My Fair Lady - Programme, 1965
Title
My Fair Lady - Programme, 1965
Date
26 July 1965
Description
Full programme for musical My Fair Lady, the centre-piece show of the Theatre Royal's 100th anniversary celebrations.
What's the story?
Based on Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, the musical My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe opened in London in 1958 and closed five years later, after 2,281 performances, in 1963.
It is therefore not surprising that this incredibly popular show should be the main event of the Theatre Royal’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
A gala performance was held on 27 September 1965, just two days after the Theatre Royal’s official birthday, when it had first opened its doors on 25 September 1865 with a production of Sheridan’s The School for Scandal.
On discovering this 1965 programme as part of the Theatre Royal archive, heritage volunteer Barbara Howard wrote:
On 29 September 1958, I went to the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane to see ‘My Fair Lady’. I know this because I still have the Souvenir Book with my ticket sellotaped inside the front cover. So imagine my surprise when I discovered, in the archives of the Theatre Royal, a programme for a 1965 production of ‘My Fair Lady’ with an identical cover to that of my Souvenir Book from seven years earlier. I wonder if the owner of the Nottingham programme would have felt disappointed, or even cheated, if they had known of its unoriginality.
The cover has an instantly recognizable caricature of George Bernard Shaw (author of ‘Pygmalion’ on which ‘My Fair Lady’ is based) acting as a puppeteer, with a caricature of Rex Harrison as one of the puppets. Rex Harrison was the star of the London version and for this to be on the cover of the Nottingham programme would imply that he would be appearing on the Theatre Royal stage. But he didn’t. In fact, only Zena Dare, who played Mrs Higgins, made it from London to Nottingham. Julie Andrews was replaced by Jean Scott; Stanley Holloway by James Hayter; and Rex Harrison by Myles Eason. Today, touring shows make sure they do not headline cast members if they believe there will be changes through the course of the run.
The production of this extremely popular musical, touring after a long London run, was part of the centenary celebrations of the theatre. As someone who was born and brought up in London, now living in Nottingham, I was delighted that the Theatre Royal archives have brought me full circle by reminding me of my theatre trip to the West End, as a six-year-old girl.
It is therefore not surprising that this incredibly popular show should be the main event of the Theatre Royal’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
A gala performance was held on 27 September 1965, just two days after the Theatre Royal’s official birthday, when it had first opened its doors on 25 September 1865 with a production of Sheridan’s The School for Scandal.
On discovering this 1965 programme as part of the Theatre Royal archive, heritage volunteer Barbara Howard wrote:
On 29 September 1958, I went to the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane to see ‘My Fair Lady’. I know this because I still have the Souvenir Book with my ticket sellotaped inside the front cover. So imagine my surprise when I discovered, in the archives of the Theatre Royal, a programme for a 1965 production of ‘My Fair Lady’ with an identical cover to that of my Souvenir Book from seven years earlier. I wonder if the owner of the Nottingham programme would have felt disappointed, or even cheated, if they had known of its unoriginality.
The cover has an instantly recognizable caricature of George Bernard Shaw (author of ‘Pygmalion’ on which ‘My Fair Lady’ is based) acting as a puppeteer, with a caricature of Rex Harrison as one of the puppets. Rex Harrison was the star of the London version and for this to be on the cover of the Nottingham programme would imply that he would be appearing on the Theatre Royal stage. But he didn’t. In fact, only Zena Dare, who played Mrs Higgins, made it from London to Nottingham. Julie Andrews was replaced by Jean Scott; Stanley Holloway by James Hayter; and Rex Harrison by Myles Eason. Today, touring shows make sure they do not headline cast members if they believe there will be changes through the course of the run.
The production of this extremely popular musical, touring after a long London run, was part of the centenary celebrations of the theatre. As someone who was born and brought up in London, now living in Nottingham, I was delighted that the Theatre Royal archives have brought me full circle by reminding me of my theatre trip to the West End, as a six-year-old girl.
Type
Programme
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford & Barbara Howard
