It began with a fanfare and certainly deserved one, as this latest production of My Fair Lady at Chichester’s Festival Theatre was simply sensational.

From the opening moment, with a stage filled with all-singing, all-dancing Cockney characters, to the understated romantic ending, it was an energetic, dazzling musical treat.

It introduced two future stars - Keziah Ibe, demonstrating a fine singing voice as shirking Edwardian flower seller Eliza Doolittle, and Hadley Fraser, her comic, athletic and sexy bullying tutor Professor Henry Higgins.

Misogynistic linguist Henry bets his friend Colonel Pickering - Tony Jayawardena, excellent in the part - that he can turn ‘guttersnipe’ Eliza into a society lady once he can teach her to speak perfect English.

It is a long process, not helped by Henry’s rants against women - aimed mostly at Eliza, who begins to break under his cruel tutorship.

Music by Frederick Loewe allowed an ensemble dressed as costermongers or lords and ladies to show their singing and dancing talents.

A big hit was Eliza’s neglectful father Alfred, played by brilliant scene-stealer Gary Milner, singing I’m Getting Married in the Morning, which had the audience on their feet cheering.

Costumes were lavish and Eliza was stunning when dressed for an Ascot Races scene and a society ball, where wealthy but shy Freddy Eynsford-Hill - a gentle performance by Ben Culleton - fell in love with her, haunting her while singing On the Street Where You Live.

Henry only realises when Eliza’s off with Freddy that he can’t live without her.

Director Rachel Kavanaugh ensured the comedy, dialogue and songs created a rich pattern of grinding poverty contrasting with a spoilt rich society where pronunciation condemned a person to one or lifted them to the other.

Credit also to musical supervisor Stephen Ridley, choreographer Stephen Mear, and Peter McKingtosh for the costumes and set.

My Fair Lady runs until September 5.

Sheila Checkley