Many years ago I actually won a game of Trivial Pursuit by correctly answering the question, "Who provided the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady?" The answer is Marni Nixon - I knew this because My Fair Lady was, and remains, one of my favourite films ever - who famously dubbed for Deborah Kerr in The King And I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
Day 9 kicked off with this very agreeable show about Ms. Nixon, following her family and origins, early days in Hollywood and as a performer, becoming a ghost singer for a number of famous actresses and culminating with My Fair Lady. It's a double-header with Samantha Nixon playing the eponymous Marni, and Alasdair Carson-Shepard playing George, a long-term Hollywood publicist and the general comic relief in the show.
But it's Samantha Nixon's show and the songs and mimicry are hugely impressive. The songs in the show were: Show Me, Just You Wait Henry Higgins and I Could've Danced All Night from My Fair Lady; I Feel Pretty, One Hand One Heart and Somewhere from West Side Story; two from the King And I whose titles I can't place right now as they were less famous ones and I'm not overly familiar with the movie.
It's a touching tale, nicely acted by both actors but the spotlight is seldom off Samantha Nixon. The actual Marni Nixon only died last year and her autobiography, I Could Have Sung All Night, is a book I really have to buy very soon.
Overall it was a great start to the day. I would have preferred a little less dialogue and maybe another song or two but that's being churlish. Sadly today (12th August) is the show's last day at the Festival so if you haven't already seen it then you're unlikely to in this run. But certainly worth looking out for if it tours again.
As an aside, there was a chap sitting a couple of rows behind me who had the most annoying laugh I think I've ever heard - a genuine pig-like snort/oink. Fortunately there weren't too many belly-laughs in this but if it had been a comedy show I could have seen myself killing him within about 10 minutes ...
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