this plan has probably only been in place for 6 or 7 years. She hasn't had a lifetime of anything at this point. She's probably never be in love at all. And, when the show ends in the traditional manner, maybe the reason that she comes back is that she thinks that what she feels for Higgins is love, because she doesn't actually know any better about such things. She just knows that what she feels for Freddy ISN'T it. And she knows by then that Higgins is good man at heart. The whole idea about marrying Freddy anyway seems more about a business transaction and she's perfectly honest and upfront about knowing that she will have to be the one supporting him after having opened a flower shop and using his connections to make it successful. Eliza is very pragmatic and business oriented for someone so young and I think that's because business has been her focus since she was old enough to go out and support herself. |
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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 09:51 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - JereNYC 09:34 am EST 03/09/21 | |
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| JereNYC, thanks for your thoughtful response, as always. I certainly think the interpretation that Eliza hasn't had any lovers is a valid one. She does have a line somewhere to the effect that "I've always had men wanting me that way," but that's not the same as saying that she ever allowed them to have her :-) So, when she says "I shouldn't mind a black eye -- I've had one before this," maybe she is referring only to having been beaten by her father, who himself refers to his having beaten Eliza when he comes to Higgins' home to try to get money out of him. (I've always cringed at these lines.) |
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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 12:04 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - Michael_Portantiere 09:51 am EST 03/09/21 | |
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| Beating one's wife and children was pretty common in the neighborhood where I grew up in the 50's. My dad was the exception to the rule on our block. He never beat my mother and never even spanked my younger siblings. This is actually hard to believe, but I swear it's true. I attended very strict Catholic grade schools in blue collar neighborhoods. I remember when I was in the 8th grade or so all the guys in my class had to meet with a Jesuit priest once a week -- I clearly remember him telling us that when we got married, it was our responsibility to beat our wives if we caught them being untruthful. In the 70's I built a summer home for my parents in a rural area of central Illinois. Our closest neighbor used to brag how he beat his wife whenever she got out of line, like, for example, if she used her electric dryer for the laundry when it wasn't raining outside. I remember he came over one Sunday afternoon while I was watching a Chicago Bears game and left suddenly in a huff because he refused to watch a professional sport that paid a *n-word* like Walter Payton so much money. Fortunately he passed away before the summer I brought some guys from my baseball team (one of whom was black) to do some fishing on our lake. Just a little slice of the world I grew up in. |
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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 12:18 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - BroadwayTonyJ 12:04 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
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| I wonder if that horrible neighbor ever needed or had a relative who needed an organ donation. Because Walter Payton was not only one of the greatest to ever play the game, his Foundation did (and continues to do) so much to increase awareness of the need for organ donations, the NFL named its annual Humanitarian award for him. It’s likely thousands of lives have been saved or aided because of Payton’s example. Laura |
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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 06:13 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - showtunetrivia 12:18 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
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| My parents used to spend weekends at our lake and were always friendly to our neighbor, but obviously didn't really know him. When he made that comment, I was pretty shocked. I told him, "Aren't you aware that Payton is the greatest running back in the NFL today and certainly one of the greatest players of all time?" His next comment to me was even worse than the first one. His wife was very nice, though. Politically, Illinois is a solidly blue state and most of the population lives in Cook and the other counties surrounding Chicago. However, when you go to the small towns and rural areas 100 miles or so from Chicago, it's a totally different world. I've never seen a stage production of Pygmalion, although I did see the '63 TV version with Julie Harris. I'm not positive, but I do believe Eliza returns to Henry at the end. |
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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Posted by: Billhaven 09:40 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - JereNYC 09:34 am EST 03/09/21 | |
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| The best portrayal of Eliza that I've ever seen came in a Los Angeles production of Pygmalion with Robert Stephens and Roberta Maxwell. Her Eliza was tough as nails. Her essence didn't change by the end, only her manners and speech. When she said "she shouldn't mind a black eye" you felt she would give one back. She was ready to fight! It was a most unsentimental version and, I think, close to what Shaw intended. | |
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| Lucky you! | |
| Posted by: portenopete 10:59 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - Billhaven 09:40 am EST 03/09/21 | |
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| What a pairing! I have been lucky to see Roberta Maxwell play Rosalind and Lady M. and the wife in Tartuffe at the Stratford Festival (Ontario) and she was wonderful! She is still wonderful today, as she showed in the Richard Nelson trilogy most recently. Perhaps it's good she never became a big star because she has been "our secret" as a stellar stage actress. (Despite her turn as Mrs. Oyl in Robert Altman's trippily-weird Popeye movie.) I wonder how much Shaw she has done? I know she played Vivie Warren at the Shaw Festival (opposite Kate Reid). |
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| re: Lucky you! | |
| Posted by: larry13 11:11 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: Lucky you! - portenopete 10:59 am EST 03/09/21 | |
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| I've had the good fortune to see this marvelous actress a few times onstage over the decades. I just wonder how many people who may not have or not be as familiar with her work HAVE seen "Brokeback Mountain." It is she as Jack's mother in the heartbreaking end, sharing a memorable scene with Heath Ledger. | |
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| re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 09:55 am EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Changes to MY FAIR LADY that were and weren't made for the most recent Broadway production - Billhaven 09:40 am EST 03/09/21 | |
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| ***When she said "she shouldn't mind a black eye" you felt she would give one back. *** That sounds like a very interesting approach, and one that would make the line work better. As I noted in another post, I have always thought of Eliza as a very admirable character in terms of her toughness, resilience, and intelligence -- even WITH the original ending of the musical (and the PYGMALION film), which so many people now consider unacceptable :-) |
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