Jillian A. Smith Photo by Jessica Palopoli

If–and I can't imagine how–you are unfamiliar with My Fair Lady, it's based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, and tells the story of how phonetics Professor Henry Higgins takes a young, lower-class flower girl under his wing to transform her into a "lady" so refined she could pass as a duchess at a society ball as a sort of bar bet with his friend/colleague Colonel Pickering.

Among the records in my childhood home was a copy of the original cast recording from the Broadway production with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. The record's jacket featured an Al Hirschfeld caricature depicting Harrison as Henry Higgins controlling the strings of a marionette Julie Andrews/Eliza Doolittle, something that fascinated me as a child. And although Eliza Doolittle is definitely manipulated and bossed about by Higgins, she expresses an undeniable agency and self-worth that builds over the course of the show.

Even in the early scenes, when Eliza (Jillian A. Smith) is the "guttersnipe" and "squashed cabbage leaf," as Higgins (Adam Magill) refers to her, she indicates a sense of confidence and desire to improve her station. In her first song, "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," she expresses a very simple desire–"a room somewhere"–but then immediately raises those expectations: the room must be "far from the cold night air" and feature not just a chair, but an "enormous" one. Moreover, she wants "lots of chocolate" and "lots of coal making lots of heat" and finally tells us she wants a man who will not only take good care of her, but will also be subservient enough to rest his head upon her knee. In short, Eliza is no pushover.

The charming Jillian A. Smith imbues her Eliza with just this sort of power, not only with her lovely soprano, but clearly enunciating each syllable (even when it's a heavily accented Cockney dialect) and reveling in the gorgeousness of Frederick Loewe's tunes. Her energy on stage stands in contrast to the more reserved physicality of Adam Magill's portrayal of Henry Higgins. True to his upper-class upbringing and adherence to British stoicism and reserve, Magill's Higgins seems to be an implacable rock in the rushing stream of Eliza's vivacity.

It's important to note that, although Higgins first encounters Eliza outside the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden–where he also meets fellow language enthusiast Colonel Pickering (Brady Morales-Woolery)–and dismisses her as "deliciously low" and having "no right to live," it is Eliza who makes the first move in the relationship, showing up at Higgins' door seeking a language tutor.

Since Higgins has already expressed his disdain (in the delightful song "Why Can't the English?") for those who, to his mind, disgrace the language, it makes sense that he would take on this pupil, if only to lessen by one the number of those mangling his beloved mother tongue. And so Higgins and Pickering and Eliza embark on a six-month education in received pronunciation, as well as dress and manners.

The journey is not a delightful one for Eliza, who must bend to the strictures of Higgins' curriculum of rote pronunciation exercises, but is beyond delightful for those of us in the audience who get to enjoy a terrific story, well told (and sung) by an extremely talented cast drawing on some of the Bay Area's best performers.

As Higgins, Magill puts his height (he's 6'4") to good use, almost literally lording over Eliza and his housekeeper, Mrs. Pearce (Heather Orth, who is beyond wonderful in the role), and, to a lesser extent, Pickering. In playing the Colonel, Morales-Woolery instills in the character an almost palpable sense of desire for Higgins. Although the potentially queer nature of their relationship has been remarked upon significantly by critics and scholars, director English has made the smart choice not to bring this to the fore, but rather to let it play out more delicately in an occasional lingering touch, or a meeting of the eyes that is held just a moment beyond what would seem proper and comfortable for Edwardian-era English gentlemen. Although Higgins never spurns Pickering, it's clear that it is the Colonel who feels more longing toward Higgins than is requited by the professor.

There's really not a weak player in the cast. In addition to fine performances from the principals, Orth's Mrs. Pearce and Jomar Tagatac's portrayal of Eliza's ne'er-do-well father Alfred Doolittle stood out for me. Tagatac has quickly become one of my favorite Bay Area actors, and he puts all his considerable comic skills to use here. He's one of those players that is hard to take your eyes off of, even when more important action might be happening elsewhere on stage. The athletic Chachi Delgado dances his heart out, lifting the entire chorus nearly as high as one of his kicks.

The action all takes place on a stunning set created by scenic designer Nina Ball, with a massive faux-stone façade that becomes the Royal Opera House, London street scenes, and the exterior of Higgins' Wimpole Street abode–only for the turntable to spin and reveal the highly detailed two-level interior where Higgins tutors Eliza.

San Francisco Playhouse has pulled off a bit of a coup with this production, expertly balancing the need to present the story and its characters as written, while eschewing any stodginess that might come from a nearly 70-year-old musical based on a 100+-year-old play. Director English has skillfully managed to contemporize the show while losing absolutely none of its considerable, if slightly antique, charm. It may take three hours (with intermission) for this classic story to play out, but with a production this good and a cast this wonderful, the evening is over before you know it–and maybe even before you want it to be.

My Fair Lady runs through September 13, 2025, at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street, San Francisco CA. Performances are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm, Wednesdays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 3:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are $52-$135. For tickets and information, please visit www.sfplayhouse.org or call the box office at 415-677-9596.