Ashley Harrell

Tonight I was fortunate enough to see his play, written in 1913, played out by an extraordinary group of actors.  The Roundabout Theater company (who also produced The Ritz, which we saw last night) presented Pygmalion at the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd Street, starring Claire Danes, Boyd Gaines, Jefferson Mays, and Jay O. Sanders.  I have always enjoyed Claire’s movies – but I was blown away by her presentation of Eliza Doolittle… most notably – her accents were impeccable!  This play gathers most of it’s plot, and humor, from the very fact that the heroine initially speaks in a crude Cockney gibberish, develops slowly in to a more proper way of speaking, then finally is presented as a proper “lady.”  For those of you not as familiar with the story, it might help to inform you that My Fair Lady is Lerner and Loewe’s musical adaptation of the play.  And if you don’t even know that (shame shame shame) – it’s the common plot that has set up such blockbusters as Pretty Woman and She’s All That.  Basically, the quintessential damsel in distress becomes reinvented by the heroic male… Has that story-line never struck anyone as queer?  Hmm.

Anyhow – the show was fantastic!  Afterwards, Brian and I headed to the bitter cold of 43rd Street and waited for Claire to hop into her driver’s SUV.  She wouldn’t pose for a picture with us (“I don’t do that, I’m so sorry,” she said) – but she did sign our playbills and had a very [brief,] pleasant exchange of words with us.  Such a lady!  We’ll see what happens down the road… this was her Broadway debut and Brian hinted to me the possibility she could receive some nods for a Tony nomination.  I guess we won’t know until next year!  And by the way, if you’re a New Yorker, you better get to this show ASAP because I believe it closes on Sunday.

That’s all for now… time to catch some zzz’s before my Improv 101 show tomorrow!