98. Julie Andrews, Le Jazz Hot
In the 1982 film Victor Victoria, Julie Andrews plays a down-on-her-luck singer in Paris in the 1930s. She is discovered by a promoter, played by Robert Preston, who decides to pass her off as a female impersonator—a woman playing a man playing a woman. “Le Jazz Hot” is the dazzling central showstopper that announces the masquerade, with Andrews in full “drag.” The number is pure artifice, and that’s the point: trading her crisp soprano for a sultry mid-range, Andrews playfully upends her own image, jettisoning the squeaky-clean nannies for a comedic role that’s nonetheless all about power and desire.
Bonus: Leslie Ann Warren hilariously sings "Chicago Illinois" in Victor Victoria.
Julie Andrews, “Le Jazz Hot,” written by Leslie Bricusse and Henry Mancini, 1982.
This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day through July 4, 2025. Inspired by my MFAH 100 project.
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Oh, yes! I believe it was 1995? and I saw this on Broadway with Julie Andrews. It was specular as a movie, but seeing it live took my breath away. Thank you for this reminder. I'll try to find my video cassette and something to play it on!!!
Love this performance - and I think it's not too much of a stretch to suggest that the Victor/Victoria character was inspired by the actual Barbette, born in Round Rock, Texas, who became the toast of Paris in the 1920s.