I have seen My Fair Lady an alarming number of times but never on stage. The musical is coming to the Coliseum in London and, when this was announced, I learned that Amara Okereke, who is playing Eliza Doolittle, is reported to have watched the film version more than 200 times. Now, it’s not a competition, but I reckon I’m up there with those sorts of numbers.
I’d not seen the film for years, as I did most of my watching in early childhood while I was being looked after by my grandma. Back then, grandmas weren’t armed with the same childcare tools. There was no on-demand kids’ TV, iPads or YouTube so she had to rely on the humble VHS to entertain a preschooler. She narrowed the suitability of her video collection down to a fairly small number of classic musicals. My Fair Lady was a weekly watch.
