Vanessa Redgrave Departs West End's My Fair Lady Early

Academy Award-, Emmy-, and Tony–winning actor Vanessa Redgrave has exited West End's My Fair Lady early, citing need for rest following a bout of COVID. The production, a transfer of Lincoln Center's 2018 Broadway revival, opened May 18 with Redgrave starring as Mrs. Higgins, opposite Amara Okereke as Eliza Doolittle and Harry Haddon-Paton as Henry Higgins. Heather Jackson will take over the role in Redgrave's absence.

The production shared the news on Instagram.

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The production also features Maureen Beattie as Mrs. Pearce, Sharif Affix as Freddie Eynesford-Hill, Stephen K Amos as Alfred P. Doolittle, and Malcolm Sinclair as Colonel Pickering, with an ensemble comprising Dammi Aregbeshola, Bernadette Bangura, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, Jamie Cruttenden, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Barry Drummond, Bethany Huckle, Heather Jackson, Emma Johnson, Charlotte Kennedy, Sinead Kenny, Jenny Legg, Tom Liggins, Rebekah Lowings, Carl Patrick, Tom Ping, Dominique Planter, Joseph Poulton, John Stacey, Joshua Steel, Oliver Tester, Adam Vaughan, Annie Wensak, and Paul Westwood.

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, My Fair Lady features a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The classic score includes “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”

Produced by Lincoln Center Theater, the work features direction by Bartlett Sher, set design by Michael Yeargan, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Marc Salzberg, hair and wigs by Tom Watson, music direction by Ted Sperling, and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

The musical was last seen in a major London revival in 2001 from producer Cameron Mackintosh. The original Julie Andrews-led production transferred to London in 1958, going on to run for more than five years.

This staging premiered in 2018 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater starring Lauren Ambrose, Hadden-Paton, Diana Rigg, and Norbert Leo Butz. The production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, taking home a Best Costume Design nod for Catherine Zuber.

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