Irish Theater Review: My Fair Lady In Concert at the Irish Rep Gala

Supporters of New York's Irish Repertory Theatre were treated to a splendid evening of outstanding Lerner and Loewe songs as part of the 26th Annual Gala Benefit, featuring My Fair Lady in Concert, at The Town Hall on Monday, June 8.

The performers included an orchestra under the direction of John Bell, a chorus, and well-known stars of theater, film, and television.

The show was directed and narrated by the delightful duo of Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O'Reilly. Setting the proper mood for the evening, O'Reilly began the festivities with one of his now-mandatory "nun" jokes. Neither he nor the rest of the performance disappointed.

Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore at Irish Rep's 2026 Gala. (James Higgins)

The annual celebration honors outstanding individual contributions while recognizing the company's successes over the past season. Several of those successes — "The Honey Trap," "Making a Show of Myself," and "Ulster American" — have been reviewed here in IrishCentral. Of particular note, after making its American debut at the Irish Rep, "Ulster American" will make its Irish debut this summer at Dublin's Abbey Theatre, with Matthew Broderick reprising his New York role.

This year's recipient of the Visionary Leadership Award was Melissa Vogel Brown, a founder and driving force behind the success of the Irish Rep. A video tribute to her life as the daughter of actors offered a heartfelt, funny, and insightful look at her tremendous contributions to the theater. It was a grand way to begin the evening.

In her remarks, Brown thanked the Board of Directors for the honor and spoke eloquently about the importance of live theater, explaining that it involves the audience far more intimately than other art forms. Audience reactions immediately inform the performers, allowing actors to adjust and respond in the moment. Without the audience, she observed, theater would simply be "rehearsal." The film version of "My Fair Lady," for example, could have been shown instead of a live performance, but it almost certainly would not have inspired the joyous, spontaneous applause and cheers that greeted so many of the evening's musical numbers.

Ciarán O'Reilly, honoree Melissa Vogel Brown, and Charlotte Moore at Irish Rep's 2026 Gala. (James Higgins)

Following the familiar storyline of "My Fair Lady," projected images and text guided the audience through the scenes — from the streets of London to Higgins's study and the Ascot races — while also identifying the performers in each segment.

The truly outstanding cast shared the principal roles throughout the evening. Taking turns as Professor Henry Higgins, Lou Diamond Phillips opened with "Why Can't the English?," followed by Robert Cuccioli with "I'm an Ordinary Man," and Laird Mackintosh, who joined in the duet "The Rain in Spain," with the succession of songs and performers continuing throughout the night.

Robert Cuccioli at Irish Rep's 2026 Gala. (James Higgins)

The role of Eliza Doolittle was also shared by several performers. Whitney Bashor sang "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?"; Lencia Kebede performed "Just You Wait"; Shereen Ahmed sang both "The Rain in Spain" and "I Could Have Danced All Night"; Julie Benko delivered "Show Me!"; and Melissa Errico brought the role to a moving close with "Without You." And those were only the performers portraying the two leading roles.

Lencia Kebede at Irish Rep's 2026 Gala. (James Higgins)

Other standout performances included Michael Maliakel's stirring rendition of "On the Street Where You Live" and his duet with Julie Benko on "Show Me!" Equally memorable, though in an entirely different vein, was Norbert Leo Butz's raucous performance of "Get Me to the Church on Time," which had the delighted audience stomping their feet, clapping their hands, and spontaneously singing along.

Michael Maliakel at Irish Rep's 2026 Gala. (James Higgins)

Not to be outdone by his colleagues, F. Murray Abraham — not known primarily as a singer, though he does have a Carnegie Hall recital to his credit — offered his rendition of Henry Higgins's finale, "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." He closed the show with what may have been an ad-libbed line that became the biggest laugh of the evening: "Eliza, where are my f--king slippers?" It perfectly capped the fun-filled performance.