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April 29
Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittl
1958: My Fair Lady dazzles London
England have
The Broadway musical My Fair Lady has opened for its first night in London,
to a rapturous reception.
The event, at the Drury Lane theatre, was star-studded: Ingrid Bergman,
Dirk Bogarde, Terence Rattigan and John Strachey were among those who arrived at
the theatre to be greeted with cheers and applause by a crowd of several hundred
lining the street.
The show has also attracted the attention of ticket touts for the first
time in the West End. Black-market tickets were selling for almost five times
their original prices. There were several incidents between police and touts
before the show, and two men were later arrested and charged.
"I"m happier in the part in." LondonRex Harrison said.
The show kept much of its original Broadway cast, with Rex Harrison as
Professor Higgins, and Julie Andrews playing Eliza Doolittle. From the moment
the curtain went up to reveal the opening scene, at St Paul"s Church outside
Covent Garden, the applause was thunderous.
Mr Harrison, who has played Professor Higgins for the last two years in New
York, admitted he was nervous before his first performance in front of a London
audience.
But, he said, he was glad to be back in London. "I"m happier in the part in
London," he said, "for I am home, and Drury Lane is a glorious theatre to work
in."
Sold out
The excitement surrounding the transfer of the musical to London has been
intense. Advance ticket sales are estimated at over ?50,000, and the first month
is already sold out - with more expensive seats sold out until the end of the
year.
The London show is expected to match its Broadway version in breaking
records: the New York show has earned $7.3m in its two-year run, overtaking
South Pacific to become the second-highest grossing Broadway musical. Only
Oklahoma, which has made $9m ,is more popular.
The actors are now waiting nervously for the first reviews. But whatever
the critics think, the show"s popularity is already assured.
British taxpayers pay for Buckingham Palace - but have never seen
inside
1993: Queen to open Palace doors
Artificially 1969:
The
The public will be allowed inside Buckingham Palace for the first time this
summer .
Much of the Palace, including the Queen"s private apartments, will remain
closed, however, and the Queen herself will not be at home. The Palace will open
only during August and September, when she is at her Scottish residence,
Balmoral.
The National Heritage Secretary, Peter Brooke, said it was hoped that the
profits would pay for 70% of total cost of restoring Windsor Castle, damaged by
fire last November.
The Labour Opposition spokeswoman, Ann Clwyd, however, described the
proposals as a climbdown for Mr Brooke, who has until now said the government
would pay for repairs.
There has been widespread public opposition to the use of taxpayers" money
to fund the work, and an attempt to raise money through a public fund.
Priceless
The royal household hopes that about 400,000 visitors will come to
Buckingham Palace, much of it designed by John Nash for George IV, during the
eight weeks it will be open.
For the first time, the public will be able to see the State Apartments and
their priceless collections of paintings, furniture and porcelain.
The route of the tour has yet to be determined, but visitors are expected
to be allowed to see the main apartments, including the throne room, the state
dining room and the 155 ft (47m) long picture gallery.
They will also be able to look into the famous balcony on which newly-wed
royals traditionally kiss.
Security risks
There has been some criticism of the entry fee, which is higher than for
most other major London tourist attractions.
A Palace spokesman, however, described it as "reasonable" for seeing the
treasures of the royal collection.
There are also concerns over the security risks posed by opening the Palace
to visitors, as well as the effect of the huge increase in traffic along the
Mall outside.
The Palace will open each summer for five years, after which the scheme
will be reviewed.
Vocabulary:
rapturous: filled with great joy or rapture,ecstatic(兴高采烈的，欢天喜地的)
tout: 兜售商品者 |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:21:07