In the room where it happens
Harry Hadden-Paton (left) and Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”
NEW YORK—The days in New York have gotten a little less busy for me and my family. We’ve been able to enjoy a Memorial Day walk at the 9/11 Memorial, followed by a visit to the Oculus.
This day also marked our first time in Shake Shack. After that, my daughter Nicole and I headed to my theater, where I performed with my friends on the “Island.”
The freer week also afforded us the time to take in a couple of musicals. At my husband, Rob, and Nic’s request, we headed to “Hamilton” at the Richard Rodgers, and “My Fair Lady” at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater.
10-dollar founding father
On its third year on Broadway, “Hamilton” displays no signs of slowing down, much like its titular character possessing a fast mouth and a faster pen. Following the departure of the musical’s original Alexander Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, a few actors have been tasked to take on this mammoth role. Currently, playing Hamilton is Michael Luwoye.
I thought I’d become jaded after seeing the show on its first year with most of the original cast onstage. Nicole and I have listened to the cast recording ad nauseam (I mean, it’s one of the best things to do when stuck in Manila traffic), so we’ve got much of that music in our heads.
However, this current cast (most notably Luwoye and Daniel Breaker, who plays Aaron Burr) breathes wonderful, new life into “Hamilton,” bringing startling clarity and specificity to scenes that we might have glossed over before, or didn’t understand the first time around.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the understudy who happened to be performing: Jevon McFerrin as LaFayette/Thomas Jefferson (James Iglehart was on vacation). But I had no reason to worry, as McFerrin brought lightness of being and generous humor to both roles. (Trivia: every time I’ve seen “Hamilton,” the understudy for LaFayette/Jefferson was on.)
Other notables were Bryan Terrell Clark as Washington, Mandy Gonzalez as Angelica Schuyler and Euan Morton as King George.
Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”
Covent Garden flower girl
Indeed, it is quiet uptown. At the Beaumont, the lush revival of “My Fair Lady,” starring Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle and Harry Hadden-Paton as Henry Higgins, is currently running. Also in the cast are Norbert Leo Butz, Allan Corduner, Dame Diana Rigg, Manu Narayan and Jordan Donica.
Let me first say that this production is a feast for the eyes. Catherine Zuber’s costumes are gorgeous, as are Michael Yeargan’s sets. Also on display at the beginning of the second half is that lush Lincoln Center orchestra, conducted by musical director Ted Sperling. Bartlett Sher has directed a musical that not only pays tribute to what Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe have created, but has made the experience feel contemporary.
The cast is uniformly excellent. Ambrose is a lovely presence, while Hadden-Paton conveys vulnerability in his big solo, “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” enough to bring this writer to tears.
Donica is heavenly, singing “On the Street Where You Live” with the glory of the angels, and Butz as Alfred Doolittle brings the house down in laughs every time he appears onstage.
Confirming that the adage “there are no small roles, only small actors” is true, Narayan makes his presence known in his single appearance as the Hungarian grammarian who tries to see through Eliza’s façade, and Dame Rigg can, well, do no wrong. (My “Game of Thrones” fangirl self was giddy just seeing her onstage!)
There are more shows that I’ll get to see in the next few weeks, enough to satisfy my theatergoing self before I head back to Manila, which makes me incredibly happy. There is so much amazing theater in New York City right now, and we are all the better for it. It makes me feel proud to be doing what I do.
