We thought nothing could beat last year’s festive offering from The Mill at Sonning with our favourite, White Christmas – but the 2025-year finale certainly gives it a run for its money.
I am ashamed to say I have never seen My Fair Lady and accompanied by my husband who openly admits he is not a fan of musicals, the show had to work hard to impress – but impress it did.
The musical follows the story of Eliza Dolittle, a Cockney flower girl who speaks in ‘yowls’ and not ‘vowels’, who is plucked off the streets of London by the arrogant Professor Higgins who declares he can pass her off as a Duchess in six months.
The ambitious show immediately started with high energy and that energy did not flag throughout the entire production. Sitting in the theatre you realise just how many of the songs you actually already know. With a score including songs Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, On The Street Where You Live, I Could Have Danced All Night and Get Me To The Church On Time, a surreptitious look into the audience saw many mouthing the lyrics or clapping along.
The intimate venue had a relatively large cast with many seamlessly taking on more than one role. Simbi Akande perfectly portrayed Eliza Doolittle’s transformation and effortlessly took on the classic songs. Her rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night was hauntingly beautiful
Mark Moraghan as Alfred P. Doolittle was a highlight, providing a masterclass in musical theatre with a high-energy routine and perfect comic timing, ably supported by the ensemble. The entire cast came together for ‘With A Little Bit of Luck’ with superb choreography.
As usual with The Mill at Sonning the set conjured up the numerous locations perfectly and the costumes portrayed the era well. As its Christmas show, the meal included festive fayre of turkey and all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding, a combination I was glad I opted for which for me certainly kicked off my festive season.
The show provided the perfect balance of emotion and humour, energy and pathos – and I think would suit all ages for the perfect festive family outing.
