My Fair Lady runs in Ugandan theatre 

It is not every day that an international hit play from New York’s Broadway or London is showcased in African theatre, much less Ugandan theatres, but over the last two weekends, Ugandan theatre lovers have had an opportunity of watching My Fair Lady an immensely popular musical play by Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Loewe, at National Theatre, writes ERNEST JJINGO.

The play is based on the 1913 original text by Irish writer George Bradshaw, the Pygmalion which was later adapted for Broadway in New York under the title My Fair Lady in 1956 and in London in 1958. The play follows Eliza Doolittle played by Tayo Shonubi, a cockney flower girl who takes phonetic lessons from a one professor Henry Higgins played by Lwazi Diamond so that she may pass as a lady.

Eliza trains hard with the encouragement of the professor’s house guest Colonel Pickering played by Simeon Rugette. The two gentlemen bet to see if Eliza can become a lady in six months. Professor Higgins is, however, a very proud bachelor who distastes women and often wonders why women cannot think and act like men.

Watching the play last Friday opened with a musical performance of a rendition of Wade in the Water by The Spirituals, a choir of eight; five women and three men all clad in black outfits after which the stage was set up with additional props for the action to begin.

Directed by Aganza Kisaka and produced by Karen Hasahya Kimuli, the show thrives so much on the acting prowess of Shonubi, Lwazi and Rugette who appear in the most scenes.

Whether it was getting on each other’s nerves, showing compassion to one another or singing through their situation, these three always elevated a particular scene to new heights and set the direction for the production.

They always brought the audience to laughter especially with Eliza’s attempt to pronounce English words and sentences.

Throughout the show, one could not help but admire the beautiful costumes used in different scenes of the show put together by Guy Jairus Zziwa as the costume designer, the well-coordinated dance moves choreographed by Andrew Amanyire and the music which brought the scenes to life done by the show’s music director Donald Isabirye Baguma.

The set designs, lighting and sound were also consistently good. According to Kimuli, the show is intended to shine a light on mental health with proceeds from the production going to the Soul Foundation, an organization which uses dance to improve the total wellness of mind, body and soul and works closely with Butabika Mental hospital and other mental health facilities to lead dance sessions for mental health patients as part of the healing process.

“The lack of awareness of mental health challenges in Uganda remains a grave concern especially for women who are more likely to suffer mental breakdowns on account of gender based violence. As you watch this play, please be part of the effort to champion better mental health for women and the girl child,” said Kimuli.

My Fair Lady had its official premier in Uganda on April 14 at Kampala Serena Hotel after which it was staged at the National Theater on April 22, 23, 28 and May 1.

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