Sandi Prentice has idolized Julie Andrews ever since she saw the legendary film and stage actress as Mary Poppins, one of her most defining roles.
“I was really drawn to her. I was pulled into the stereotype that (film) gave her, that she’s nice and always calm,” Prentice says, going on to quote a line from the movie: “Practically perfect in every way.”
The New York native is now paying homage to her idol with her Sweet Briar College senior directorial project, “A Julie Andrews Musical Tribute,” which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Babcock Studio Theater.
Prentice, 20, also wrote the script, which connects elements of Andrews’ life to the roles she played onstage and in films such as “The Sound of Music,” “Cinderella,” and “My Fair Lady.”
Two actors narrate the story, which starts with Andrews’ unhappy childhood and continues through to “Victor/Victoria,” her last Broadway role before a late-’90s botched vocal cord surgery permanently damaged her singing voice.
At various points throughout the show, eight different performers hit the stage with props to sing tunes related to a time in Andrews’ life.
Prentice connected Andrews’ childhood to her roles in “My Fair Lady” and “Cinderella” and their respective songs, “Wouldn’t It Be Lovely” and “In My Own Little Corner.”
“In those two plays, she’s wishing and dreaming she had a place of her own,” Prentice says, “someplace warm.”
Other songs in the show include “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from “Mary Poppins;” “Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi” and “The Lonely Goatherd” from “The Sound of Music;” and “If Ever I Would Leave You” from “Camelot.”
During her research into Andrews’ life, which included reading her 2008 memoir several times, Prentice says she gained a new respect for the actress.
“I found that she’s kind of sarcastic (and) definitely has more of an edge to her,” Prentice says. “She has more than one dimension.”
If you’re going
WHAT: ‘A Julie Andrews Musical Tribute’
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE: Sweet Briar College’s Babcock Studio Theater
ADMISSION: Free. Tickets available at 7 p.m. on a first come, first served basis.
INFO: (434) 381-6388
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