I was IN the house the night this happened. Throughout the evening Ms. Andrews, as host, would refer to her work on her Broadway shows . There was a hint of "something in the air" the entire evening. Goulet serenaded her with "If Ever I Would Leave You" and the emotion and sweet melancholy on her face and being was palpable. But again, no singing from her. She never addressed her surgery but the wise NYC audience was well aware of the fact that she had not sung in public for some years. And then came the penultimate moment of the evening. After all of the other great stars and great ovations - and many memories shared by Ms. Andrews- Crawford appeared (Late, as we learned, a last minute substitute in this section for Patrick Stewart. Crawford proves to be a very able Higgins - making you wish for him in a revival. And then, in a moment that can only happen in a live stage performance, we hear the unmistakable voice of Ms. Andrews (albeit in the alto range) replying to Higgins' dialogue. The audience gasping collectively as Andrews walks onstage to reply to Crawford's demanding "Again...?" And we are treated to a brief version of "The Rain in Spain" with a few measures of the ORIGINAL ELIZA DOOLITTLE - singing - for the first time in public - and receiving a sustained ovation the like of which I've never witnessed before or since. One of the greatest moments in musical theatre history - and I WAS there.
So moved by your words😭… If only I had a time travel machine😔… Besides, Julie Andrews has really gone through a lot in her life, more than the majority of people knowing… Love her FOREVER💫…
Ms. Andrew's "few good notes" are belted with far more class and joy than most (if not all) of the rest of us slobs can manage on our best days. It takes soooo much more than a multi-octave range to make a brilliant performer. We are all fortunate that Julie knew this, and never succumbed to the at-times-overwhelming exhausted desire to chuck it all at the loss of her voice. Welcome home, Ms. Andrews.
@@Shamsithaca I don't have Netflix, I'm sorry to say. I've always enjoyed her speakig voice. I might have to look into getting Netflix, just to binge-watch this series.
How sweet was that moment when Michael kissed her hand during their final bow?!? Julie is the most elegant lady... that amazing presence is beyond words!
I think only Julie can make 1000s of people erupt in cheers and shouts from singing just 2 bars of music. Just what a phenomenon and what a voice we lost forever. I hope people listen to her operatic records to hear the incredible instrument this woman possesses.
Just look at the audience's love for Julie...what a Legend.. she sang just two lines and the crowd goes wild...i can even spot a few of them crying...i would be the same..Julie losing her singing voice is the greatest tragedy for us....however she has left such a huge body of work to cherish for a lifetime...thank you Dame Julie Andrews..Love you always..❤️ 💛 💜
I remember watching this live on PBS, and realized what she had done, and how much this took for her to do. I turned into a sobbing mess, at age 15, watching this. I'm sobbing now.
I totally agree. There will never be another moment like it, the energy, the emotion, the love that was in that auditorium cannot and will never be topped.
I cry every time I see Julie Andrews and how she can't sing anymore, but we can ALWAYS remember how BEAUTIFUL she is (inside and out and that voice, OH that voice)! God bless you Madame Julie Andrews! No one can sing like you Madame Julie!
I remember watching this on PBS when it first aired. That was when the botched surgery ruined her voice. But she said she'd worked hard to get a few good notes back into her voice. And here they are. A showstopping moment.
Magic, and the audience reaction when she manages to sing those 4 notes will restore your faith in humanity, if you’re not careful 😉 Thrilling end to an evening Ms Andrews hosted.
whoever disliked this missed the like button because they were crying so hard the couldn't tell the difference! absolutely wonderful, the two most all around gorgeous people in the business/in life.
Love love Julie Andrews, she is pure joy! Elegance, class, versatility , insanely talented! Makes me teary seeing the audience response to her singing & dancing! The way she moves speaks volumes of class & elegance!
Me too… The first time I saw it, I sobbed like a baby😭… Julie Andrews is a real Legend, not only for her great talents, but also for the warmth she has given us💫……
I weep whenever I hear her sing those few notes -- partly I'm sorrow for the loss of her unequalled voice - partly in joy and gratitude for all she's given us...And that she's still here!
i'm watching this wonderful video every 2-3 years again and again... Her beautiful singing voice in the past makes me happy, and her grief after losing her voice makes me cry. She never knows how to give up though. She has always been devoting her life to arts, and also inspiring other's lives with her talent and warm heart.. Also, the way she overcame her hardship (by writing children's book with her brilliant story-telling ability)..! Her life story itself is so touching as well as it would make the world better place, where the children who read her book will live.. Her entire life has been always shining. Long live my queen Julie Andrews. You are my pure inspiration.
She is Eliza and THE legend of Broadway,even if she lost her voice. I really can understnd why the audince erupted with loud cheers and standing ovations.
this song just fits perfectly the moment. it gave people a great shock of joy to know that she could sing again, just as the original song did for the proff that eliza could finally speak without an accent.
Nobody could play the role of Eliza Doolittle better than Julie Andrews. And that is why "My Fair Lady" is now seldom performed on Broadway. Does anybody remember when the musical was played last? I do not.
Bluejeans0701--- there have been several but they have to hire 2 Elizas be cause no one, not one, can play the roll 8 times a week for a run this play always commands. 2 years is the general run on this work. Julie is the ONLY one...she did two years in the U.S. with two weeks off when she did Cinderella on T.V. Live R&H wrote the show for her...AND a year and a half in London...8 shows a week...WOW!!!
The first time I watched this, I didn't know about her surgery yet, but still, I felt the same energy the live audience felt. I felt something magical when she sang "On the plain, on the plain." That magical feeling was amplified 1,000,000,000, times when she sang "In Spain, In Spain!" This lady is a treasure. I am so glad I was able to watch and hear her before I pass on.
Julie lost her singing voice (her identity) for good after the notorious throat surgery in 1997. She moved everybody to tears in this medley NOT because of My Fair Lady, but because she showed her strength and grace for forever rising above adversity. If you want to know more about Juile and the tragedy, you can click to Barbara Walter clips "Julie talking about her voice".
Of course it is a big tragedy that Julie Andrews lost her four-octave singing voice. I miss her as a singer. And yet she is still alive and with us. We can still see her on the go. I can get some comfort by listening to her recordings in the past. Julie is one of the legends.
You know that pose these two older performers were frozen into, during the standing ovation, cannot be the most comfortable way to spend those minutes but somehow I doubt Michael cared. He had to know what kind of theatrical history he was being 'upstaged' into and I am sure he was delighted! What a memory!
It's so good to see her smile and try her best hit the notes while being her playing a character and winning with a dance over singing showing she has more than one talent love it
Samuel Huh She can't really sing any more. It isn't hoarseness, the surgery left her with an extremely limited range and only in the lower registers. What she did here was about her limit today, but it was amazing just the same. The beautiful Sound of Music/My Fair Lady voice is pretty much gone forever.
seamus1956 I know the surgery took away most of her range, but it added the hoarseness too, but here, though the range is quite limited but I don't hear any hoarseness. I wonder.
She has said publicly that she worked very hard to get a few good notes back into her voice. Proper singing technique uses different muscles and resonance for singing than for speaking. That's why opera singers can often sing through a cold or a hoarse throat. Andrews always sang with a solid technique. That's why these few notes sound pretty good.
If I'm not mistaken Micheal didn't even know Julie Andrews that would be playing Eliza Remember, the Professor had become ill just prior to the performance and Micheal was asked if he could step in and do this show at the last moment. He preformed this with no rehearsal, so neither he or the audience knew that Julie Andrews would be preforming.
He did know. He said in an interview they asked him at the last moment due to illness of the other person. He and Julie rehearsed together. They had about 2 days to do this.
Yep, fancy “proper English” speaking Julie played the reformed cockney, but the cockneys got one back when Micheal Caine played the posh gonville bromhead in 1964’s Zulu (released the same year as the film my fair lady). While Eliza might have needed Higgins to sound posh Caine CAN sound as upper class as any, he just chooses to speak like that to remain true to his roots.
@JulieAndrewsLover12 It's from a special called "My Favorite Broadway: Love Songs" You can find the DVD for fairly cheap online. I think Amazon has it for under $7
yep taking myself.. and i love you with all my heart that my strength still lies with you....i miss you so. and love you enough for me to say it so. be well my dear. i have never left. ok. mm hmm means >?
