Sarah-Louise Young: My five favourite Julie Andrews things
Julie Andrews wasn’t sugarcoated. She has some spice too. From snogging Carol Burnett to swearing like a marine, Julie definitely had a fun side. I love that she turned down both Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie for fear of being type cast and when her good friend Mike Nichols (who directed The Graduate) showed her his new car bumper sticker, which read, ‘Mary Poppins Is a Junkie,’ and dared her to take it off, she politely declined.
2. “Some people regard discipline as a chore, for me it’s a kind of order that sets me free to fly”
The woman worked hard. She started singing lessons at the age of 9, performed for the King at 13 and became the family’s main breadwinner before she left school. She even had her wisdom teeth out during My Fair Lady and was back at work the next day. It takes a lot of vocal stamina to keep up with her on the 18 songs we have chosen to include in Julie Madly Deeply, so respect to the lady!
3. “Do you want to see my boobies?”
Julie was always breaking the mould. The bearing of Ms Andrews’ assets in Blake Edwards’ 1981 film, S.O.B. shocked many fans, but it wasn’t the first time she went out on a limb to change people’s perception of her: it was Julie who approached Alfred Hitchock about Torn Curtain, and let’s not forget that country ‘n’ western duet with Johnny Cash.
4. “Someday, I’m going to lose my temper. I’ve never done it, and I’m determined”
Ever the proud lady. A lot of people were outraged when Audrey Hepburn was given the part of Eliza Doolittle in the film of My Fair Lady after Julie created the role on stage. But did you know that Julie turned down a screen test for the part? After playing the role for over 3000 performances on Broadway and the West End, I guess she felt she had auditioned enough. Besides, an Oscar for Mary Poppins must have been a delightful sweetener.
5. “There’s a lot of life in the old girl yet”
Julie Andrews is more than just her singing voice. After an operation in 1997 left Julie unable to sing the way she used to, the world thought they had lost her forever. But this showbiz survivor went on to star in numerous blockbuster films including The Princess Diaries and Shrek and is a hugely successful children’s book writer. At nearly 80 years old, she is still very much in demand and we hope, that if she were ever to see our show, she would be delighted with what we have created: a cheeky yet affectionate love letter to a true showbiz survivor.
Sarah-Louise Young’s cabaret show Julie Madly Deeply plays daily at 14:55 at Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon Teviot until 26 August 2013, and then embarks on a UK-wide tour.
Speaking of My Favourite Things, come along to re-experience the musical that made Julie Andrews a star, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Charlotte Wakefield takes on the role of Maria in this enchanting new production at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. Click here for £35 tickets to our Whatsonstage.com Outing on 20 August – including FREE programme and FREE drink – or click here for tickets to all other dates.
