Review: JULIE MADLY DEEPLY, The Crazy Coqs, November 12 2015

If, like me, you're slightly worried about whether you're a big enough fan of Julie Andrews to get through a 90-minute show - worry no more. Sarah-Louise Young has more than enough fanaticism for the work of Dame Julie to fill the room and go all the way up the staircase, down Piccadilly and across St James' Park to Buckingham Palace itself (where Britain's next favourite octogenarian woman lives). Julie Madly Deeply (continuing at The Crazy Coqs until 14 November) tells us why.

We hear of Julie's wartime childhood, of her parents' less than competent parenting, of her teenage success in the West End and later Broadway, of her bloody hard work developing and maintaining that crystal clear voice, of her 2000 performances as Eliza Doolittle, of her happy second marriage to Blake Edwards and of her voice-emasculating throat operation in the 90s. These are a few of Miss Young's favourite things about Julie - and why not?.

This is cabaret, so there's a bit of joshing between pianist, the deadpan Michael Roulston and singer, and some bantz with the audience too - not to mention a cruelly accurate impression of Liza Minnelli which deserved a show of its own. But despite Young's superb singing technique and winning personality, she doesn't quite connect with the audience as she might - I think the silly bob wig and heavy dress (see photo) got in the way a little. It was certainly a delight to see the woman behind the Dame when, late on, the wig at last came off and Andrews became Young!

Most of all, though, I wanted to hear the songs sung through from start to finish, not whizzing by in medleys or choked off to update the rolling biography. Because Julie Andrews sang some of the greatest songs in musical theatre history and she sang them spectacularly well. Here's half a dozen, but there are so many more: "Feed The Birds"; "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"; "I Could Have Danced All Night"; "Wouldn't It Be Loverly"; "A Spoonful of Sugar" and "The Lonely Goatherd". I know it would take more time than a show allows to sing these all through (and so many more) and there''s pushing 70 years of work to summarise, but oh, to hear those words and those tunes brought back to life fully!!

With a singalong to finish off the evening, you're left with a renewed admiration for a - wait for it - National Treasure and a real sense of gratitude that so big a fan as Young is talented enough to do justice to so wonderful a career.

Now - what can I get on YouTube?

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