No Fair! Oscar winner Anne Hathaway will not make her Broadway debut as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady as previously speculated—and Oscar winner Colin Firth won’t play her Henry Higgins, according to The New York Post. The stars reportedly could only commit to too-short six-month contracts, so producers are still on the hunt for the perfect cast. The new frontrunner for Higgins is Tony winner and Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes, which would be loverly, but no official casting has been announced. The production is aiming for a 2014 opening.
Directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher, the new Broadway revival will be produced by music mogul Clive Davis. Featuring music by Frederick Loewe and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, My Fair Lady premiered on Broadway March 15, 1956, starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and Harrison snagged a Best Actor trophy. My Fair Lady was last seen on Broadway in 1993, starring Melissa Errico and Richard Chamberlain. Cameron Mackintosh is currently planning a My Fair Lady film adaptation, and both Carey Mulligan and Hathaway have been rumored to be starring as the Cockney flower girl.
Fiennes won a Tony Award for playing the title role in Hamlet, and garnered an additional nomination for Faith Healer. His many film and TV credits include Skyfall, The Hurt Locker, Clash of the Titans and the Harry Potter films. He earned Oscar nods for his performances in The English Patient and Schindler's List.
But most importantly…Can Fiennes sing? Click below to hear the stage and screen star croon “I Love the Way You’re Breaking My Heart” with Susan Sarandon in the 2006 movie Bernard and Doris!