I don't want to brag, but... OK, I do want to brag.... While I never saw
Sound of Music live onstage, I saw Julie Andrews onstage, in the pre-Broadway run of
Camelot at the National Theatre in Washington, DC, when she was 25 years old. Her voice was crystal clear, with an indescribable, meltingly liquid tone, accompanied by her precise diction and joyful, sweet, loving persona that reached all the unhardened hearts in the audience all the way up to the second balcony.
And speaking of the second balcony, I could see Sir Lancelot's astoundingly blue eyes even from that distance — they belonged to the equally astounding baritone Robert Goulet. The production starred Richard Burton's gravely Welsh voice and superb acting as King Arthur.
This was in 1960; I was a very young teenager. Even so, I recognized while sitting there transfixed that I would rarely, if ever, see such a magnificent ensemble performing together in my lifetime, and it has been largely true.
Julie Andrews and Richard Burton (L); Robert Goulet (R)
I’m jealous! Love “Camelot”, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet! Richard Button, although not a professional singer, was perfect.
“If I Could Gaze At You Again” - so beautiful.