My Fair Lady is being produced at Chichester Festival Theatre for the very first time. A brand-new production of Lerner & Loewe’s glorious, evergreen musical will be directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and run from 6 July – 5 September.
Cast announced
The cast has now been announced as follows:
- Hadley Fraser (Henry Higgins) has just finished playing Houdini in Magic at CFT to great acclaim. Equally renowned for drama and musicals, he has previously appeared at Chichester in The Deep Blue Sea and The Pajama Game, while his many West End credits range from The Lehman Trilogy, 2:22 and Shaw’s Saint Joan to City of Angels, Young Frankenstein, Les Misèrables and Phantom of the Opera. Television includes The Gold, Endeavour and Gentleman Jack.
- Keziah Ibe makes her professional debut as Eliza Doolittle, having graduated from Arts Educational Schools with a BA in Musical Theatre this year.
- Ben Culleton (Freddy Eynsford-Hill) has appeared in many musicals in the West End and around the UK, including Mary Poppins, Les Misérables and La Cage aux Folles
- Tony Jayawardena (Colonel Pickering)’s extensive stage work includes Nye and The Father and the Assassin (National Theatre), Doctor Strangelove (West End) and, on television, Ackley Bridge and Ludwig.
- Belinda Lang (Mrs Higgins) last appeared at Chichester in The Country Wife; her many television credits include the Sister Boniface and Inspector Alleyn Mysteries and 2point4 Children, while recent theatre work includes Little Women, Humble Boy and Duet for One.
- Gary Milner returns to Chichester, where his previous appearances include The Music Man and How to Succeed in Business… as Alfred Doolittle. His recent theatre credits include Alfred Hitcock Presents (Theatre Royal Bath), Here & Now: The Steps Musical (UK tour), Kiss Me, Kate (Barbican) and Evita (Curve Leicester).
- Finty Williams (Mrs Pearce) has recently appeared in Punch (Nottingham Playhouse/UK tour), Here & Now (UK tour), The Baker’s Wife (Menier Chocolate Factory) and The Ocean at the End of the Lane (National Theatre/UK tour), and The Cranford Chronicles on television.
- They are joined by Jonathan Bourne, Nic Cain, Shani Cantor, Mark D’Arcy, Talia Duff, Nicholas Duncan, Zack Guest, Joe Henry, Jennifer Louise Jones, Ella Kora, Reuben Lally, TJ Lloyd, Maggie Lynne, Anna McGarahan, Kody Mortimer, Rachel Stanley and Jessica Vaux.
“Bouquet of songs”
With an overflowing bouquet of ravishing songs including The Rain in Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night, With a Little Bit of Luck and Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, sparkling dialogue, brilliant lyrics, witty story and gorgeous costumes, this 20th century masterpiece has been described as the perfect musical.
Based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, Lerner & Loewe’s multi award-winning musical broke Broadway records when it opened in 1956 and was later adapted into the 1964 Oscar-winning film.
Director Rachel Kavanaugh’s previous Chichester productions include The Music Man, Shadowlands (which recently completed its West End run) and Half a Sixpence. The set and costumes will be designed by Peter McKintosh (Top Hat, South Pacific, Shadowlands), with choreography by Stephen Mear (Gypsy, Mack & Mabel, Kiss Me Kate).
The musical supervisor will be Stephen Ridley, musical director Cat Beveridge, lighting designer Howard Harrison, sound designer Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound, and casting director Stuart Burt CDG.
Accessibility and Fundraising
There will be a Dementia Friendly performance on 29 July and a Relaxed Performance on 1 September. A Summer Gala on 28 August will support our ‘Stage the Future’ fundraising campaign for the next generation of theatre-makers.
Booking Information
Tickets from £15
cft.org.uk Box Office 01243 781312
Prologue: £5 tickets for 16 – 30s
10,000 £5 tickets are available for 16 to 30 year-olds across all Festival 2026 productions; sign up for free at cft.org.uk/prologue.
