Producers Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live have confirmed Lyon will lead the cast of the much-loved musical, which will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in September before opening at Arts Centre Melbourne in November.
The production is based on Julie Andrews’ 2016 staging of My Fair Lady, which was created for Opera Australia’s 60th anniversary production of the musical and drew a direct line between the Australian season and Andrews’ own history with the role. Andrews famously created the role of Eliza Doolittle in the original Broadway production in 1956.
Andrews has welcomed Lyon to the production, saying: “I am delighted to welcome Claire to this production of My Fair Lady. I send warm wishes to her and know she will make a superb contribution to this beautiful musical.”
For Lyon, the casting has a particular symmetry. She made her professional debut in the ensemble of Opera Australia’s 2008 production of My Fair Lady, and now returns to the work in one of musical theatre’s defining roles.
“Being cast as Eliza in Julie Andrews’ production of My Fair Lady is really beyond words,” Lyon said. “It is one of the biggest female roles ever written and to be stepping into Julie’s shoes, so to speak, is a huge honour. There is no bigger icon than Julie Andrews!”
“On top of this, it feels quite serendipitous that it was this very musical where I made my professional debut in the ensemble, in Opera Australia’s 2008 production. I feel like I’m ‘coming home’. I am so excited and can’t wait to step into the rehearsal room and onto the Sydney Opera House stage this September!”
Lyon is best known to many Australian audiences for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in the world tour of The Phantom of the Opera. A soprano, actress and recording artist, she has worked across opera, operetta and musical theatre, with a career that has moved between principal roles, concert appearances and major touring productions.
As a principal artist with Opera Australia, Lyon has performed at both the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne, with roles including Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes, Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro and Ida in Die Fledermaus. Her other leading roles include Miss Dorothy Brown in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and Claire in Jerry’s Girls, all with The Production Company, as well as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore for Melbourne Opera Company.
She has also appeared as Musetta in La Bohème for the City of Stonnington’s Opera in the Park, and as Cinderella in West Australian Opera’s 2023 production of Into the Woods. Her national touring credits include Love Never Dies and the 2008 Opera Australia production of My Fair Lady. She has toured internationally as a guest artist with Josh Groban on his Stages world tour, and has appeared as a soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian National Boys Choir.
Lyon joins a cast that brings together emerging performers, established musical theatre artists and several Australian stage figures returning to the musical.
Reg Livermore will return as Alfred P. Doolittle, alongside Robyn Nevin as Mrs Higgins and Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Colonel Hugh Pickering. Anne Wood will play Mrs Pearce, while Freddy Hellier will make his mainstage musical theatre debut as Freddy Eynsford-Hill.
The ensemble includes Anton Berezin, Eleanor Blythman, Devon Braithwaite, Rachel Cole, Natasha Dumlao, Blake Erickson, Peter Ho, Anthony Garcia, Matt Heyward, Tisha R. Kelemen, Genevieve Kingsford, Naomi Livingston, Madeleine Mackenzie, Kassie Martin, Mary McCorry, Julia McRae, Oscar Mulcahy, Tom New, Lachlan O’Brien, Morgan Palmer, Matthew Predny, Suzanne Steele, Natasha Veselinovic and Sam Ward. Swings include Andrew Broadbent, Deborah Caddy, Ellie Nunan and David Sirianni.
Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady remains one of the major works of the musical theatre repertoire. Its score includes Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?, I Could Have Danced All Night, On The Street Where You Live, Get Me To The Church On Time and The Rain In Spain.
The 70th Anniversary Australian season of My Fair Lady opens at the Sydney Opera House in September, followed by a Melbourne season at Arts Centre Melbourne from November.