Salome
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Place the Higgins in order of greatness.many actors have tried on Higgins' trechcoat and hat (A hat os identified with the roles creator that it is now officially known as a "Rex Harrison")
put the actors in order of greatness in the role. 1 being the best.
Rex Harrison
Michael Moriarty
Edward Mulhare
Ian Richardson
Richard Chamberlain
Johnathan Pryce
Antnony Andrews
Simon Jones
Alec McCowen
go....
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jazzygirlsings
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1. Rex Harrison
2. Rex Harrison
3. Rex Harrison
4. Rex Harrison
5. Rex Harrison
6. Rex Harrison
7. Rex Harrison
8. Rex Harrison
9. Jonathan Pryce
LOL! The last one is only because I've seen him do parts of it, but he's still not even CLOSE to Rex Harrison...
And besides, I would have to have seen everyone to properly compare. I would love to have seen Richard Chamberlain do it, but alas, I haven't. So therefore I can't really do a good comparison on all nine men.
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ALoneWanderer
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^ Do you only know 2 people who have played the part?
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jazzygirlsings
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| ALoneWanderer wrote: | | ^ Do you only know 2 people who have played the part? |
No, I don't...I have heard/seen others...those two are my favorite...And honestly, Rex is pretty incomparable to the others. He is really head and shoulders above the rest in my eyes. (But I gave acknowledgement to Jonathan Pryce because I am a huge fan of his as well! LOL!)
I acknowledged that I would have liked to see Chamberlain's performance, but a lot of these are "you have to be there" to have seen them...as in a lot of them don't have these performances recorded to watch on DVD, etc...I have heard many of the cast recordings as well...A performance is defined by so much more than a cast recording...ESPECIALLY the role of Henry Higgins. Which is why I did not put the rest down...
Unfortunately, I was in a cultural wasteland (BFE Wisconsin) when the other revivals appeared on Broadway and I have never been to London, so I've missed the West End productions as well...
Why didn't you do a comparison, since you seem to be shocked that I only listed those two? Have you SEEN each and every one of those performances? I will admit I have not (like I did in the post above yours)...many of these performances happened prior to the year I was born, but I have still heard them...(Like Ian Richardson's performance with Christine Andreas in 1976...that was only a couple years shy of my bday...)
But, as I explained...the role of Henry Higgins is SO MUCH about the acting and the character....and you can't really get the full effect from a cast recording...
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what_the_heck013
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jazzygirlsings' list is exactly mine.
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ALoneWanderer
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| jazzygirlsings wrote: |
Why didn't you do a comparison, since you seem to be shocked that I only listed those two? |
Not shocked, it just seemed unnecessary/excessive to list the same person so many times. As far as making my own list, I pretty much hate My Fair Lady. It bores the crap out of me. Of course I've only seen the movie, and only once...so maybe I shouldn't judge. However, I fell asleep multiple times trying to get through one viewing of the movie.
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jazzygirlsings
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^Funny...it's like you try to call me out on not knowing something when it turns out that you actually know very little about this particular production...And she asked us to rank the list of nine men in order...I listed the performances I've seen and really enjoyed in order to fill the slots, as I couldn't rank them for reasons I mentioned above...
And MFL is (for the most part) the exact script to Pygmalion, one of Shaw's most beloved works! So I guess I'm shocked that you don't see the literary value in that and that you don't see the masterpiece that MFL is. Maybe you should take a look at the script and score independently of the movie...you may find that you have a different appreciation for it. You may even want to see the movie of Pygmalion...OR try to catch a tour/regional production before writing it off as an entire piece.
The music and lyrics are amazing...honestly, one of the most incredible songs in the score, IMHO is "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." It challenges the actor to go through every emotion from revenge to longing to anger to acceptance...all in one song...Not many songs in musical theatre challenge an actor like that. They are few and far between.
Trying to watch the movie one time does not give MFL the fair shot it deserves as an entire piece...
If I would have gone by that philosophy, I never would have liked "Cabaret"...luckily, I did my homework and I discovered what a wonderful piece it really is...
So I guess my point is to try to give it a fair shake...
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Mark Walton
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| jazzygirlsings wrote: | 1. Rex Harrison
LOL! The last one is only because I've seen him do parts of it, but he's still not even CLOSE to Rex Harrison... |
Has Rex's son Noel ever played Higgins? If so, how does he stack up against his father? Stanley Holloway's son Julian has often played Alfred P. Doolittle even before his father's death.
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Salome
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| Mark Walton wrote: | | jazzygirlsings wrote: | 1. Rex Harrison
LOL! The last one is only because I've seen him do parts of it, but he's still not even CLOSE to Rex Harrison... |
Has Rex's son Noel ever played Higgins? If so, how does he stack up against his father? Stanley Holloway's son Julian has often played Alfred P. Doolittle even before his father's death. |
Noel has indeed played Higgins to favoreable reviews. Noel and Julian never played the roles together however.
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qpidsangel
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| Salome wrote: | | Mark Walton wrote: | | jazzygirlsings wrote: | 1. Rex Harrison
LOL! The last one is only because I've seen him do parts of it, but he's still not even CLOSE to Rex Harrison... |
Has Rex's son Noel ever played Higgins? If so, how does he stack up against his father? Stanley Holloway's son Julian has often played Alfred P. Doolittle even before his father's death. |
Noel has indeed played Higgins to favoreable reviews. Noel and Julian never played the roles together however. |
hmmm I had heard bad things about Noel... that's interesting.
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Salome
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how could you hear bad things you were like 10 when he played the role.
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Ingénue
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So sad my fair forgotten Lady... | ALoneWanderer wrote: | | jazzygirlsings wrote: |
Why didn't you do a comparison, since you seem to be shocked that I only listed those two? |
Not shocked, it just seemed unnecessary/excessive to list the same person so many times. As far as making my own list, I pretty much hate My Fair Lady. It bores the crap out of me. Of course I've only seen the movie, and only once...so maybe I shouldn't judge. However, I fell asleep multiple times trying to get through one viewing of the movie. |
You almost fell asleep? How? Sorry, must jump in and say this... Wow *shocked* I LOVE My Fair Lady... It's hilarious- and yes- I agree Rex is the best. I saw the movie too. Love the movie... "Move your bloomin' ass" < best part ever......
okay.... Ingénue out. 
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