My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady. The original Broadway and London shows starred Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews.
The musical's 1956 Broadway production was a notable critical and popular success. It set a record for the longest run of any show on Broadway up to that time. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and many revivals. My Fair Lady has been called "the perfect musical".
History with the Macy's Parade[]
My Fair Lady was first represented in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1993 to promote the upcoming revival of the musical. The musical's leading lady, Melissa Errico, performed a rendition of "Wouldn't It Be Lovely" for a segment of the NBC Parade telecast. The performance took place atop the Mariott Marquis Hotel, and featured the beginning of the Parade passing by in the background.
My Fair Lady was once again featured in the 2018 Parade, now with a performance from the entire cast outside of Macy's flagship department store as one of four Broadway shows. Akin to the musical's previous performance, the cast performed a rendition of "Wouldn't It Be Lovely".