Loverly:The Life and Times of My Fair Lady (Broadway Legacies) by Dominic McHugh
Authors: Dominic McHugh
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“having the same manner for all human souls” (
PS
, 143). This presents rather a stark revelation of Higgins’s true character: a man with no respect for anyone. Such a portrayal helps tip the balance of the scene even more in Eliza’s favor, since he backs himself into a corner with his foolish words.
Eliza is generally much stronger in
PS
. For instance, originally she said to Higgins, “It would make no difference to you if I were there or not, and it’s cruel of you to pretend that it would” (2-5-31), yet the published text has her say instead, “But I can get along without you. Don’t think I can’t” (143). The original has Eliza describe her worth in terms of what she means to Higgins while the replacement has her declare her independence from him. The adjustment makes it necessary for Higgins to respond to this new statement: “You never wondered, I suppose, whether I could get along without you,” he asks her. But she replies that he will “have to,” and he immediately returns to his normal defiant stance: “And so I can. Without you or any soul on earth” (
PS
, 143). This makes the battle even more interesting, with Higgins acknowledging Eliza’s power and contemplating his dependence on her. She takes this to be emotional blackmail, yet in truth Higgins has let down his guardand spoken his true feelings for her—a rare example of romantic intensification in
PS
. Then again,
RS
has Eliza address something that is not dealt with in
PS
: “You can twist the heart in a girl as easy as some could twist her arms to hurt her. Mrs. Pearce warned me. Time and again she has wanted to leave you; and you always got around her at the last minute. And you don’t care a bit for her. And you don’t care a bit for me. I won’t care for anybody that doesn’t care for me” (
RS
, 2-5-31). Here, Lerner seems to have considered sketching a new aspect of Mrs. Pearce’s relationship with Higgins: we do not otherwise know that she has nearly left him several times, nor do we realize that Eliza and Mrs. Pearce are confidantes who have discussed the Professor’s behavior. This fact is not unimportant, since it explains why Mrs. Pearce is not surprised at Eliza’s bolting, as well as telling us why she did not prevent her from doing so.
Romance becomes a topic again in the next part of the scene. There was originally a series of lines about Freddy’s advances toward Eliza: Higgins “damns his impudence,” Eliza says that “he has a right to” love her, Higgins declares that she has “no right to encourage him,” but she responds that “Every girl has a right to be loved.” Higgins refers to him as a “fool,” yet Eliza says that “if he’s weak and poor and wants me, maybe he’d make me happier than my betters that bully me and don’t want me” (
RS
, 2-5-32). Notwithstanding the reference to marrying Freddy, this exchange unequivocally foregrounds the possible Higgins-Eliza romance. Higgins’s overt grumpiness at the idea of Eliza having a young, foolish lover shows his own desire for her, while Eliza’s suggestion that Freddy might make her happier than her “betters that bully” her again nominates Higgins as her potential lover. Yet the replacement for this exchange appears to make the union impossible. Higgins proclaims, “Oh, in short, you want me to be as infatuated about you as he is. Is that it?” (
PS
, 146), and Eliza explains in response that she entered into the experiment “not for the dresses and the taxis” but “because we were pleasant together” and because she “came to care” for him. She says that she did not want him to “make love” to her or “forget the difference” between them but to be more friendly.
In a final change, after Eliza has sung “Without You” and exits, Higgins’s response was modified:
RS
has him say, “Eliza has left me! For good,” while
PS
changes it to “She’s gone!” (
PS
, 150). Yet again, the modification moves the
PS
, 143). This presents rather a stark revelation of Higgins’s true character: a man with no respect for anyone. Such a portrayal helps tip the balance of the scene even more in Eliza’s favor, since he backs himself into a corner with his foolish words.
Eliza is generally much stronger in
PS
. For instance, originally she said to Higgins, “It would make no difference to you if I were there or not, and it’s cruel of you to pretend that it would” (2-5-31), yet the published text has her say instead, “But I can get along without you. Don’t think I can’t” (143). The original has Eliza describe her worth in terms of what she means to Higgins while the replacement has her declare her independence from him. The adjustment makes it necessary for Higgins to respond to this new statement: “You never wondered, I suppose, whether I could get along without you,” he asks her. But she replies that he will “have to,” and he immediately returns to his normal defiant stance: “And so I can. Without you or any soul on earth” (
PS
, 143). This makes the battle even more interesting, with Higgins acknowledging Eliza’s power and contemplating his dependence on her. She takes this to be emotional blackmail, yet in truth Higgins has let down his guardand spoken his true feelings for her—a rare example of romantic intensification in
PS
. Then again,
RS
has Eliza address something that is not dealt with in
PS
: “You can twist the heart in a girl as easy as some could twist her arms to hurt her. Mrs. Pearce warned me. Time and again she has wanted to leave you; and you always got around her at the last minute. And you don’t care a bit for her. And you don’t care a bit for me. I won’t care for anybody that doesn’t care for me” (
RS
, 2-5-31). Here, Lerner seems to have considered sketching a new aspect of Mrs. Pearce’s relationship with Higgins: we do not otherwise know that she has nearly left him several times, nor do we realize that Eliza and Mrs. Pearce are confidantes who have discussed the Professor’s behavior. This fact is not unimportant, since it explains why Mrs. Pearce is not surprised at Eliza’s bolting, as well as telling us why she did not prevent her from doing so.
Romance becomes a topic again in the next part of the scene. There was originally a series of lines about Freddy’s advances toward Eliza: Higgins “damns his impudence,” Eliza says that “he has a right to” love her, Higgins declares that she has “no right to encourage him,” but she responds that “Every girl has a right to be loved.” Higgins refers to him as a “fool,” yet Eliza says that “if he’s weak and poor and wants me, maybe he’d make me happier than my betters that bully me and don’t want me” (
RS
, 2-5-32). Notwithstanding the reference to marrying Freddy, this exchange unequivocally foregrounds the possible Higgins-Eliza romance. Higgins’s overt grumpiness at the idea of Eliza having a young, foolish lover shows his own desire for her, while Eliza’s suggestion that Freddy might make her happier than her “betters that bully” her again nominates Higgins as her potential lover. Yet the replacement for this exchange appears to make the union impossible. Higgins proclaims, “Oh, in short, you want me to be as infatuated about you as he is. Is that it?” (
PS
, 146), and Eliza explains in response that she entered into the experiment “not for the dresses and the taxis” but “because we were pleasant together” and because she “came to care” for him. She says that she did not want him to “make love” to her or “forget the difference” between them but to be more friendly.
In a final change, after Eliza has sung “Without You” and exits, Higgins’s response was modified:
RS
has him say, “Eliza has left me! For good,” while
PS
changes it to “She’s gone!” (
PS
, 150). Yet again, the modification moves the
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