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Shaw’s Pygmalion Revived at Theatre Row Draws Mixed Reviews for Mythic Framing

Reviews focus on David Staller’s use of a Greek-gods chorus drawn from Shaw’s own notes.

Overview

  • Gingold Theatrical Group’s production, produced and directed by David Staller, opened November 2 at Theatre Row and runs through November 22.
  • Four deities serve as narrators and scene-setters, a device Staller sources from Shaw’s 1938 film notes, with critics divided on whether it clarifies or encumbers the play.
  • Synnøve Karlsen’s Eliza earns strong notices for poise and intelligence, while Mark Evans’s Higgins is played as an immature prodigy, a choice some reviewers say skews the central dynamic.
  • Carson Elrod’s Colonel Pickering is warmly received, with more mixed views of Lizan Mitchell’s turns as Mrs. Pearce and Mrs. Higgins and Teresa Avia Lim’s Clara.
  • Two outlets credit different actors with a notable double role—Matt Wolpe vs. Mark Volpe—as Alfred Doolittle and Freddy Eynsford-Hill, highlighting an early casting attribution discrepancy.