By Joseph Rana
“I was a rank beginner when I started My Fair Lady,” says cinema veteran, Dame Julie Andrews. It only took sixty years for the screen icon to come full circle. The legendary actress, best known for career defining roles in The Sound Of Music, Mary Poppins, and the force behind the upcoming Julie’s Greenroom and The Pink Panther animated series has been in Australia for the past few months directing a version of the iconic play, My Fair Lady. “I was in the show a very long time,” says Andrews. “I still hear cadences from that original show, and to be able to pass on some of the wisdom that was handed down to me, it’s a thrill and a joy and an honour to be a part of, and to direct this musical production,” she adds.
Julie Andrews is keen and excited to bring this clash of cultures to a live Australian audience, and hopes that the clever dialogues and unforgettable score featuring numbers like “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”, “On The Street Where You Live”, “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Get Me To The Church On Time” will win over the younger generation. “There was a sense of excitement about the show even then; so many people were talking about it. So many people were coming to see us out of town, but I don’t think anybody could have predicted the actual success that the show was.”
Julie Andrews has made Australia her second home, working meticulously to bring to life Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady. “This lovely show was and continues to be an amazing piece of Broadway theatre. It stems from the great golden age of Broadway, when the music was just so glorious,” says Andrews. “My Fair Lady was – I dare say, and I can say it now – I think the stand out show.”
My Fair Lady is playing now in Sydney. For all ticketing information, head to the official website.
