Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw
Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw
List: $6.75 | Sale: $4.73
Club: $3.37

Pygmalion
A brand new BBC Radio 4 drama plus the story of the play's scandalous opening night

Author: Bernard Shaw, Alistair McGowan

Narrator: Al Murray, Morgana Robinson, Full Cast, Siân Phillips, Alistair McGowan

Unabridged: 2 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/02/2018

Categories: Fiction, Classic


Synopsis

A star-studded BBC radio production of Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion – plus bonus drama The ‘B’ Word, telling the story of the play’s scandalous opening night.

Irascible phonetics professor Henry Higgins makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can train Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle to talk ‘like a lady’ and pass as a duchess at the Ambassador’s Ball. As the day of reckoning approaches, can Eliza convince the assembled aristocrats that she’s one of them? And what will become of her afterwards?

This effervescent radio version of Shaw’s classic comedy features a stellar cast, including award-winning comedians Alistair McGowan as Henry Higgins, Morgana Robinson as Eliza Doolittle and Al Murray as Alfred Doolittle.

Also featured on this release is The ‘B’ Word, written by and starring Alistair McGowan as Bernard Shaw. Centring on the shocking opening night of Pygmalion – the first time that the word ‘bloody' was used on the British stage – it also explores the passionate love-hate relationship between Shaw; his leading man, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and his leading lady, Mrs Patrick Campbell, who played the 19-year-old Eliza Doolittle at the age of 49.

Cast and credits

Pygmalion
Henry Higgins……………………Alistair McGowan
Eliza Doolittle……………………Morgana Robinson
Alfred Doolittle……………………Al Murray
Colonel Pickering……………………Hugh Fraser
Mrs Higgins……………………Siân Phillips
Mrs Pearce/Maid……………………Charlotte Page
Mrs Eynsford-Hill……………………Georgie Glen
Clara Eynsford-Hill……………………Maeve Bluebell Wells
Freddy Eynsford-Hill.....……………………Tom Forrister
Nepommuck……………………David Sturzaker
Ambassador……………………John Dougall
Ambassador's wife……………………Sarah Ridgeway
Bystander……………………David Sterne
Written by Bernard Shaw
Produced and directed by Emma Harding

The ‘B’ Word
Bernard Shaw……………………Alistair McGowan
George Alexander……………………David Sturzaker
Mrs Patrick Campbell.....……………………Charlotte Page
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree……………………Richard McCabe
Charlotte Shaw……………………Georgie Glen
Merivale……………………Philip Fox
Gurney/Fishman……………………Simon Ludders
Bell……………………Charlie Clements
Maid……………………Sarah Ridgeway
Written by Alistair McGowan
Produced and directed by Emma Harding

Reviews

Goodreads review by Federico on June 21, 2023

Ah-ah-ah-ow-ow-oo! Exceptional linguist Professor Henry Higgins meets gentleman Colonel Pickering and they whimsically set on crazy bet to pass off Eliza, a low class street flower girl, as a respectable royal lady of the high society. Little do they know Eliza has a few talents of her own. This wa......more

Goodreads review by Dave on March 31, 2012

This is fun to read out loud in crazy English accents while stomping around your apartment. The neighbors might not like it but screw 'em.......more

Goodreads review by Meghhnaa on September 28, 2022

Pygmalion is a verbose, satirical, romantic play, distributed over 5 Acts, with no scenes! The play opens with the following preparatory lines- “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him. German and Spanish are accessible to foreigne......more

Goodreads review by Candi on May 03, 2019

3.5 stars "… you have no idea how frightfully interesting it is to take a human being and change her into a quite different human being by creating a new speech for her. It's filling up the deepest gulf that separates class from class and soul from soul." Even if you are not already familiar with Geor......more