Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:03pm
While some may think it should just be put to bed. Julie Andrews once again made comment about being open to a return to Broadway. (She had as well in 2019). Though this time she mentioned more directorial. I’m curious if it’s a sign of her being open to a return (… a little night music). Thoughts?
Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:23pm
Theatrefanboy1 said: "Though this time she mentioned more directorial."
I'm really not sure what you mean here.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:25pm
That interview seemed to put to bed any hope of her acting on Broadway again.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:27pm
Her vocal cords were damaged. What little singing voice she has, isn’t worth further damaging them by talk-singing 8 performances a week, which that alone is rigorous enough. Directing? That I could see. Performing? Eh, nope. Many older actors who continue to perform on stage never stopped, so their physical stamina is up to snuff. Andrews hasn’t performed on stage in decades. At her age it’s not just a matter of getting back on the bike/horse.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:29pm
Weren’t the terms of her lawsuit that she had to retire as a professional public singer? Assuming the surgeon she sued is still alive, even if she could sing she legally couldn’t do it professionally.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:31pm
darquegk said: "Weren’t the terms of her lawsuit that she had to retire as a professional public singer? Assuming the surgeon she sued is still alive, even if she could sing she legally couldn’t do it professionally."
1) No those were not the terms (and would not be legally enforceable).
2) It would be possible to do a play that does not involve singing.
3) She has no interest in performing on stage.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 4:59pm
darquegk said: "Weren’t the terms of her lawsuit that she had to retire as a professional public singer? Assuming the surgeon she sued is still alive, even if she could sing she legally couldn’t do it professionally."
Even if those had been the terms, her 2010 concert at the O2 would've broken them.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 5:15pm
Ke3 said: "darquegk said: "Weren’t the terms of her lawsuit that she had to retire as a professional public singer? Assuming the surgeon she sued is still alive, even if she could sing she legally couldn’t do it professionally."
Even if those had been the terms, her 2010 concert at the O2 would've broken them."
Thanks for mentioning this. She can sing, just not in her former range.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 5:21pm
Put Julie Andrews on a stage doing whatever she chooses, and an audience will follow. She is a beloved world treasure!
Posted: 6/9/22 at 5:40pm
I'm of two minds on this.
This discussion pops up a few times a year, and every time it does, people bring up her vocal chords as if it's an immediate deal-breaker for any Broadway return. And like, sure, it's definitely a relevant factor. But also, can we not forget about...plays? Surely there must be some play (or maybe one can be written for her) that would be worthy of her talents, while also not being especially demanding physically or vocally.
Also, any speculation about her potential stamina has to be taken with several grains of salt. We have seen several cases in recent years of actors in their 80s not only sustaining 8 shows a week, but even doing so after long absences from the stage. Glenda Jackson comes to mind, and to a lesser extent, Maggie Smith as well. Granted, not everyone has the same constitution as each other, but my point is we don't actually know what she's capable of.
On the other hand, I think the most telling fact in all of this, is that she simply HASN'T chosen to come do a play in all these years, even though I'm sure she's had many opportunities if she really wanted to. That, to me, is the most damning piece of evidence against her potential return to the stage. Am I still crossing my fingers and toes that it will still happen? Sure. But I'm not holding my breath.
If she wants to direct more, i hope she goes for it. But the prospect doesn't excite me nearly as much as the prospect of her returning to the stage herself.
Updated On: 6/9/22 at 05:40 PM
Posted: 6/9/22 at 5:47pm
I recall she directed a production of My Fair Lady a few years ago in Sydney.
Hopefully she will direct more if that’s what she enjoys doing nowadays!
Posted: 6/9/22 at 5:51pm
She seems very content now doing voice work, writing and the occasional directing gig. I’m sure she’s received hundreds of offers over the years and would have returned to the stage if she had any desire, which she doesn’t appear to have.
Posted: 6/9/22 at 5:59pm
BrodyFosse123 said: "Her vocal cords were damaged. What little singing voice she has, isn’t worth further damaging them by talk-singing 8 performances a week, which that alone is rigorous enough. Directing? That I could see. Performing? Eh, nope. Many older actors who continue to perform on stage never stopped, so their physical stamina is up to snuff. Andrews hasn’t performed on stage in decades. At her age it’s not just a matter of getting back on the bike/horse."
She could return in non-singing roles. She'll be miked, like everyone these days. Directing may sound more possible, but who's going to put a Broadway production into the hands of someone with little directorial experience (has she done anything other than that one revival of The Boy Friend)?
Posted: 6/9/22 at 6:07pm
Julie Andrews has had so many offers to come to Broadway over the years –– plays, musicals, evenings of storytelling, etc. –– and she has turned down every one.
She's 86, and I have sadly made peace with the fact that I will never see her act on stage.
iirc, the MY FAIR LADY she directed in Sydney was passed over for Broadway by the L&L estate in favor of Sher/LCT's pitch. I've never seen a production that she directed so I don't know her talent level in that department, but I have to imagine some producers might be a little skeptical, especially if it were a big-budget musical. "Directed by Julie Andrews" might get you some press, but it doesn't sell tickets to the masses. I recall Streisand's agents have also sought out stage projects that she might direct over the years; I'll believe it when it starts previews.
