Here's the skinny. Peter O'Toole is rarely less than good. In most of his roles, he's fabulous. Here, he's adequate. He can do almost anything but he lacks the aplomb associated with Higgins. I wonder how the Irish Shaw would feel about him. Margot Kidder is dreadful. Donald Ewer is Alfred Doolittle. I'm not familiar with his work (I went to a version of MY FAIR LADY with Clive Revel as Doolittle and he was magnificent, but I suppose they lacked a budget for an actor of his stature for Doolittle). John Standing is more than adequate for Pickering. He does "intelligent cluelessness" well.
It was apparently produced as a showcase for Kidder and her being Canadian was no worse than O'Toole being Irish but matriculating at RADA.
I'd give O'Toole a pass and I can admire a fiesty Eliza giving as good as she got, but Kidder comes off as merely petulant. Too bad. It was an idea worth trying but English drawing room comedy isn't Kidder's forte.
It was apparently produced as a showcase for Kidder and her being Canadian was no worse than O'Toole being Irish but matriculating at RADA.
I'd give O'Toole a pass and I can admire a fiesty Eliza giving as good as she got, but Kidder comes off as merely petulant. Too bad. It was an idea worth trying but English drawing room comedy isn't Kidder's forte.