Irish Repertory Theatre Gala 2026 – Lerner & Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ in Concert

By Alix Cohen

Irish Repertory Theatre founders, Charlotte Moore & Ciarán O’Reilly, throw a grand party. At 37, the theater is not only as vibrant and energetic as ever, it still has a twinkle in its eye.Chair of The Board of Directors Kathleen Begala graciously welcomes us, introducing Moore and O’ Reilly who sincerely thank EVERY person working with the theatre on and off stage.

After O’Reilly’s traditional nun joke (a good one), the pair congratulate Visionary Leadership honoree, Melissa Vogel Brown, Associate General Counsel and Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. We then watch a short biographical film of the honoree narrated by O’Reilly with signature wit.

Vogel Brown’s parents were actors. She grew up backstage inheriting their love of theater and may, she says, have chosen the legal profession inspired by Shakespeare’s Portia. In fact, her children were almost named Ophelia and Coriolanus.

The honoree was also bequeathed admiration for Irish Rep- with which she got involved. Decades of behind-the-scenes legal and fiscal stewardship have been indispensable to helping the nonprofit expand its programming and scale with confidence.

A recorded greeting by Julie Andrews and a clip of her 1956 role as the original Eliza Doolittle preface the overture of
My Fair Lady. Remember the thrill of hearing that for the first time? Lead by the indispensable John Bell, it’s
splendidly performed.

This version of the show arrives edited in musical scenes set by Moore and O’Reilly. Participating artists have all performed at Irish Rep.“As the curtain rises, we’re in Covent Garden…”

There are six Henry Higgins in various combinations with other characters: Lou Diamond Phillips’ “Why Can’t the English?” is ahead of accompaniment, but highly expressive.Robert Cuccioli’s natural poise and deceptively casual vocal lends itself to the arrogance of a reserved, upper class Londoner. The lilting part of “I’m An Ordinary Man” feels authentic.

Laird Macintosh exudes elegance.There’s both precision and palpable pique to a speech on language.“The Rain in Spain” exults with character restraint. David Staller’s Higgins is untied and untucked without Eliza. “Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man?” calls for insouciance. It’s clear, however, the actor is infectiously having the time of his life.

F. Murray Abraham is an unorthodox choice for Higgins. Without attempting the accent (frankly a better choice), he gives us a believably startled, rueful older man, the rug pulled out from under. “I did it! I said I’d make a woman of you and indeed I did!”

Five Eliza Doolittles lend their talents: Whitney Bashor’s low key soprano works well with the harmonizing quartet for “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” Lencia Kebede’s “Just You White!” = Wait, arrives with unnatural volume she might channel into seething.

With “Show Me!” Julie Benko taps spunk without seeming unladylike. Phrasing is emotional, modulation fits context. The artist’s polished vocal is as appealing to audience as it must be to Professor Higgins.

Shereen Ahmed is terrific. A beautiful, controlled trill and apt facial expression imbue Eliza with personality. Long notes stretch like molten glass. The Ascot scene shimmers. Ahmed starred in the first U.S. National Tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production 2019 to 2022.

Melissa Errico famously burst onto the Broadway scene at just 22 years old, starring as Eliza in the Broadway production at the Virginia Theatre. A decade later, she reprised the role in a semi-staged production at the Hollywood Bowl.

With hair period- coiffed for the occasion, Errico rebuts Higgins’ insults with cool dignity, fierce independence, and absolute self-possession. The voice soars. Near the end, Higgins (F. Murray Abraham’s) unrehearsed “Where the fuck are my slippers?!” causes this scene partner’s jaw to drop.

Housekeeper Mrs. Pearce is played with well honed judgment by Polly Mckie and with patrician sarcasm by Mary Beth Peil who, for my money, could step into the role tomorrow. Bill Irwin’s gentlemanly, “good cop”, Colonel Pickering, emerges understated. A momentary Flamenco during “The Rain in Spain” is swell.

“Little Bit of Luck” is blithely performed by Gary Troy. Dancing in place, the actor inhabits feckless, footloose Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father and “a proud member of the “undeserving poor.”

Norbert Leo Butz, apparently able to master any genre, brings jaunty alternative life to Doolittle. Short, sharp, Cagney-like moves manifest as extension of lyrics. “I’m Getting Married in the Morning” arrives with a gleeful, anxious smile, the nervous trepidation of a deer in headlights.

This evening’s Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Michael Maliakel, is an attractive young man with a warm, slightly sandy tenor and earnest credibility. Bemusement is artful. Hands are balletic. As his mother, Georga Osborne is aghast at Eliza’s Ascot outburst without losing a jot of finesse.

It’s testimony to the musical’s universality and timelessness that audience chuckles in all the right places as if hearing lyrics for the first time. When Higgens calls Eliza a “guttersnipe”, there’s a collective “ooo.”

Artful collages- paintings, drawings, photos, and some video- are projected as background, setting a creative tone
(Chris Kateff/Ruaidhri Kelly)

Outside the bagpiper waits to lead dinner guests to The Bryant Park Grill,

A well produced, familial, and entertaining evening.

Irish Repertory Theatre Gala – Lerner & Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ in Concert
Visionary Leadership Award- Melissa Vogel Brown
Evening Arranged by Charlotte Moore & Ciarán O’Reilly
MD/ Conductor- John Bell

Orchestrations- Robert Russell Bennett & Phil Lang
The Town Hall June 8, 2026
Irish Repertory Theatre 132 West 22nd Street
https://irishrep.org/whats-on/the-loved-ones?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23884057197&gclid=CjwKCAjw857RBhAgEiwAI-1yKHwzMLttGAtlEd3naBi0WMok8OZo4DQpMrRremJY0S3YOw9ST1CNLxoCoJQQAvD_BwE