Patsy Ferran shines in an otherwise disappointing revival of Pygmalion – review
We had high hopes for this revival of Pygmalion at The Old Vic: with a hugely-talented cast and creative putting this show together – directed by Olivier-winner Richard Jones and starring Olivier-winners Bertie Carvel and Patsy Ferran in the lead roles – this new staging of George Bernard Shaw’s masterpiece has, on paper, everything required for a truly memorable night at the theatre.
Sadly these component parts don’t quite add up to coherent whole, the end result being something disjointed and disappointing.
For those unfamiliar with the play, Pygmalion is the source material for the classic musical and film My Fair Lady. We are introduced to phonetics teacher Henry Higgins (Bertie Carvel); a pompous, eccentric character who likes a challenge, he takes it upon himself to transform working-class cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle (Patsy Ferran), whom he bumps into by chance at Covent Garden, into a lady – or to create the illusion of a lady, at least – by teaching her to speak properly.
We’ll start with the positives: Patsy Ferran is a delight. We previously saw her in the West End revival of Summer and Smoke, which we described as a “revelatory performance” and “utterly spellbinding” – it was this particular performance that won her the 2019 Olivier Award for Best Actress.
