In 2016, Dame Julie Andrews’ acclaimed recreation of the legendary 1956 Broadway production of My Fair Lady – in which she famously played Eliza Doolittle opposite Rex Harrison’s Henry Higgins – broke box office records at the Sydney Opera House, toured nationally and then made a triumphant return to Sydney.

Ten years on, the production – now celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Broadway premiere– is being revived by Opera Australia and John Frost under director Karen Johnson Mortimer.

Claire Lyon and Nathaniel Parker in My Fair Lady. Photo © Jeff Busby

Lerner & Loewe’s much-loved, acerbically witty musical is based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion about a professor of phonetics who bets he can make a Covent Garden flower seller, with a caterwauling cockney accent, pass as an aristocrat by teaching her to speak beautifully.

The old-fashioned but sumptuous staging suits the show, which clearly comes from another era but is so well written with such glorious songs that it still delights, despite some misogynistic content that might now raise eyebrows.

Oliver Smith’s original handsome sets have been recreated, with some of the backdrops reworked as architectural pieces to give the staging more three-dimensional depth, while Cecil Beaton’s costuming is as exquisite as ever, with the iconic Ascot scene drawing a round of applause.

Some of the performers from 2016 have also returned, though this time around British actor Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Maigret) steps into Henry Higgins’ tweeds, while Australian soprano Claire Lyon plays Eliza.

It’s Parker’s first big musical and he gives a warm, moving performance as Professor Higgins. He tosses off Higgins’ sometimes cruel comic barbs with effortless ease, yet manages to maintain an eminently likeable quality, despite the character being selfishly oblivious to Eliza’s feelings.

The Ascot scene in My Fair Lady. Photo © Jeff Busby

Mining Lerner’s brilliant book and lyrics, and drawing on emotional undertones, he convinces as a man who is unsure of how to relate to women and struggles to articulate his feelings.

Parker’s singing might be slightly tentative at times, but his rendition of I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face is incredibly touching.

Lyon shines as Eliza. While her acting still needs time to settle, she exudes a radiant presence and her singing is gorgeous, with I Could Have Danced All Night one of the musical highlights.

Returning to the role of Eliza’s father, the rascally, mischievously philosophical Alfred P. Doolittle, Reg Livermore is wonderfully funny as Doolittle, playing him as a lovable, charming rogue in a brilliantly crafted performance.

Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Robyn Nevin and David Whitney also reprise the roles they played in 2016. As Colonel Pickering, Llewellyn-Jones is the perfect comic foil to Parker’s Higgins, bringing dignity and kindliness to the character. Nevin is utterly perfect as the formidable yet open-minded Mrs Higgins, nailing every line with aplomb, while Whitney delivers an amusing cameo as the obsequious Zoltan Karpathy, who pronounces that Eliza is a royal princess.

Reg Livermore as Alfred P. Doolitle and cast members of My Fair Lady. Photo © Jeff Busby

Anne Wood gives a nicely poised performance as Higgins’ housekeeper Mrs Pearce, Freddy Hellier is an amiable Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and the ensemble is excellent.

Though the playing of the music lacks a little lushness at times, it’s wonderful to hear Loewe’s gloriously melodic score performed by a 32-piece orchestra (drawn from members of the Opera Australia Orchestra), under the baton of Musical Director David Young.

Meanwhile, Christopher Gattelli’s choreography bursts into joyous life in scenes such as Get Me To The Church On Times.

My Fair Lady is a classic musical for good reason, and this beautifully staged, well-cast production is mostly “abso-bloomin’-lutely loverly”.

My Fair Lady plays at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House until 31 October, then at the Ian Potter State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, 14 November – 17 January. More information here.