Pygmalion at the Old Vic

Played with an interval tonight. In my opinion, the evening benefited from it.

Lots to enjoy here. Both Ferran & Carvel give spirited performances. Carvel at first seemed very over-pitched in terms of style & delivery: he adopts a sort of 'period accent' which takes some getting used to. I missed about 80% of Ferrans first scene - she just gabled and rushed it. But once you've accepted the delivery of both - things settle down. The last big show-down scene between the two that ends the play is just one long shout-fest, which is a shame.

Good support  ( although a few very poorly executed small parts from a few cast members ).

The only scene that failed , was the big ball scene : it looked overworked and over-choreographed and it was tricky to work out the actual story.

4* : a West End transfer for a limited run must be on the cards.....

I may be going mad but I didn't think Pygmalion had a ball scene? I thought there was only the scene after the ball. Admittedly it's some years since I've seen Pygmalion but I've seen 3 productions over the years & I don't remember any of them having a ball; only the My Fair Lady productions I've seen have had one. Has a ball scene been added for this production?

I really enjoyed this - thank you to ceebee for the free ticket. I was delighted to be sat with the wonderful John Heffernan and his mother and we had a lovely chat before the show started, as he just finished first day rehearsals for The Inquiry. Both Patsy Ferran and Bertie Carvel are excellent as expected - the humour really comes out, especially in the first half. The scene changes works really well too - going from Higgins' study to Mrs Higgins' home.  The story is clearly familiar to the audience and you could feel a warmth there which was really lovely - the synergy between the cast and the audience. The material is clearly dated in some areas but the production is still very enjoyable and I left the theatre with a smile on my face.

Interesting. Here right now at the interval. Act one was 65 minutes. Did they cut 15 mins out of act one??

I liked this tonight. Bertie is always a joy to see onstage and Patsy was a nice surprise. I hated absolutely everything about her Blanche so went in not knowing what to expect. But I think this kind of role suits her much better.

I will say I was confused as to what time period this is set in. Eliza is wearing a puffer jacket and trainers and everyone else was dressed in clothing varying in style it seemed from late 1800s to 1930s.

Unless I'm going blind, that's what she was wearing but those were definitely trainers on her feet. 

When I saw it, it was after the moment where she comes to the front of the stage and drops a load of flowers (blackout). Act 2 opened with the scene with the fire and slippers.

3 stars, overall an enjoyable evening

Patsy obviously a delight

Horrible costumes and sets

Didn't see a single standing ovation, which says it all really, as audiences will stand for anything nowadays

I went to see this last night and really enjoyed it. I've only ever seen the film of My Fair Lady but was excited to see how the original compared.

This production really leans into the social satire of Shaw's original and gives a very clever perspective on class, gender and accents without smacking you over the head. I think the more heightened and comedic performances works well and does make it a very enjoyable time as an audience member.

I loved the elocution lesson sections as they were very funny and original. The music too throughout was also wonderful.I would say Alfred Doolittle's first scene could have been quite heavily cut as it did go on for a bit but as a whole I enjoyed the staging of everything and it all felt very dynamic.

My main draw to this was Patsy Ferran and she is a very funny but strong willed Eliza. Bertie Carvel was good but there were echos of Trunchball and Murdoch.

Overall a solid four stars for me.

This is in much better shape than the preview I saw.

The interval now sits before heading to the ball (a la My Fair Lady) which is great.
Patsy has flourished even further and is so bloody good in this.
Bertie has toned the Trunchball-ness in his voice down and is shouting a lot less of his lines, so it feels like he's got room to move about in it a bit more.
Still obsessed with the woman playing Mrs Higgins - she's fab.

The ball still isn't quite right, and I'm not a fan of the guy playing Doolittle (although he's settled into it).
4 stars for me - it will absolutely divide people, but I enjoyed.

The woman playing Mrs Higgins is Sylvestra Le Touzel and she is indeed a fabulous actress.