Julie Andrews to Tour Australia for the First Time
Julie Andrews, one of the most beloved stage and screen performers of all time, will visit Australia in May this year for the first time ever, Producers John Frost and Phil Bathols today (February 9, 2013) announced. She will appear on stage in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.
An Evening with Julie Andrews takes audiences on a journey through the life and career of one of the world’s most popular icons.
From her London stage debut at the age of 12 to her defining roles in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Victor/Victoria and The Princess Diaries, Julie Andrews' extraordinary life story will unfold in a frank and funny evening of personal memories and insights spanning six decades. This very special event will be hosted by Nicholas Hammond, the American-born Australian actor who played Friedrich von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music opposite Julie Andrews. (Pictured together in the film below).
Julie Andrews made her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend, and subsequent theatre credits include My Fair Lady (NY Drama Critics Award, Tony nomination), Camelot (Tony nomination) and Victor/Victoria. Once established as a Broadway star, Ms Andrews made her iconic film debut in Mary Poppins which earned her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. Her other film credits include The Sound of Music (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Darling Lili, 10, Victor/Victoria (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award), The Princess Diaries films, and most recently the Shrek films, Enchanted, The Tooth Fairy and Despicable Me.
Ms Andrews work on television began with her Emmy-nominated performance in Cinderella in 1957, followed by The Julie Andrews Hour (Emmy Award), Julie and Carol Specials (Emmy nomination), Sounds of Christmas (Emmy nomination), Eloise at the Plaza, Eloise at Christmastime and On Golden Pond. In addition to her stage and screen work, Ms. Andrews is an accomplished bestselling author and lauded philanthropist. She joined forces with her daughter to create the children’s book imprint, The Julie Andrews Collection which has released 27 books to date.
Julie Andrews has been a beloved and much-honored star of stage, screen, television and recordings for more than half a century. For the first time in Australia, don't miss this personal audience with the multi-award winning treasure of musical stage and screen.
* Please note that Ms Andrews’ Australian and New Zealand appearances feature a live “interview-style” retrospective of her career and does not feature live singing.
AN EVENING WITH JULIE ANDREWS
Accompanied by Special Guest Host Nicholas Hammond
BRISBANE
Venue: Concert Hall, QPAC
Date: Saturday 18 May
Time: 7.30pm
Price: From $95.00 (transaction fees apply)
Bookings: qpac.com.auor 136 246
PERTH
Venue: Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Date: Tuesday 21 May
Time: 8.00pm
Price: From $95.00 (transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ticketek.com.auor 132 849
SYDNEY
Venue: State Theatre, Sydney
Date: Friday 24 May
Time: 8.00pm
Price: From $95.00 (transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.auor 1300 139 588
ADELAIDE
Venue: Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Date: Tuesday 28 May
Time: 8.00pm
Price: From $95.00 (transaction fees apply)
Bookings: bass.net.auor 131 246
MELBOURNE
Venue: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
Date: Friday 31 May
Time: 8.00pm
Price: From $95.00 (transaction fees apply)
Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.auor 1300 182 183
or ticketmaster.com.auor 1300 136 166
VIP and Premium Packages for all venues: showbiz.com.au or 1300 4 SHOWS
Video of Julie Andrews' Media Call
Julie Andrews' Biography
Julie Andrews has been a beloved and much-honoured star of stage, screen and television for more than half a century. She was already a Broadway legend when she made her feature film debut in 1964’s MaryPoppins. Andrews’ iconic performance in the title role of the magical nanny brought her an AcademyAward®, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. The following year, she earned a second Oscar® nominationand won another Golden Globe Award for her unforgettable portrayal of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound ofMusic. She received her third Academy Award® nomination and won another Golden Globe Award for her“dual” role in Victor/Victoria.
Today’s young film audiences may be more familiar with Andrews as a Queen trying to train her teenagedgranddaughter to be a princess in the hit films The Princess Diaries and its sequel The Princess Diaries 2:The Royal Engagement. Andrews also voiced the character of Queen Lillian in the blockbuster hits Shrek2 and Shrek the Third. More recently, she voiced the narration of the hugely successful Disney release ofEnchanted. In 2010, Ms Andrews added to her multi-generational appeal with the release of films – TheTooth Fairy, Shrek Goes Fourth and Despicable Me. Her earlier motion picture credits also include TheAmericanisation of Emily, Hawaii, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!, Darling Lili and 10, to name only a few.
Julie was born and raised in England, where she first came to fame as a young musical performer on stage and on radio. She was still in her teens when she made her way across the Atlantic and to Broadway, in her 1953 debut in the musical The Boy Friend. She went on to create the role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Loewe’s Broadway musical My Fair Lady, which became an instant classic and the longest-running musical of its day. Andrews also won a New York Drama Critics Award and garnered a Tony Award nomination for her performance. She received another Tony Award nomination in 1961 when she originated the role of Queen Guinevere in the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot. Thirty-five years later, Ms Andrews returned to Broadway to star in the 1995 stage adaptation of Victor/Victoria. Julie’s career came full circle in 2005 when she directed a revival of The Boy Friend which toured throughout North America.
Julie has also been honoured for her work on television, beginning in 1957 with her Emmy-nominated performance in the title role of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Cinderella. She later won an Emmy Award for her own musical variety series, The Julie Andrews Hour, and also earned Emmy nominations for Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (with her “chum” Carol Burnett) and her performance in the special Sounds of Christmas. Andrews’ more recent television movies includes One Special Night with her friend James Garner, Eloise at the Plaza, Eloise at Christmastime and re-united with Christopher Plummer in the CBS live production of On Golden Pond.
Ms Andrews, already an accomplished bestselling author (Mandy [1971], The Last of The Really Great Whangdoodles, [1974]), has joined talents with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, to pursue the publishing of books committed to stimulating a sense of wonder in children and young readers. The Julie Andrews Collection was launched in October 2003 and has released over 25 books to date, many of them bestsellers, including the Little Bo series, the Dumpy The Dump Truck franchise, The Great American Mousical, Thanks to You and Simeon’s Gift (the musical/stage adaptation of which toured parts of the US in 2008, including two performances at the Hollywood Bowl, and in London in 2010) and The Julie Andrews Collection of Poems, Songs & Lullabies.
Home – A Memoir of My Early Years, Ms Andrews’ autobiography was released in April 2008 to rave reviews and immediately climbed to #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list as well as several other prestigious lists in the U.S. and abroad. Julie and Emma are enjoying great receptivity to their new franchise of books called The Very Fairy Princess. The initial release ascended rapidly to #1 after its May 2010 release on the New York Times Bestseller list and enjoyed top 10 status for over 10 weeks. It was followed in May 2011 with The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage which reached #1 status as well, and currently, The Very Fairy Princess – Here Comes the Flower Girl has enjoyed top 10 status for several weeks. At the time of printing this bio, the next instalment of the franchise, The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart is being released in time for Valentine’s Day 2013.
Inspired by the success of The Very Fairy Princess franchise, Ms Andrews in partnership with the Walt Disney Company and Target created National Princess Week to celebrate the inner sparkle and individuality of children everywhere.
Recently, Julie adapted for the stage a brand new musical based on her best-selling children’s book The Great American Mousical which she also directed. The project opened at the Norma Terris Theatre atGoodspeed Musicals in Connecticut this past October and received a spectacular reception.
In addition to her stage and screen work, Julie has dedicated her life to her family and to serving important causes, including Operation USA, an international relief organization with which Julie has travelled to such places as Vietnam and Cambodia. From 1992 to 2006 she was honoured as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which provides financial and technical support for low-income women in developing countries.
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