Producers Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live today announced that Olivier Award winner Nathaniel Parker will star as Professor Henry Higgins in the upcoming 70thAnniversary season of the much-loved musical My Fair Lady.
Image: Matt Crockett
Best known to Australian audiences for his roles in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Agravaine de Bois in Merlin, Nathaniel won an Olivier Award and was nominated for a Tony for his performance as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies and was again Olivier nominated for The Mirror and the Light. Nathaniel’s appointment completes the casting for the highly-anticipated musical.
“My Fair Lady is an iconic film that seems to become more relevant by the year. I feel like a kid in a candy store. It’s just a dream come true. I remember when I got the part of Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice opposite Dustin Hoffman back in the mists of time, thinking that I was the luckiest 29 year old actor around – and this job makes me the luckiest “coughsplutter year old” around!” said Nathaniel Parker.
Nathaniel trained at L.A.M.D.A. and the National Youth Theatre. His extensive theatre credits include productions for the RSC including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Every Man in his Humour, Richard II, The Rover, The Storm and The Winter’s Tale.
Other theatre credits include Romeo & Juliet (Young Vic), The Merchant of Venice; 50 Revolutions; Speed-The-Plow; The Audience; This House, An Ideal Husband; Operation Epsilon; Rock ‘N’ Roll; Separate Tables; The Browning Version and Ragdoll.
On screen he appeared in The Last Duel as Sir Robert de Thibouville, directed by Ridley Scott as well as Haunted Mansion; Stardust; Flawless; Into Thin Air; Beverly Hills Ninja; The Bodyguard; Othello and War Requiem.
Based on Julie Andrews’ 2016 production, My Fair Lady will feature renowned Australian soprano Claire Lyon as Eliza Doolittle and will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in September before a season at Arts Centre Melbourne opening in November.
Nathaniel and Claire will join previously announced cast members who include a mix of some of Australia’s best new emerging performers and established musical theatre favourites, as well as Australian theatre icons making their return to this beloved musical.
Leading cast members returning to their highly acclaimed roles include Reg Livermore as Alfred P. Doolittle, Robyn Nevin as Mrs Higgins and Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Colonel Hugh Pickering.
Much-loved performer Anne Wood will play the role of Mrs Pearce, David Whitney reprises his role of Karpathy and Freddy Hellier will make his mainstage musical theatre debut as Freddy Eynsford-Hill.
The Ensemble cast 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.
A heartwarming story of identity and change, My Fair Lady brims with razor sharp wit, unforgettable characters, and a stunning score including ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’, ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ and ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’.
When Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe premiered their brilliant adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalionin 1956, it became an instant classic — hailed as “the perfect musical” and winning six Tony Awards,
A 20-year-old Julie Andrews was catapulted to superstardom when she originated the role of Eliza Doolittle, going on to win a New York Drama Critics Award and a Tony Award nomination for her performance. Ms Andrews has been a beloved and much-honoured star of stage, screen and television for more than half a century.
This production, originally directed by Julie Andrews, broke box office records when it premiered at the Sydney Opera House for its 60th anniversary in 2016.
Opera Australia and John Frost for Crossroads Live present My Fair Lady
Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre from September 2026
Arts Centre Melbourne, Ian Potter State Theatre from November 2026
Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion
Based on the 2016 production by Julie Andrews
Directed by Karen Johnson Mortimer
