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No doubt Ms. McCutcheon was still ill during the recording of this show, since she has to be the weakest link. It is a shame that with all other performances glowing - both in the acting and singing departments. The orchestra under William Brohn's orchestrations sounds wonderfully rich and spirited and plays brilliantly.

Unfortunately, Martine McC. sings like an untrained school girl: often flat, her voice lacks warmth and dimension, and when trying to "sing" "poshly" her accent goes down the drain to form a most unpleasant hybrid.

I give this recording 4 stars simply because it is truly stunning - a better bet for your money than any of the others. However, you may just have to skip through Eliza's tracks.


Wish it'd been Joanna   April 18, 2003
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I saw this production in London last summer (2002) and was absolutely blown away. I KNEW I had to get the CD so I could relive the magic of the whole show.

I do enjoy this CD. Dennis Waterman is as funny on the CD as I remembered as Alfred P. Doolittle. Jonathon Pryce is truly amazing on the CD as Prof. Higgens. I saw Alex Jennings, so it was kind of fun to hear Pryce's interpretation of Higgens. I absolutely adored Joanna Riding as Eliza, so I figured that Martine could not be too bad since she had the role first. It really is too bad that Joanna did not get to be Eliza on this recording since she was amazing and Martine is less than stellar. Mark Umbers shines as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, as did Peter Prentice when I saw him in this role.

The music does have a few surprises for the listener who is used to Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison or Audrey Hepburn (Marni Nixon) and Rex Harrison. Stanley Holloway would have fun with the changes in his music that Dennis Waterman gets to play with.

All in all the recording is excellent. If you're like me and sing along with the music, sing over Martine and you'll be fine!


a lavish new revival of the Lerner and Loewe masterpiece   October 22, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This cast album to the 2001 London revival of MY FAIR LADY is simply superb, despite the presence of Martine McCutcheon, who turned out to be a problematic choice for the role of Eliza Doolittle.

Coming via the prestigious National Theatre, this lavish revival of MY FAIR LADY moved to the West End for a triumphant run of nearly 3 years. Jonathan Pryce (MISS SAIGON) is perfect for the role of the irascible Henry Higgins, the phonetics professor who unwittingly takes Eliza under his wing and transforms her into a lady who rides to success at the Embassy Ball.

Martine McCutcheon was perhaps a smart choice for Eliza (at that time), but her light-pop voice hardly does justice to the material. McCutcheon repeatedly made headlines with her frequent illnesses, culminating in a blood-clotting condition which left her hospital-bound for a month. The role of Eliza generally calls for a "legit" soprano voice, (eg- Julie Andrews, Sally Ann Howes, Liz Robertson).

Dennis Waterman is ideal for the role of the oh-so-cockney dustman Alfred P. Doolittle. He is simply infectious with all his numbers, "With a Little Bit of Luck" and "Get Me to the Church on Time". Very much the modern-day equivalent of Stanley Holloway.

The cast is rounded out by Nicholas le Prevost (as Colonel Pickering), Mark Umbers (as Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Patsy Rowlands (as Mrs Pearce) and Caroline Blakiston (as Mrs Higgins).

All-in-all, this new cast album of MY FAIR LADY is superb, featuring sparkling new performances and lovely new musical arrangements by William David Brohn.


Nothing Like the Original Broadway Performance   August 27, 2007
 2 out of 4 found this review helpful

I was totally disapointed with the new orchestrations for this production. While Russell Bennett's original orchestrations were performed by a full pit orcestra, and were sophisticated, yet witty, these new orchestrations are so thin that they are "painful to the ear." There must by only a handful of musicians in the orchestra. I definitely do not recommmend this recording. I will continue enjoying the Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews original. You cannot improve upon perfection.

Daryl