Spectacular Final Night For “My Fair Lady”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29869, 9 July 1962, Page 12

Spectacular Final Night For “My Fair Lady”

All good things come to an end. This slight regret tinged the enthusiastic enjoyment of the 1370 persons who packed the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening, the last of about 640.000 to see the record-breaking musical, “My Fair Lady.” in New Zealand

Probably few in the house were there for the first time —some were seeing the show a third and fourth time — and friends and favourites on the stage had generous applause as they made their entrances.

But this was as nothing to the thunderous applause and stamping of feet that saluted some of the maior scenes and tunes When Professor Higgins. Eliza Doolittle and Colonel Pickering collansed on the sofa after “The Rain in Spain” and their dance, they had to stay collapsed for what must have been their longest inactive time, so prolonged was the applause.

There was not a moment in which the audience was not enjoying itself and its enthusiasm brought a generous response from the cast A back-stage employee with long show business experience commented that he had never seen a cast rise to the occasion so well: and Stuart Wagstaff, the leading man. who had taken his share of praise in "You Did It.” told the audience they had “done it" in making the final night such a spectacular success. Inspired Ballet

On stage. enthusiasm reached almost fever pitch when the ballet in the Covent Garden flower market threw themselves about with such gay abandon that they had the unstinted applause of the chorus in the wings as well as of the patrons It was their most vigorous dance of the tour After the final curtain, coloured streamers poured on to t. assembled cast from the gallery, boxes, circles and stalls The actors had their own supply which they tossed back, and soon the theatre was festooned with streamers which would have done justice to a maiden voyage of a trans-Atlantic liner Few of the actors and actresses were without flowers and presents from their Christchurch friends—even one of the male dancers had a handsome “bouquet” of cauliflowers. carrots, cigarettes and matches —and they could have stayed for an hour taking curtain calls from the standing’, clapping audience. But “Mv Fair Lady" had to end For the company it was rather a sad occasion,

Mr Wagstaff said, for they had been an extremely happy band. Now they were breaking up. Some are going to South Africa to continue in the show there. A few are going to Melbourne where there is a return season, others to Australia and to Britain, and. the 11 New Zealanders to their homes. “We have met New Zealanders in all walks of life and found that their great reputation for hospitality was no exaggeration." Mr Wagstaff said “We leave behind many friends.” He and the other principals turned from the audience to lead the applause for the chorus and ballet, “the backbone of the company.” and he thanked the orchestra, front-of-house staff and backstage crew for contributing to a happy, successful company. Mrs Patricia Moore, who

has played Eliza in Australia and throughout New Zealand —without a break in the South Island seasonwished success to those going to South Africa and also spoke of the happy time the company had had. With an enthusiasm not general in Christchurch audiances, the crowd and the company sang “Auld Lang Syne” and then reluctantly the audience filed into Gloucester street, but the taxis, cars and chartered buses, some from as far afield as Dunedin, had to wait a little longer ,The stage door and right-of-way were still crowded when members of the cast had managed to get away from the well-wishers who swarmed back-stage. Only then could it be said that "My Fair Lady” was over. Another good thing had come to an end.