My Fair Lady – Cloc MTC
Sutton Coldfield Town Hall
Wednesday 22nd October 2025 – Opening Night
By Nigel Gambles
Photography – Studio 55 Photography
‘My Fair Lady’ is a wonderful show. The musical is set in London, in that great period at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Empire, King and country were all Great with a capital G, and tells the story of a famous English Language phonetician, Henry Higgins, who makes a bet with friend and fellow linguist, Colonel Pickering, that he can turn a working-class flower seller into a high society lady in six months. The challenge is accepted, since Eliza herself the “guttersnipe” flowergirl wishes to learn to speak properly in order to work in a flower shop.
I have seen the show once before about 25 years ago with a star studded cast including Jonathan Pryce, Martine McCutcheon and Dennis Waterman, very nice you might say, but my point is that this cast from Cloc MTC could easily take their places, so polished and professional are their performances.
First off, this is a long show nearly three hours so get comfortable for a long but rewarding journey in uncomfortable theatre chairs!
The set is predominantly a huge screen showing scenes of London, Covent Garden, Ascot and general street scenes. This worked superbly with only a few props having to be moved on and off stage.
John Biddell plays Henry Higgins. One of the standout aspects of Johns’s portrayal was his ability to capture Higgins’ arrogance and condescension. Higgins is a character who is used to getting his way and sees himself as superior to those around him, particularly Eliza. John was able to convey this sense of superiority through his posture, facial expressions, and vocal inflections, at the same time he also showed Higgins vulnerability and humanity. John managed to show this complexity through his performance and particularly his interactions with Eliza.
Moving on to Eliza Dolittle, Audrey Hepburn who made this role unmatchable that is until Samantha Rogers took on the role, her fabulous voice and wonderful acting gave soul to the character. Her vocal range is incredible and she demonstrates excellent control. She brought Eliza to life in a way that few performers have before. Her performance was subtle and detailed and her singing had wonderful quality that draws the audience in and keeps them engaged. Her incredible voice, combined with her acting skills, made her portrayal of Miss Doolittle truly unforgettable. She left a lasting impression on us.
Matt Beebe made a lively, spritely, and considerate Pickering. A lovely clear voice and diction as well as a great stage presence helped his character along nicely. Hayley Howen as Henry’s mother, Mrs.Higgins was a delight, as was Stacey Muxlow’s Mrs Pearce. Alex Nash gives a wonderful performance as the lovestruck Freddie and his rendition of On The Street Where You Live was beautiful and really endearing.
The principals were supported by a large and enthusiastic chorus of all ages, filling the stage where necessary.
Producer Rosemary Ravenscroft has done an excellent job pulling together this mammoth show whilst installing a level of commitment and enthusiasm from what must be hours and hours of rehearsals, that is off the scale, this can be seen in the dance sections choreographed by Teresa Biddell which are superb and so in sync – perfect.
The orchestra led by Peter Wingate were excellent if not somewhat over powering in a few sections. Lighting by Going Dark was as usual “spot on”.
