You'd think, of course, it's about the melody - that's a given. But really, I'm no good at singing a song unless it has a good lyric.
— Julie Andrews
Did you ever notice the color of Mary Poppins' petticoats? They were kind of orange and apricot and red. I think she had a secret life going on there.
My parents were in Vaudeville, in musical. And I would tour with them and had a couple of wonderfully lucky breaks in England.
I miss singing with an orchestra because that's the most uplifting thing that I ever knew. It is just such a fabulous feeling.
I like - I actually love classical music very much.
I did all of my learning on 'My Fair Lady.'
Some of my own books are being developed - one as a Broadway musical.
I had no education whatsoever, and my mother said, 'Oh, you'll get a much better education in life.' I did to some extent, though I always wish I could have tried it.
Our first visit to the Creature Shop is one of the days I will never, ever forget. There was just so much to see and admire and be gobsmacked by.
You're always changing your thoughts about things.
I think any director is intimidating.
I did a lot of touring in my youth, and I learnt very quickly that giving is what it's all about. It's about the gift of making an audience feel great and forget their cares, if only for a few hours.
I think I'm just proudest to be the lady who was asked to play Mary Poppins. She's such a wonderful character, and there's so much tremendous talent out there. So I feel very lucky to be the one who got to play her.
I'm the lucky lady that was asked to be in those wonderful iconic pieces.
I had a teacher who stressed for me the importance of diction in terms of... I want to be very careful about how I say this... in terms of supporting one's voice when one is singing. In other words, if you hold on to your words, your voice will pull through for you when you're singing. So be true to your vowels.
Almost every morning when I go to the studio to work, I discover a fresh rose in the bud vase on my dressing table... one living and vital thing in a dusty arena of powder and tissue and matches and greasepaint.
If you're not educated to enjoy the arts, if you're not taken to a concert, or you don't hear something beautiful, you don't know what you're missing.
For me, whenever I choose a song to sing, it's about the lyric first.
Let me put it this way: I can sing a hell of an 'Old Man River,' way down in the bass.
I'm beginning to think that I like the behind-the-scenes work as much as I do in front of the camera as I get a little bit older.
I'd say almost that words come first, melody second.
There is one thing I should say, and it's important: Young Broadway singers and anybody who is an orator of any kind - lawyers who have to speak in court or pastors or anyone who has a lot of stress on their vocal cords: You should do the maintenance. You should do whatever it takes to feel fresh and good.
I was a very sad little girl.
My mum gave me pretty good genes in that department. She had gorgeous skin. That good English complexion. She never seemed to have a blemish that I knew of.
One of our books has been made into a musical, 'The Great American Mousical,' which I directed at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. And another, 'Simeon's Gift,' has been adapted for a symphony orchestra and five performers. I'm also a very proud member of the board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The arts are usually the first thing to be cut in schools or regional programs.
How dare one act like a diva when you have a lot of work to do and you need to find your disciplines and so on?
The loveliest roles, for me, have a growth arc - a beginning, a middle, and an end - and I'm always grateful when I can find one of those emotional journeys.
I did 'My Fair Lady' for almost 3 1/2 years, eight performances a week. It was a marathon.
I'd say just go with the flow. And I take my hat off to any mother out there who works full-time and raises a family as well. It's hard work.
I really feel very blessed, and I don't forget it, either; there's an awful lot of wonderful talent in this world, and I just seem to be in the right place at the right time.
My voice needed oiling, and then it took off.
You just don't know in life. Life knocks you about and pushes you over boundaries. But be ready. Do your homework; that's all I can say.
Because of the Thames I have always loved inland waterways - water in general, water sounds - there's music in water. Brooks babbling, fountains splashing. Weirs, waterfalls; tumbling, gushing.
In my life, it would probably be giving birth to my daughter. That probably is the most, the thing that moved me the most, was the most memorable, the most wonderful, the most miraculous. I think a lot of women would probably feel that way, too.
I am thrilled to be dame. It's one of those - the fact that you have been honored by your country is what it's all about, and it just feels good right there.
'Simeon's Gift' is really - it's about a musician who - in the Middle Ages, who goes out to find his muse.
I'm not very good with rap and things like that.
I was always told I was not pretty enough.
I'm just honored that some of my little contributions I've written with my daughter are doing well.
You never start out being a star.
You take any job that comes along, and if you're really lucky, the movie takes off.
I've long wanted to introduce children to the wonder of the arts.
I had a lot of learning on my feet.
If you've been fortunate enough to do a film that appeals to the entire family, that's the audience that's probably going to come back to you in something else.
Actually, what I did, because I couldn't make sense of it, and I have to have lyrics that make sense, I decided the best way to sing 'I Have Confidence' was to go completely nuts with panic and fear.
Who would have thought that a story about a professor of phonetics would result in it being probably one of the great shows ever for musical theatre? It's a seemingly odd subject.
I was working from a very early age.
A lot of films seem to go to the lowest common denominator.
When I've least expected it, an enormous opportunity or stroke of luck has crossed right under my nose. So I tell everybody, if you're passionate about what you do and you love it, do it. But do your homework. Because you'll never know when the opportunity is going to happen.
