98. Julie Andrews, Le Jazz Hot
- Rainey Knudson
- Jul 2
- 1 min read
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.
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 to 4th of July, 2025.
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