Chichester Festival Theatre has scheduled a new production of My Fair Lady for its 2026 season, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. The revival brings a fresh staging of the classic musical, spotlighting Eliza Doolittle’s transformation under Professor Higgins.

My Fair Lady will run at Chichester Festival Theatre’s Festival Theatre from 6 July to 5 September 2026, with a press night on 15 July. The production is part of the venue’s season opening in April and includes both dementia-friendly and relaxed performances on 29 July and 1 September respectively.

Based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion and the 1964 film adaptation, the musical features a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. It follows Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle who aspires to be taken seriously beyond her accent, challenged when phonetics professor Henry Higgins bets he can transform her speech and manners.

The score of the production includes familiar songs such as “The Rain in Spain”, “I Could Have Danced All Night”, “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”. Originally premiering on Broadway in 1956, this timeless musical has become an enduring favourite in theatre repertoires worldwide.

Rachel Kavanaugh, who previously directed The Music Man, Shadowlands and Half a Sixpence at Chichester, leads the new staging. The creative team also features Peter McKintosh on sets and costumes, Stephen Mear as choreographer, Stephen Ridley as musical supervisor, Cat Beveridge as musical director, Howard Harrison on lighting, Ian Dickinson on sound, and Stuart Burt as casting director.

Casting details for the production are yet to be announced. The announcement forms part of Chichester Festival Theatre’s full 2026 season reveal, underlining its continued commitment to classic musical theatre presented with contemporary flair.

The inclusion of dementia-friendly and relaxed performances reflects a growing emphasis on accessibility in theatre, broadening audience reach for both established and new productions.