If there is one thing I can say about The Mill at Sonning’s ‘My Fair Lady’, it’s that I could have watched it all night, and still have begged for more.
Hands down the best thing I have ever seen The Mill put on (and that’s saying something) this production could easily hold its own against anything on London’s West End.
It’s not the superb performances of an ensemble without any weak links that makes this show so special, nor is it the beauty of every aspect of the production. It is the pure, unbridled joy that oozes from every stroke of magic in its direction.
Set in pre-war Edwardian London, ‘My Fair Lady’ tells the story of Eliza Doolittle (Simbi Akande), a poor but street-smart flower seller in Covent Garden, who captures the attention of dialect professor Henry Higgins (Nadim Naaman). While out gathering vocal specimens among the working classes of the West End, Higgins impresses upon Eliza what a barrier to progress the simple fact of someone’s voice can have. He wants to prove that class is defined by language, and that a person’s stars can therefore be changed with elocution lessons.
Eliza approaches him for help to improve her social standing and get a job as a respectable flower shop assistant. But her desires run deeper than this, ultimately wanting to be treated as a person, not a project. This fact is almost overlooked by the Professor during his bet that in six months he can teach her to speak “proper” English to such a degree that she will pass as a duchess to high society.
This central relationship demonstrated by Akande and Naaman is pure theatrical silk to watch, with both delivering superb performances. Honestly, I could have listened to Simbi Akande singing all night long (I know I’ve already made that joke, but it’s true). There were audible sighs of pleasure from the audience as she started to sing ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’.
The musical may be nearly 70, but there is so much imagination in the direction that this show feels incredibly modern and fresh, especially the gleeful depiction of the working classes. Live music is provided by violins, accordion and a banjo (where did you find performers who can play those instruments, as well as act, sing AND dance?!) which is so wonderful and adds to the joyful atmosphere.
Even scene changes are full of energy, with the slickest ensemble I think I’ve ever seen. For me, no one encapsulates that energy more than Mark Moraghan as Eliza’s morally-questionable, here-for-a-good-time father, Alfred. What unbelievable stage presence and performance! Both of his numbers, ‘With a Little Bit Of Luck’ and ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ are show highlights.
The stage at The Mill at Sonning is not a huge one, which makes the ambitions of the performance all the more impressive. Royal Ascot hats off to choreographers Joseph Pitcher (who also directed this gem) and Alex Christian, because it was unbelievable at times.
Speaking of hats, the wardrobe design by Natalie Titchener is exquisite; every single costume has beautiful attention to detail. There were gasps for Eliza’s opera outfit, with a neckline that instantly reminded me of Julia Roberts’ gown for the same occasion in Pretty Woman. This modern retelling also shares its ‘Pygmalion’ plot with My Fair Lady: except Covent Garden is replaced by the red light district of Hollywood Boulevard. Whether this reference was intentional or not, it stopped me in my tracks. And combined with the opening soundscape where the Girl Power voices of the Spice Girls ring out alongside Thatcher, we are reminded that the story of wealthy men underestimating strong women is – annoyingly – a timeless one.
All too often, out-of-London theatres get overlooked in the annals of great British theatre. But if ‘My Fair Lady’ teaches us anything, it’s not to underestimate something just because it is not from the capital’s high society. The Mill at Sonning had a scare in the summer when a group of locals had to step in with a financial lifeline to save the theatre from the “brink” of closure. But if this is what the Mill is capable of producing, we must protect it at all costs.
For a Christmas production, this totally encapsulates that feeling of languishing on the sofa after one-too-many mince pies where only the warm embrace of a much-loved musical will do.
So if you’re looking for the perfect dose of festive feels this Christmas, get yourself along to The Mill at Sonning. With a ‘little bit of luck’ and a whole lot of hard work, ‘My Fair Lady’ will get the sell-out run it wholeheartedly deserves.
‘My Fair Lady’ runs at The Mill at Sonning until 17 January 2026. Tickets are available now and can be purchased at millatsonning.com
