Fair Play

I've often criticized The New Yorker's theatre critics, so it's only fair to note that Hilton Als' review of Pygmalion starts with a succinct, intelligent discussion of Shaw and women.

Meanwhile, this is from Ben Brantley's pan in The New York Times:

[...] the stiffness of this production shines a glaring light on the weaknesses of "Pygmalion,” on its repetitiveness and didacticism. It had me thinking heretically (admittedly not for the first time) that “My Fair Lady,” which used song to amplify and investigate the relationship between Henry and Eliza, is an improvement on the original.

Heretical indeed. Everyone says they like My Fair Lady better. But, better or not, it strikes me that these so-called amplifications and investigations Brantley refers in the musical are, in fact, the repetitive and didactic parts. Instead of quickly dealing with a point, we get, over and over, a character stopping the action dead to sing about her hopes or feelings.