Birmingham Hippodrome have announced that opera superstar Lesley Garrett will be playing the role of Mrs Pearce in Lerner & Loewe’s critically acclaimed My Fair Lady when it comes to the city next year.

Lesley is Britain’s best-known soprano, regularly appearing in opera, musical theatre, concert, on television and CD. For more than 30 years she has enjoyed one of the most successful and idiosyncratic careers of any modern-day, classically trained soprano, winning both critical acclaim and the affection of many fans and music lovers through the breadth and diversity of her work. Internationally Lesley has performed throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea.

Lesley will be joining a stellar cast which includes Michael D. Xavier as Henry Higgins, Charlotte Kennedy as Eliza Doolittle, Adam Woodyatt as Alfred P. Doolittle, Heather Jackson as Mrs Higgins, John Middleton as Colonel Pickering and Tom Liggins as Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

They are joined by Dammi Aregbeshola, Bernadette Bangura, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, Jamie Cruttenden, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Barry Drummond,  Bethany Huckle, Emma Johnson, Sinead Kenny, Jenny Legg, Rebekah Lowings, Carl Patrick, Tom Ping, Dominique Planter, Joseph Poulton, John Stacey, Joshua Steel, Oliver Tester, Adam Vaughan, Annie Wensak and Paul Westwood as the ensemble.

My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed?

With a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady boasts a score including the classic songs “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”

My Fair Lady plays at Birmingham Hippodrome from Wednesday 8 March – Sunday 19 March 2023. Tickets are on sale now at birminghamhippodrome.com