INTERVIEW: Sarah-Louise Young

A casual conversation with her producer has inspired one of Britain's leading cabaret performers to come up with a fascinating new show - based entirely around the life, work and songs of Julie Andrews.

Sarah-Louise Young has performed in cabaret all over the world.

She said: "The idea for this show came out of a conversation that I had in Australia. I was talking with my producer about certain performers who are untouchable and her name came up.

"We decided to do the show."

The show is called Julie Madly Deeply and may surprise anyone with only glancing acquaintance of its subject.

Dame Julie's image may have become a touch sugary over the years. But her recent autobiography blew many myths away.

Sarah-Louise said: "It was a really honest account. She was prepared to go into the darker stuff but on her own terms."

A lot of this is touched on in Sarah-Louise's show but she has not received any comeback from the lady herself.

She said: "I contacted her management a year later but have not heard directly from her.

"Friends of hers have seen it and approved it - everything in it is in the public domain. We wanted to create something that she would approve of if she saw it.

"You can enjoy the show on different levels. I like to throw in little Easter eggs for her real fans who will get the references - like the song Say a Prayer For Me Tonight. That song was cut from My Fair Lady to her great regret, she always said it was one of her favourite songs."

Sarah-Louise is planning to take the show to Canada and if it goes down well there, to America.

She believes cabaret is becoming more popular all the time, which suits her fine.

She said: "I began in musical theatre but never quite felt I fitted in. You can be robust but there is not the chance for personal expression. A bit of me wanted to be more individual."

She grew up in Canterbury where her dad played the organ and her mum was a teacher. As she says: "Being a teacher means being a performer so that might be where it all came from."

Julie Madly Deeply is at Norden Farm on Sunday, February 16.