My Fair Lady At the first preview Rex Harrison, who was unaccustomed to singing in front of a live orchestra, "announced that under no circumstances would he go on that night...with those thirty-two interlopers in the pit". He locked himself in his dressing room and came out little more than an hour before curtain time. The whole company had been dismissed but were recalled, and opening night was a success. "My Fair Lady" then played for four weeks at the Erlanger Theatre in Philadelphia, beginning on February 15, 1956. The musical premiered on Broadway March 15, 1956, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in
My Fair Lady a hit London production, a popular film version, and many revivals. "My Fair Lady" has been called "the perfect musical". It is Edwardian London, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The protagonist, Eliza Doolittle, is a Cockney with a thick, unintelligible accent. Professor Henry Higgins invites Colonel Pickering to stay as his houseguest. Soon after, Eliza Doolittle comes to Professor Higgins's house, seeking elocution lessons. Professor Higgins wagers Colonel Pickering, that in six months he will turn Eliza into a lady by teaching her to speak properly. Eliza is indentured into the Higgins household as a resident elocution student. After