My Fair Lady - Programme, 1979
Title
My Fair Lady - Programme, 1979
Date
30 April 1979
Description
Selected pages from programme for 1979 Cameron Mackintosh production of Lerner and Loewe musical My Fair Lady.
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.
This 1979 production had a four-week run at the Theatre Royal and was the first major production of the show since 1965, when it was the centrepiece of the venue’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
This 1979 production starred Tony Britton, Liz Robertson, Anna Neagle, Peter Bayliss and Richard Caldicot.
Peter Bayliss, who played Alfred Doolittle in this production, was a popular and eccentric actor. Apparently, his answering machine for years was his voice mimicking a parrot.
Written by Peter Barnes, the following appeared in his obituary in The Guardian in July 2002:
‘There was a time when he went everywhere with an invisible dog. He could throw his voice slightly and his barking was uncannily accurate. Legend has it, he took the "dog" with him to Fortnum and Mason's tea room to negotiate a contract with Cameron Mackintosh - to play Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 1979. He asked the waitress for a saucer of water for his dog, and included the canine in negotiations. Every time Mackintosh suggested a salary the dog would bark. Bayliss would say: "My dog doesn't think that's enough." He came away with a lucrative contract.’
This 1979 production had a four-week run at the Theatre Royal and was the first major production of the show since 1965, when it was the centrepiece of the venue’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
This 1979 production starred Tony Britton, Liz Robertson, Anna Neagle, Peter Bayliss and Richard Caldicot.
Peter Bayliss, who played Alfred Doolittle in this production, was a popular and eccentric actor. Apparently, his answering machine for years was his voice mimicking a parrot.
Written by Peter Barnes, the following appeared in his obituary in The Guardian in July 2002:
‘There was a time when he went everywhere with an invisible dog. He could throw his voice slightly and his barking was uncannily accurate. Legend has it, he took the "dog" with him to Fortnum and Mason's tea room to negotiate a contract with Cameron Mackintosh - to play Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 1979. He asked the waitress for a saucer of water for his dog, and included the canine in negotiations. Every time Mackintosh suggested a salary the dog would bark. Bayliss would say: "My dog doesn't think that's enough." He came away with a lucrative contract.’
Type
Programme
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
