Some Theater Classics Are Brought Down by Gender Stereotypes. Not 'Pygmalion.'

You're likely more familiar with "My Fair Lady" than with the 1913 play it's based on, "Pygmalion." 

The 1964 film of "My Fair Lady," starring Audrey Hepburn, is a classic; the original 1956 stage production launched Julie Andrews' career. And it's a staple of high school musical theater programs. But "Pygmalion"? Theatergoers may know it's a play by George Bernard Shaw, but as it's only revived about once a decade, many have never seen it.

In both, the story is roughly the same: phonetician Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can pass off poor flower girl Eliza Doolittle as a lady, simply by transforming her Cockney accent into an aristocratic one. In our #MeToo moment, the story seems especially problematic — how could a show about a man transforming someone into his perfect woman possibly have something to say to today's audiences?

But for the past few weeks, both shows have been running on New York stages at the same time. "My Fair Lady" is currently at the Lincoln Center Theater; Bedlam's production of "Pygmalion" is downtown at the Sheen Center through Sunday. To find out why both plays are still relevant a century later, WNYC's Jennifer Vanasco spoke with Bedlam members Vaishnavi Sharma, who plays Eliza, and Eric Tucker, who plays Henry Higgins, and is also the director of the play and the artistic director of the company. Here are edited excerpts.

WNYC: Talk to me about the differences between the two shows.

TUCKER: Obviously "Pygmalion" is the source material for "My Fair Lady" — it's basically "Pygmalion" with songs. We happened to be working from the 1913 script, which is public domain. It's the first script, and breaks the action down into five long scenes.

"My Fair Lady" comes from a newer script and has about three or four added scenes. For example, when she throws the slippers in Henry's face and leaves the house, she goes out onto the street and sees [her suitor] Freddy and that's where we get that wonderful song, "On the Street Where You Live."

Well, that scene is not in our script, because it's not trying to be a love story. And without the music, you're able to sink into a darker, grittier, seedier picture of their relationship. 

WNYC: In the Greek myth of Pygmalion, you have an artist who creates a sculpture that comes to life. The sculptor creates his perfect woman, basically. Some people feel like in this work, Eliza has no agency. How do you see her?

SHARMA: It's seldom that you get to play a role that has such a dramatic change from the first time she speaks until the end. You know, it's always described as, "He picks her up off the street." But really, she went to him. She has taken control at every stage of her life. 

WNYC: This is not the traditional Eliza we're used to seeing. You play her as a young immigrant from India, with a Hindi accent. There's even a line added in Hindi in the beginning. Whose idea was that?

SHARMA: When Eric first offered it to me, I said I would love to play her as the Indian girl that this British man picks up off the street. But I feel sometimes almost naked doing it, because I've never done an Indian accent onstage before. I've never spoken Hindi on stage before, and it's a side of me that I haven't shared since I've moved here. And I do I feel a responsibility to represent a billion people. I'm not letting that influence how I'm doing the role, but to be able to embrace all of me — it helps me be that girl on the street with all of the grime and shit that she's going through. And to ask, "What does she hold on to? What does she let go of?"

WNYC: Do you see her transformation as her leaving her culture and identity behind?

SHARMA: That's a good question. I think there is a piece of that. But she's found the strength to be who she is while winning in the world. And we all change things about ourselves to win, to be good, to be the best version of ourselves, to succeed. She has goals, she has ambitions, she has dreams and she is going to achieve them. And I think she's taken from Higgins whatever she could to make sure that happens for her. 

WNYC: Eric, there's a larger question here of problematic revivals — like "Carousel," currently on Broadway, which is so beautiful. But then there's the domestic violence. And there are other shows that seem to trap characters in racial or gender stereotypes, but they're still very beloved. As a director, as an artistic director, how do you know if something is revivable?

TUCKER: There's obviously the commerce side. Every so many years you're going to revive a large musical, because it can fill a large Broadway house. Why not? It puts a lot of people to work in our business.

But some shows —  "Carousel" so blatantly has a real problem there. And it's young in a way. Will someone revive it 50 years from now? I don't know. I doubt it. But "Pygmalion" is different. Shaw is the only English writer who's close to Shakespeare in his wit and brilliance. And there's a clear message in his plays: he hated poverty. He hated inequality.  

SHARMA: It's quite loaded to be putting on a show and feel like you need to make a political statement. It can just be art or entertainment. This play happening at the same time as #MeToo will bring up that question — is this woman being taken advantage of? Is she being changed into something by a privileged white man that she may not have wanted? But I think you will leave the play thinking that she gave up some things about herself, but by choice. And she kept the things that were most important to her, and was strong enough to do that. 

TUCKER: Eliza drives the play. She makes the decisions. And so what's wonderful about doing "Pygmalion" in the #MeToo era is that you can see it through a different lens. When things stand up to the test of time like that, I think they're worth doing.

"My Fair Lady" is playing at Lincoln Center Theater in an open run; "Pygmalion" is playing at the Sheen Center through Sunday.