My Fair Lady is back in Sydney as part of Opera Australia’s new season, nearly 10 years since it was last staged at the Sydney Opera House. Celebrating 70 years since the musical first premiered on Broadway, this production is a revival of the Julie Andrews production that was staged in Sydney in 2016 and is the part of Opera Australia’s season which  bridges the gap between opera and theatre. The story loosely follows that of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion and in this production, the show is centred around a linguistics professor, Henry Higgins, who seeks to teach Eliza Doolittle the intricacies of the English language so that she can function in high society.

The show is held together and, in fact, dominated by Claire Lyon as Eliza Doolittle, who does a sublime job in the lead role, showing off a beautiful lyrical voice and bringing character, heart and gorgeous tone to the iconic Julie Andrews role. While her coloratura was perhaps a little faster and livelier than Andrews or some of her predecessors, it actually worked well in terms of giving the production a sense of urgency and character, which meant that the pace was kept nicely. She was well supported by Nathaniel Parker as Henry Higgins, who brought a smarmy charm to the role, showing off power and presence in his vocals as well.

Interestingly, many of the cast from the 2016 production still played in this production, with Reg Livermore giving a powerful performance as Alfred Doolittle, bringing plenty of comedy and energy to the role and Tony Llewellyn-Jones also very strong as Colonel Pickering, while Robyn Nevin brought heart to the role of Mrs Higgins. Anne Wood was also strong as Mrs Pearce, while Freddy Hellier and David Whitney were also well cast as Freddy Eynsford-Hill and Zoltan Karpathy respectively, with Freddy’s solo being one of the highlights of the night for its beauty. The ensemble also deserves credit for helping bring the larger numbers to life but it was Lyon who really was the star, with her voice really shining in character and tone in “The Rain in Spain” and “I Could Have Danced All Night”, bringing true beauty to the production. 

As has been characteristic of Opera Australia performances this year, the sets in this production were absolutely extraordinary, with very quick changes revealing some of the most ornate sets that I’ve seen on the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage. It was incredible just how well set designer Oliver Smith has brought the period to life and the visual spectacle produced was truly wonderful. Despite being quite dated, it retained both the charm of a period piece whilst also feeling modern and flash as a result of the set, and this is really something for which the production team should be commended. Cecil Beaton’s costumes were equally impressive, with the detail helping to create the world of the production, particularly in the larger scenes.

Christopher Gattelli’s choreography also worked really well, particularly in the larger numbers, helping to give the production a sense of energy and making the most of the large stage. It complemented the sets and costumes well without taking away from the story or music.

A word must also go to the 32-piece orchestra who really brought a wonderful tone and timbre to the production. In a time when orchestras are being cut down for technology or AI, it is a pleasure to have a full orchestra on stage and they really were well received, adding a fullness and a richness to the sound which is so integral to the production and allowed it to come to life.

Overall, this was a wonderful performance, which reflected the best of the crossover between musical theatre and opera, with Opera Australia and John Frost doing an amazing job of putting the show together. It felt modern, it felt exciting but it also felt appropriately reflective of the times and received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the show. The whole cast was fantastic but Claire Lyon in particular is a star and brought an unbelievable skill and emotion to the role. A truly fantastic performance and another highlight on Sydney’s musical theatre calendar for 2026.

Rating: ★★★★★

My Fair Lady plays at the Joan Sutherland Theatre until 31 October, then at the Arts Centre Melbourne from 14 November. For more information, click here. 

All photo credits: Jeff Busby