Sterling 'My Fair Lady' gives Paramount a rousing start

When cockney guttersnipe Eliza Doolittle successfully passes herself off as a lady at a posh ball in the classic 1956 Broadway musical “My Fair Lady,” there's a celebratory sigh of relief all around.

A similar feeling of pride in a job well done could also be said for the Paramount Theatre and its sterling production of “My Fair Lady” — the Aurora theater's first foray in producing its own Broadway Series shows.

Executive director Tim Rater and artistic director Jim Corti put a kibosh on any doubts that the Paramount wouldn't be able to produce musicals on the scale typically seen at suburban competitors Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace or Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Of course it helps that “My Fair Lady” director/choreographer Corti was able to attract quite a few Chicago-area mainstays to perform at Aurora's 70-year-old art deco gem of a theater.

What immediately stands out about the Paramount's “My Fair Lady” is Corti's polished and verve-filled staging. Whenever an opportunity for dance crops up, Corti grasps it and puts his skilled ensemble through their high-stepping paces.

Hence the big ensemble numbers like “Wouldn't It Be Loverly,” “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “Get Me to the Church on Time” particularly set themselves apart, as does the lithe and energy-filled Alfred P. Doolittle of actor Andrew J. Lupp.

Though not nearly as rotund as most men playing Eliza's lovably disreputable father, Lupp brings a spirited charisma and dancing dexterity to the tipsy role (he's so good that you question why Mr. Doolittle isn't an English Music Hall star rather than a lowly dustman).

But “My Fair Lady” isn't all knees-up cockney fun. There's the cross-class conflict and romance built in from George Bernard Shaw's original play “Pygmalion” that inspired this classic musical by lyricist/playwright Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe. Thankfully the Eliza Doolittle of Andrea Prestinario and Professor Henry Higgins of Nathan M. Hosner are both more than up to the challenge of their iconic roles.

Prestinario certainly makes for a feisty Eliza. She balances her character's hotheadedness well with moments of introspection, as Eliza questions her place in life now that she's outgrown her coarse background. Prestinario also possesses a soaring soprano to pull off the big finales of numbers like “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Show Me.”

As the pompous Henry Higgins, Hosner presents a tall and securely domineering linguistics professor. But as a bonus, Hosner actually sings the role instead of just speaking the lyrics, so you have a better-sounding Higgins than the template of role-originator Rex Harrison (the fact that Hosner is younger and better-looking makes the tenuous romance between Eliza and Henry much more palpable).

Also standing out are many Marriott and Drury Lane veterans, particularly Mary Ernster, whose perfect comic timing wrings out all the humor in Mrs. Higgins' haughty zingers. John Reeger is appropriately blustery and absent-minded as the fellow linguist Col. Pickering. Chicago-area newcomer James Lee Glatz is fine as the Eliza-besotted Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

On the technical side of things, there was room for improvement. Michael Rourke's lighting design was occasionally shifty (particular when color gels were rotated) while a few lighting patterns made some sets look as if they were soon to be ablaze.

Scenic designer Jim Dardenne handled “My Fair Lady's” multiple London locations quite well, particularly the building facade pieces that rotate into Higgins' book-filled study. Melissa Torchia's period costumes were appropriately lush (though more outlandishness could have been splashed on the “Ascot Gavotte”).

But all in all, the Paramount Theatre's Broadway Series is off to a rousing start with “My Fair Lady.” With comparable ticket prices to its competitors and a full orchestra led by music director Shawn Stengel, let's hope that homegrown musicals at the Paramount Theatre continue to flourish into the future.

“My Fair Lady”

★ ★ ★ ½

<b>Location: </b>Paramount Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666 or <a href="http://paramountaurora.com" target="_blank">paramountaurora.com</a>

<b>Showtimes: </b>1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 2

<b>Tickets: </b>$34.90-$46.90

<b>Parking: </b>Area pay garages and metered street parking

<b>Rating: </b>For general audiences