"My Fair Lady" enchants at San Francisco Playhouse
Why it matters: The theater company is ending on a crowd favorite for the last show of the 2025 season. Devotees of the 1964 Audrey Hepburn film won't be disappointed.
State of play: The musical's leads are all standouts. Adam Magill is a triumph as Henry Higgins and Jillian A. Smith brings a soaring voice and beautiful fragility as Eliza Dolittle.
Don't sleep on the supporting cast — I could've watched Heather Orth deliver the withering glances of Henry Higgins' housekeeper Mrs. Pearce all night.
Between the lines: Both the film and musical run for nearly three hours, but the Playhouse production is as well-paced as an Ascot race horse.
The show hews closely to the film in keeping many beloved set pieces — such as the masterfully choreographed street-sweeper dance sequences and famous race scene, complete with elaborate monochrome costumes.
My thought bubble: As an Aussie in America, I've heard my fair share of mangled Commonwealth accents onstage. But the cast largely passed the test of capturing London's varied accents, thanks to the production's dialect coaches. I was especially impressed by Eliza's elocutionary glow-up by Act II.
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Common pilates act that everyone is guilty of doing at some point
An Aussie pilates instructor has called out an all-too-common exercise act that most of us are guilty of. Adelle Petropoulos, 30, teaches pilates full time and does four classes a week. After a recent class, the Melbourne woman took to TikTok to rant about something she sees in the studio all the time. 'If this ever happens in your pilates class, just stop moving. You've done your class, everyone's worked their little tushies off. The instructor put on harmonious music,' she said. 'Find your quiet, still space — that is not instructions for you to get up, take your straps off, and start cleaning your reformer.' She said all that can be heard throughout the quiet time at the end of the class are the sounds of cleaning spray and noisy personal items being bundled up. Petropoulos advised people to either leave before the quiet music or not come to the class at all, as it interrupts others who choose to stay. 4 An Aussie pilates instructor has called out an all-too-common exercise act that most of us are guilty of. photology1971 – Speaking to Petropoulos said that as an instructor, her job is to create the best 45-minute experience for every person in the room. 'When people start packing up before class ends, it disrupts that shared energy. It sends a message — intentionally or not — that the last few minutes don't matter, when in fact, they're often the most important: the wind-down, the breath work, the integration. Those moments are where the magic happens,' she told 'It's not just about etiquette, it's about respect — for the practice, the instructor, and most importantly, for the people around you who are still trying to be present. Everyone deserves that full experience.' 4 Adelle Petropoulos advised people to either leave before the quiet music or not come to the class at all, as it interrupts others who choose to stay. tiktok/@adellepetros She said she understood that most people didn't mean any harm by it, as they're just busy, but it can be incredibly 'disruptive' and 'pulls others out of the moment.' Petropoulos said most people agreed with what she said in the social media rant. Another action, from her perspective, that causes similar issues is using your phone in class. She mentioned that most people come in with great energy and respect for the space. 'Just a reminder that we're all human — no one's perfect! But if we can all stay present, support each other, and treat the space with care, it makes a huge difference. Pilates is about more than movement — it's a shared community-led experience, and when we all show up fully, the energy in the room becomes something really special,' Petropoulos said. Simon Ngo, from Flow Athletic, described Petropoulos' video as 'spot on and accurate.' He said while leaving during the cool down portion of the class at Flow Athletic, due to the relative intensity of the classes, it is quite rare it seems to be a fairly common occurrence in pilates in general. 4 'When people start packing up before class ends, it disrupts that shared energy. It sends a message — intentionally or not — that the last few minutes don't matter, when in fact, they're often the most important: the wind-down, the breath work, the integration. Those moments are where the magic happens,' she said. tiktok/@adellepetros 'I just feel like it's a 'what a shame' moment. It's as though you've gone to the effort of checking out the dessert menu but not ordered anything,' he said. 'Or more accurately, like you've ordered the dessert, it's arrived and you've decided to leave.' He said people should stick around for that part of the class, as it's part of it for a reason. 'If you don't start a class without a warm-up, why would you not finish with a cool down?' he said. 4 'It's not just about etiquette, it's about respect — for the practice, the instructor, and most importantly, for the people around you who are still trying to be present. Everyone deserves that full experience,' she continued. Somkiat – 'Otherwise, a class would have been advertised 5 minutes shorter. Plus, your instructors probably would have gone above and beyond to plan these Zen closing-out moments. 'As much as people are time poor and, rather because of it, these few minutes of slowing down and reconnecting with ourselves are the stress-buster and self-care everyone needs in these of world of being busy today.' He said in 2025, securing a spot in a pilates class almost rivals getting into the housing market so if you land a spot, 'stay for the full experience.'
Vogue
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The Highly Collectible Book Valentino, A Grand Italian Epic Has Been Reissued—Giancarlo Giammetti Takes Us Through Its Pages
Couture. Spring-Summer 1969. Ample white organdy tunic embellished with five volants. Audrey Hepburn. Photo Vogue Italia, 1969. © Gian Paolo Barbieri They are indeed. In the hilarious, affectionate tease of a poem Meryl Streep wrote for an award she gave the designer, she lovingly chides Mr. Garavani for claiming he won't dress girls from 'streep malls.' 'But my feelings weren't hurt in the least,' she says. And in an essay recalling an advertising campaign he shot for the designer in 1985, the eternal waspish wit Rupert Everett, writes, 'Valentino's eyes were pale and profound, and surveyed us from inside his physical form like a lady in purdah regards the world through a crack in the palace wall.' (The actor recalls he behaved like a diva on set, and was subsequently barred from a glam, A-List gathering in Gstaad, but was eventually warmly welcomed back into the Valentino fold.) And then there are the oral histories from friends—other designers, aristocrats of both European and Hollywood lineage, models, muses, and cultural types—like these bon mots from author Amy Fine Collins, who wryly observes: 'It is nearly as hard to envision fashion without the house of Valentino as it is difficult to picture the Vatican without the Pope.' The book is in part structured via decades of the designer's life and work, so there is plenty of amazing fashion in here: The all-white collection of 1968, which every designer at the house of Valentino since the founder's departure has riffed on; red dress after red dress, one more spectacular than the other; and decades worth of haute couture, rephotographed in forensic detail, the better to see the craftsmanship. (As Hamish Bowles points out, what set Valentino's couture apart was that as much work went into the clothes actually worn by the house's clients as were on its runways.) What makes the book sing is the running of contemporary interviews and reviews which contextualize the fashion: the verbatim transcript of a lunch conversation with Valentino at Warhol's Factory in the 1970s: 'Why do you talk to him? He's not the star,' Valentino says at one point when attention turns away from him. Or from that same decade, a price-by-price breakdown comparing the cost of Valentino couture and the ready-to-wear, courtesy of The Miami Herald.
Yahoo
3 days ago
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Tennis world sends flood of messages amid lovely news for Sam Stosur and partner
Sam Stosur has announced the birth of her second child with partner Liz, sparking a flood of congratulatory messages for the Aussie tennis champion. Stosur took to Instagram on Wednesday night to announce the arrival of a baby girl called Emmeline Grace. "And beautiful chaos reigns once again," Stosur wrote alongside a photo of the new bub. "Evie is beyond happy to have a little sister and we are over the moon. We love you so much little Emmy." Aussie tennis great Rennae Stubbs led the well-wishes, writing: "Just another gorgeous baby girl for me to love endlessly! Emmy your Auntie Nae Nae can't wait to meet you!! Sam and Liz, I'm so happy for you both and Evie, you're going to be the best big sis ever! Love you all." Retired Russian tennis player Elena Vesnina wrote: "She is precious. Congratulations Sam!!!" While Aussie player Maddison Inglis commented: "So beautiful!!!! Can't wait to meet her." Fellow Aussie great Alicia Molik added: "Congrats Sam Liz and Evie." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samantha Stosur (@samstosur) Stosur and Astling had their first daughter Evie five years ago. On that occasion it was Astling who carried Evie, but this time around it was Stosur who gave birth to Emmy. Stosur is a legend of Australian tennis, famously winning the US Open singles title in 2011 when she beat Serena Williams on her home court. She reached World No.4 in singles that same year, and was World No.1 in doubles in 2006. She also won six grand slam titles in doubles - four in women's and two in mixed - including the Australian Open mixed title in 2005 and women's title in 2019. The 41-year-old is now the captain of Australia's Billie Jean King Cup team, helping mentor some of the country's best young talent. Sam Stosur's brave move after keeping relationship secret Stosur has been in a relationship with Astling since 2016, but she admitted she was initially too scared to go public because of what the reaction would be like. After she won the 'Spirit of Tennis' award at the Newcombe Medal ceremony in 2019, she realised she wanted to show her partner the proper recognition she deserved, but hadn't done so in her acceptance speech. 'I was in the car park at the end of the night and something just didn't feel right because I'd thanked all these people who were obviously very, very important to me, but not my partner,' she said at the time. 'And she is a huge part of what I've been able to do. And who I am now. "And that just didn't sit well with me. And I thought, 'Do you know what? Bugger this, I just want to thank her and I want to do this'. So that's why I put it on Instagram. As you get older and you're more mature and you reflect more on things and I thought, you know what, this is who I am.' RELATED: Tennis world explodes after Jannik Sinner makes stunning backflip Flood of support after tennis rocked by news about Wimbledon finalist Stosur ended up revealing her sexuality in a social media post at 3am. 'Once I stepped off stage I was like, 'What are you doing? You've just accepted this award, thanked all these people and the person who is really with you every single day, the person you have the most candid and open discussions with who you want to spend the rest of your life with, you can't mention them on stage?," she added. 'I was like, 'Nah, that's ridiculous, I don't want to do that anymore'. We were walking back to the car to come home and I said, 'I want to do this' and I think I hit send at 3am or something.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samantha Stosur (@samstosur)
