Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Going Home

Going Home

In the wee hours of Monday morning, I arrived home from my two week tour of Australia. While now jetlagged, I had a fantastic trip, not only because of the sights I took in, but especially because of the friends and family I got to see (as well as new friends I had the pleasure of meeting: Rob and Harriet, Elizabeth, Jenta, Maylise, Daniela and, of course, Wayne).

Still, it was wonderful to return home. But the thought of home was never far away thanks to one particular reading selection I brought along on my journey: Dame Julie Andrews' exceptional autobiography, "Home."

Ten years ago this fall, I had an extraordinary opportunity to meet this extremely gracious and talented actress. In the fall of 1998, Julie Andrews was a keynote speaker at that year's World Travel Congress convening in Los Angeles.

As the public relations director for the trade association sponsoring the global event for over 4000 delegates, I was asked if I would mind escorting her throughout the afternoon she would be spending with us. That invitation was like asking a little child on his birthday if he'd mind opening up just one more gift.

I eagerly accepted the assignment, but was extremely tense when the moment came to greet her arrival at the convention center. I kept wondering whether I would be disappointed, whether Julie Andrews would somehow not be the same wonderfully humane and approachable individual I'd always envisioned she'd be. Plus, what if I made a buffoon of myself?!

Moments after meeting her, I was put completely at ease. Julie Andrews was the epitome of grace and kindness. She was everything I'd hoped she'd be and so much more. Easygoing, charming and absolutely nice, her demeanor helped make me comfortable so that I could in turn concentrate on doing my job: making her feel comfortable, and hopefully very welcome, in return.

The Academy Award-winning actress delivered a beautifully heartfelt and inspiring address on how traveling helped shape her life. Once her speech concluded, I showed Dame Andrews to our version of a green room, where she greeted our dignitaries and posed for pictures. Never showing any signs of tiring, this consummate professional graciously met with one after another of her gathered fans. I was personally touched when she had me join her for a series of shots taken from virtually every angle by the throng of photographers. And I'll never forget how affable she was, right up until the moment I escorted her to her waiting car.

I relay this story because if nothing else, my personal experience with Julie Andrews made me an even bigger fan. I found myself searching out the number of films of hers I had never seen. It also gave me greater appreciation for her work in old favorites, whether it was "Mary Poppins" -- one of the first films I ever saw -- or "The Sound of Music" or her more recent role in "Victor Victoria." My experience also made me eager to take in her directorial debut -- a stage revival of The Boy Friend she was helming five years ago this month at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York.

So when I learned that Dame Andrews had written the memoirs for her early years, I didn't even think twice about purchasing it. I couldn't wait to read it.

And now that I've read it, I can tell you that for anyone who loves live theatre, this is a must-read. With a flair for writing, Julie Andrews walks her audience through her earliest years, including insights into her often difficult childhood and family life, as well as English vaudeville, World War II, and her budding entertainment career both in London and on Broadway right up until she and her family leave for Hollywood to begin filming "Mary Poppins."

The detail the three-time Tony nominee provides on each of her first three Broadway roles -- Polly in The Boy Friend (1954-55), Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1956-58) and Guenevere in Camelot (1960-62) -- is nothing short of a treasure trove of information on what it was like to star on the Great White Way during the Golden Age of the Broadway musical. With a sly sense of humor, she offers an abundance of amusing anecdotes that alone are worth the price of the book.

Inspiring through and through, Julie Andrews shares some of the motivation that helped transform her, including a crystalizing quote from one of her early mentors: "The amateur works until they get something right. The professional works until they can't go wrong."

Given the high level of integrity and fortitude Julie Andrews has shown throughout her lengthy and distinguished career, it's a given that she's a professional's professional through and through. But by sharing so much of her own personal anguish, longing and ultimately her sense of "home," the actress invites us into her life and the home she's created. In doing so, Julie Andrews distinguishes herself even more as an immensely gifted author.

I for one can't wait to read the next installment.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: Book, Camelot, Home, Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, The Boy Friend

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, August 06, 2008