Show guide
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is the classic Golden Age musical that transforms George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion into one of Broadway's most elegant and enduring romances.
- Broadway premiere
- 1956
- Music by
- Frederick Loewe
- Genre
- Golden Age
- Setting
- 1910s
My Fair Lady: quick answers
What is My Fair Lady about?
- My Fair Lady follows Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower seller who takes speech lessons from phonetics professor Henry Higgins, who has bet he can pass her off as a lady, and the battle of wills that grows between them.
When did My Fair Lady open on Broadway?
- My Fair Lady opened on Broadway on March 15, 1956, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, and ran for 2,717 performances, a Broadway record at the time, closing in 1962. It won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Is My Fair Lady a Golden Age musical?
- Yes. My Fair Lady opened in 1956, at the height of Broadway's Golden Age, and is one of its defining book musicals, with music by Frederick Loewe and book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, adapted from George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion.
Where and when is My Fair Lady set?
- My Fair Lady is set in Edwardian London, where Eliza sells flowers on the street, takes speech lessons from Professor Higgins, and is tested in high society at the Embassy Ball.
Has My Fair Lady played in London's West End?
- My Fair Lady opened in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on April 30, 1958, with Harrison and Andrews repeating their roles, and ran for 2,281 performances. Cameron Mackintosh's 2001 National Theatre revival won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.
Is there a My Fair Lady movie?
- George Cukor's 1964 film starred Audrey Hepburn as Eliza and Rex Harrison repeating his stage role as Higgins, and won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The musical itself draws on Shaw's Pygmalion and its 1938 film adaptation.
The story of My Fair Lady
Set in early twentieth century London, My Fair Lady follows Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, the phonetics professor who wagers he can transform her speech and manners enough to pass her off as a duchess. As Eliza's transformation unfolds, the story becomes as much about class, dignity, and independence as it is about accents and etiquette.
The show's 1910s setting gives it a richly detailed backdrop of Edwardian London, from the flower markets of Covent Garden to the grand ballrooms of high society, contrasts that fuel much of its social commentary and humor.
The music and the makers
With music by Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady is a hallmark of the Golden Age of Broadway musicals, built on a foundation of a strong literary source, witty lyrics, and a score designed to deepen character and story. The songs range from playful patter numbers to lush, romantic melodies.
Loewe's music captures the show's shifting social terrain, giving Eliza and Higgins distinct musical voices that evolve as their relationship, and Eliza's own sense of self, changes over the course of the story.
My Fair Lady on Broadway
My Fair Lady opened on Broadway in 1956 and became one of the most celebrated musicals of its time, admired for its sophisticated wit, elegant score, and faithful yet theatrical adaptation of Shaw's play. It has been revived on Broadway several times since.
Its lasting appeal comes from the sharpness of its writing and the timelessness of its central question about identity and transformation. Audiences continue to be drawn in by Eliza and Higgins's charged, evolving relationship and by a score widely regarded as one of the finest in musical theatre history.
My Fair Lady: frequently asked questions
When did My Fair Lady open on Broadway?
My Fair Lady opened on Broadway in 1956 and has returned in several acclaimed revivals.
Who composed My Fair Lady?
The music is by Frederick Loewe, a defining figure of the Golden Age of Broadway musicals.
What is My Fair Lady about?
It follows Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower seller transformed by phonetics professor Henry Higgins, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.
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