'My Fair Lady' takes Popejoy Halll audience on a transformational journey

Mar. 22—Just you wait.

In less than three hours, the cast of "My Fair Lady" takes audiences on a journey to another time.

The national tour kicked off its six-performance run at Popejoy Hall on Thursday night and it was simply magical.

The musical runs through Sunday, March 24.

"My Fair Lady" is one of the gold standards when it comes to theater.

It's managed to stand the test of time as playwright George Bernard Shaw realized the ramifications of a makeover better than anyone.

He understood that in England's rigid class society, a truly life-changing transformation could not be attained passively.

It required much more than improving one's apparel and appearance, though both of those were important.

Upward mobility, he believed, could only be achieved if one had the intelligence, tenacity, and commitment to learn how to speak "proper" English.

In his preface to "Pygmalion," the funny, wickedly insightful play from 1913, that inspired Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's beloved musical "My Fair Lady," Shaw made the claim that his work about a professor who transforms a Cockney flower girl into a lady was essentially about phonetics.

The 1964 classic film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison is a masterpiece in its own right.

Then you have the national tour, which is giving new life to a beloved musical.

One would be nervous to step into the shoes that Hepburn and Julie Andrews won over audiences bringing Eliza Doolittle to life.

Doolittle is the Cockney flower girl who is being turned into a lady — enough to pass for a Duchess.

During the national tour, Anette Barrios-Torres stepped into Doolittle's shoes and took charge.

Barrios-Torres grew up influenced by "My Fair Lady" and when she was cast as Doolittle, she knew that she would have to work hard to bring her own flair to the role.

"To play a character that is so close to me, it feels like a friend," she says. "I used to sing these songs since I was little. My mom even told me that this was a role I was destined for because Eliza's been a part of my life.

Barrios-Torres took the reins early in the musical and hit on all cylinders. From "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" to "With a Little Bit of Luck," it was apparent she was going to be on point the entire night.

Barrios-Torres sunk her teeth into every syllable, often making the audience chuckle.

She brought to life the genius of Doolittle, who never really compromises who she is and is proud of where she comes from.

It's a lesson that many could learn from.

While Barrios-Torres upped the ante from the start, the entire cast continued to rise to the occasion making it that much better.

Jonathan Grunert portrays Professor Henry Higgins, who is at the helm of Doolittle's transformation.

In the span of a few hours, the audience gets to see the many layers of Higgins. He's obviously educated and seems high brow, yet as the layers peel back throughout the musical, we see a softer side — one that Doolittle brings out.

Helping Higgins out with the transformation is Colonel Pickering, played by the amazing John Adkison.

Adkison brings a refreshing perspective to Pickering, who is also a linguistics scholar. He helps Higgins in peeling back the layers.

Many of the comedic scenes are when Barrios-Torres, Grunert and Adkison are on stage together. The chemistry among the three actors is top-shelf comedy.

The four actors are just a hint of the greatness seen on stage.

Maeghin Mueller as Mrs. Pearce holds her own with the comedic trio.

Nathan Haltiwagner as Freddy Eynsfoord-Hill, the man who has feelings for Doolittle knocks it out of the park with "On the Street Where You Live."

The night was chock-full of talent from the cast as everyone hit their marks.

The set quickly transformed from Higgins' study to Doolittle's hometown seamlessly.

There's a reason "My Fair Lady" has remained a classic for so long.

While the transformation of Doolittle is center stage, the overarching theme of said transformation makes its way through the cast of characters — which has the audience rooting for a happy ending.

One thing is for sure, the cast of "My Fair Lady" could have danced all night.