My Fair Lady, Bristol Hippodrome: EastEnders and Emmerdale stars shine in ‘bloomin’ loverly’ musical classic

After 38 years in grey and dreary Albert Square, it’s no surprise that EastEnders veteran Adam Woodyatt is loving every minute of treading the boards in the technicolour My Fair Lady.

As the cockney dustman Alfred P.Doolittle, the Ian Beale actor can barely hide his glee at singing and dancing to some of the best-known songs in the history of musicals.

He was grinning all the way through the knees-up to Get Me to The Church On Time and who wouldn’t?

In fact, this Bristol Hippodrome show is a treat for TV fans. Not only is there soap opera royalty in having Ian Beale on stage, there’s also Emmerdale star John Middleton (playing Colonel Pickering) and Grantchester favourite Michael D.Xavier in the leading role.

Add a low-key but memorable appearance from soprano Lesley Garrett, plus a strong ensemble and the result is a polished musical of the highest calibre.

My Fair Lady is still one of the best musicals of the lot, but it doesn’t seem to tour as regularly as other productions. In fact, I can’t recall seeing it in Bristol for years, although the classic 1960s film version with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison is forever etched on my mind.

Set in London in 1913, this is the story of pompous phonetics professor Henry Higgins (played with suavity by Michael D.Xavier) who takes in cockney flower-seller Eliza Dolittle (Charlotte Kennedy) and tries to educate her before introducing her into high society.

Despite the misogyny and cruel jibes from the Professor Higgins character, there is an undeniably warm chemistry between Kennedy and Xavier, both of whom have fantastic singing voices and a complete mastery of the stage.

Kennedy’s cockney accent is as impressive as Audrey Hepburn’s in the original film, and Xavier is a more athletic and charming Henry Higgins than Rex Harrison.

This is a musical with wave upon wave of classic songs. As soon as they finish one great number, others come along like buses - Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?, With a Little Bit of Luck, I Could Have Danced All Night … you’ll be humming them all the next morning.

Sumptuous costumes, a revolving stage with doll’s house-style rooms and some clever production (I wasn’t the only person in the stalls looking around to work out where the sound of those galloping race horses was coming from) make this a musical treat for all ages - perfect for half-term.

OK, there could have, perhaps, been a few cuts to reduce the three-hour performance (the first half is 90 minutes long so a toilet trip beforehand is highly recommended), but then this is a show that certainly gives you bang for your buck from start to finish. As our Eliza would say, it’s ‘bloomin’ loverly’!

My Fair Lady is at Bristol Hippodrome until February 25. For tickets, click here.