Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
3.5 stars.
The concept of this play is very good, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read (especially when you do the Cockney and upper-class accents!).
I do prefer the movie/stage production of this play though, and this is mainly to do with the ending. It probably says a lot about my level of intelligence, that I like the chick flick, romcom kind of interpretation, rather than Shaw’s more highbrow feminist, idealist play, but there we go!
I would probably recommend this is fans of the film, but otherwise, there are probably better plays you could read with your time (I’m thinking Streetcar…).
The concept of this play is very good, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read (especially when you do the Cockney and upper-class accents!).
I do prefer the movie/stage production of this play though, and this is mainly to do with the ending. It probably says a lot about my level of intelligence, that I like the chick flick, romcom kind of interpretation, rather than Shaw’s more highbrow feminist, idealist play, but there we go!
I would probably recommend this is fans of the film, but otherwise, there are probably better plays you could read with your time (I’m thinking Streetcar…).
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Classism
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Classism
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol
A fun and interesting read, especially considering my linguistic background!
As a literature and linguistic graduate as well as as a language teacher, I can draw from my own experiences when I say that the way you speak is highly determining for how you come across as a person.
This funny, satirical play is a definite must-read!
I recommend reading it out loud, which greatly enhances your reading experience. (In addition to it being a lot of fun to be messing around with all these accents.)
As a literature and linguistic graduate as well as as a language teacher, I can draw from my own experiences when I say that the way you speak is highly determining for how you come across as a person.
This funny, satirical play is a definite must-read!
I recommend reading it out loud, which greatly enhances your reading experience. (In addition to it being a lot of fun to be messing around with all these accents.)
This play is not a romance! Maybe it's because I'm such a happy spinster myself, but I've never read romance into any of the incarnations of it I've been exposed to (Educating Rita is a particularly enjoyable homage). I did not realize it was so commonly read this way until I was discussing My Fair Lady with someone and he made a passing reference to Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle ending up together. With the ambiguity at the end (and the large age difference in the Hepburn movie), I simply never read that into any of the stage/screen versions of My Fair Lady I had seen so far (even My Fair Zombie ends with more irony than romance). The last audio version of Pygmalion I listened to didn't appear to hint at romance.
But the new Audible version (starring Stephen Fry and the riveting Daisy Edgar Jones) includes Shaw's afterword, in which he expounds upon his vision of Eliza's future. Normally I hate such things (shut up JK, let the fic writers take it from here), but in Shaw's time, he was unable to stop the original actor playing Henry Higgins from silently working romantic gestures into the final scenes and he was horrified to see contemporary reviews referring to it as a satisfactory romance. But in Shaw's vision, Eliza (shock upon shock) is an intelligent, capable woman who actually means every word she says to Henry Higgins. Whoda thunk it.
But the new Audible version (starring Stephen Fry and the riveting Daisy Edgar Jones) includes Shaw's afterword, in which he expounds upon his vision of Eliza's future. Normally I hate such things (shut up JK, let the fic writers take it from here), but in Shaw's time, he was unable to stop the original actor playing Henry Higgins from silently working romantic gestures into the final scenes and he was horrified to see contemporary reviews referring to it as a satisfactory romance. But in Shaw's vision, Eliza (shock upon shock) is an intelligent, capable woman who actually means every word she says to Henry Higgins. Whoda thunk it.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
for school, fuckin amazing
4 STARS
"Shaw wrote the part of Eliza Doolittle—'an east-end dona with an apron and three orange and red ostrich feathers'—for Mrs Patrick Campbell, with whom he had a passionate but unconsummated affair. From the outset the play was a sensational success, although Shaw, irritated by its popularity at the expense of his artistic intentions, dismissed it as a potboiler. The Pygmalion of legend falls in love with his perfect female statue and persuades Venus to bring her to life so that he can marry her. But Shaw radically reworks Ovid's tale to give it a feminist slant: while Higgins teaches Eliza to speak and act like a duchess, she also asserts her independence, adamantly refusing to be his creation." (From Amazon)
A brilliant play by Shaw...not the Fair Lady version.
"Shaw wrote the part of Eliza Doolittle—'an east-end dona with an apron and three orange and red ostrich feathers'—for Mrs Patrick Campbell, with whom he had a passionate but unconsummated affair. From the outset the play was a sensational success, although Shaw, irritated by its popularity at the expense of his artistic intentions, dismissed it as a potboiler. The Pygmalion of legend falls in love with his perfect female statue and persuades Venus to bring her to life so that he can marry her. But Shaw radically reworks Ovid's tale to give it a feminist slant: while Higgins teaches Eliza to speak and act like a duchess, she also asserts her independence, adamantly refusing to be his creation." (From Amazon)
A brilliant play by Shaw...not the Fair Lady version.