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Julie Andrews To Direct New ‘My Fair Lady,’ While Emily Blunt Is Determined To Put Her Own Spin On ‘Mary Poppins’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 03:12 PST, Sep 15, 2016

Julie Andrews, the multitalented veteran actress, is once again bringing her talent to the stage by directing My Fair Lady, the Lerner and Lowe musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. According to Playbill, the veteran actress, who had earlier played the lead role in the original version of the play, has now opted to take the director’s chair in the newer version at Sydney’s famous Opera House.

The 1956 version had Julie Andrews portraying Eliza Doolittle, the lead character, and she was paired opposite the legendary Rex Harrison, who played the strict Professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist who takes up the challenge of training an ordinary flower girl to become a classy socialite.

The original play was staged at the Broadway Theatre, and it became a huge hit, setting the record of becoming the longest-running musical in the history of theater. The musical has been revived multiple times, but the Gordon Frost organization’s latest production is unique, as it will be directed Julie Andrews herself, with the veteran actress bringing her decades of experience to the stage.

The extensive experience that Julie Andrews gained while working in the original production is quite evident in her directorial techniques, as she is clearly making the actors shine on the stage. In fact, Alex Jennings, the British actor who is reprising the role of Professor Higgins, has portrayed his character as perfectly as the late Rex Harrison under the direction of the veteran actress.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Julie Andrews’ brilliant direction is complemented by Guy Simpson’s music direction and especially by Richard Pilbrow’s lighting effects, which were described as a fitting tribute to Abe Feder, the legendary stage lighting designer who had provided the well-designed illumination for the original Broadway show.

Additionally, 32 musicians from the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra have made Frederick Loewe’s original score even more colorful. Choreographer Christopher Gattelli artistically directs his performers with graceful and energetic renditions of songs like “Ascot Gavotte” and “Get Me to the Church on Time” that were previously performed by Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the original play.

After establishing herself as a talented stage actress by featuring in plays like The Boy Friend, My Fair Lady, and Camelot, Julie Andrews ventured into the film industry by making her debut in Mary Poppins, Walt Disney’s 1964 fantasy comedy movie. Julie Andrews’s work was much appreciated, and she won the Academy Award in the Best Actress category for playing the lead role of Mary Poppins, the magical nanny who was created by P. L. Travers in 1934.

Although her character was based on P.L. Travers’s book series, Julie Andrews’ Mary Poppins deviates significantly from the original character found in the books. While the novel’s version describes Mary Poppins as eccentric and acerbic, Julie’s Mary Poppins was more loveable and full of life and energy.

Now, Disney is coming out with a sequel to the famous 1964 movie, and it will narrate a story that takes place 20 years after the events that were shown in the 1964 Mary Poppins. Titled Mary Poppins Returns, the upcoming sequel will feature Emily Blunt in the lead role that was originally immortalized by Julie Andrews.

Despite the excitement surrounding the revival of Mary Poppins, Emily Blunt admits that it will be difficult for her to reach the benchmark that was set by Julie Andrews when she played the role in the 1964 movie. Additionally, the Edge of Tomorrow actress has expressed her worry at portraying the iconic character in the same unique way that Julie Andrew did: as infinitely cheerful while also being strict and tough.

According to Time magazine, Emily Blunt spoke about how difficult it is for any actress even to come close to replicating Julie Andrew’s remarkable work as an actress.

“There’s nobody who can outdo Julie Andrews. I just realize I have to do something different, and it’ll just have to be my take.”

[Featured Image by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images]

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