My Fair Lady

Lore & Background

The musical originated after film producer Gabriel Pascal acquired rights to Shaw's plays. Shaw had refused permission for Pygmalion to become a musical, but after his death in 1950, Pascal asked Lerner to write the adaptation. Lerner and Loewe initially abandoned the project for two years, believing the play violated key rules for musicals—no love story, no subplot, no ensemble. After Pascal died, Lerner and Loewe reunited and realized the play needed few changes beyond adding action between acts. They wrote the show without securing rights, and Chase Manhattan Bank eventually granted them the musical rights.

Reader's Guide

My Fair Lady's significance lies in its transformation of a non-musical play into a landmark Broadway hit. The 1956 production set a record for longest-running musical on Broadway up to that time, and its 1964 film adaptation won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The musical introduced enduring songs such as 'I Could Have Danced All Night' and 'On the Street Where You Live.' Its success demonstrated that a play without a traditional love story could be adapted into a musical, influencing later adaptations. The casting of Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in the original Broadway and London productions established the show's iconic status. Revivals have continued, and the musical remains a staple of the repertoire.

Did You Know?

• Noël Coward was first offered the role of Henry Higgins but turned it down, suggesting Rex Harrison instead.
• Mary Martin was an early choice for Eliza Doolittle but declined; Julie Andrews was cast after the creative team saw her in The Boy Friend.
• The title My Fair Lady relates to one of Shaw's provisional titles for Pygmalion and the nursery rhyme 'London Bridge Is Falling Down.'
• The musical was written without the rights; the creators proceeded for five months before Chase Manhattan Bank granted them.