My Fair Lady question

Edit : Surely it must be With a little bit of luck?

On the 2001 London Cast Recording, there's a snippet of it in 'Get Me to the Church on Time' (around the 2:40 mark).

It is featured in the instrumental 'Opening' of Act 1 (in the published vocal score/JAY complete recording/Kiri Te Kanawa recording), where the Covent Garden Opera audience is pouring out, and yes as someone said it also appears on the 2001 London cast album in Get Me To The Church, sung by some of the women.

I love Kiri's Laura Ashley frock. Those puffy sleaves must be flowing with gay abandon during the overture

So another MFL question after oxfordsimon has got me listening to lots of different recording this week! - What is the act 1 finale?

At the NT and Lincoln Centre it was with Liza going to the ball. But on the TER recording it is the end of the ball. Wiki also says the end of the ball.

I vaguely remember hearing an interview with some of the Australian cast from the recent production that said (because they were recreating the original production) the interval was after the ball. Something to do with the fact the scenery couldn't instantly get them back from the ball into Higgins study. Automation was not a thing in the 50s!

I see that one of the contributors to the above programme is Dominic McHugh, who is a professor at the University of Sheffield. Pre-CV he arranged and presented a series of concerts featuring songs that had been cut from many of the musicals we know and love. It wasn't unknown for the very first public performance of a 'lost' song from a Broadway musical to be right here in the steel city! There is loads of stuff online, should anyone be interested. And there are books, too.

As an aside, at the February 2019 concert, one of the booked singers had had to drop out at almost the last minute. Calls were made, and as she was already in the city rehearsing for Sky's Edge, Alex Young stepped into the breach. No disrespect to the other performers, but even with next to no preparation she blew everyone else out of the water.

I've done an amateur production of it and in the text it's after the ball, but we put it as they were heading out to go to the ball from Higgins study (with that gorgeous swell of I Could Have Danced All Night in the orchestration)

Eliza going to the ball worked beautifully as the act 1 closer at the NT especially in Anthony Wards stunning designs. I like the anticaption that this gives over the interval. I also admired how the ball later dissolved into Higgins study. God bless those travelators.

***

It is a long show...
act 1, scene 4 - Tottenham Court Rd. Little bit of luck reprise.
act 1, scene 6 - Near Ascot. Mrs H and Pickering have a good old 'exposition' that we already know.
... are these scenes really needed?

***

I can recommend this book. Other MFL books are out there and I may have to go shopping

It worked beautifully in the Bart Sher Lincoln Centre revival too, seeing them go out to the ball on that magnificent set.

Starting Act 2 with the 30+ piece orchestra onstage playing as the band at the ball was quite thrilling too I'll be honest.

@anthonyhope


Not just Broadway but also my school plays in the 80’s and 90’s! and I think Panto still uses ‘big scene, small scene’ … Oh I do like a well painted and hung backdrop, always makes you realise how big the theatre is … But yeah i think you are right with Ascot. Although the Luck reprise is sandwiched between two Higgins study scenes so I think its there to indicate the passing of time?