The composer played a major part in her life during the 90s too, beginning in 1993 when she played Mrs. During the 80s, McKenzie gave a ‘dazzling performance’ as Lily Garland in On The Twentieth Century, won Variety Club and Laurence Olivier Awards for her portrayal of Miss Adelaide in Guys And Dolls at the National Theatre, and resumed her association with Sondheim in Follies (Sally Plummer) and Into The Woods (Witch). A surprise hit in London, the show was also well received in New York where it ran for 384 performances. McKenzie’s biggest break came two years later when she co-starred with Millicent Martin, David Kernan, and Ned Sherrin in yet another celebratory revue - Side By Side By Sondheim. She also replaced Patricia Routledge in Cowardy Custard, and, in 1974, appeared in Cole, another of the Mermaid Theatre’s excellent anthology productions. In the early 70s she had her first introduction to Stephen Sondheim’s work - with which she has since become indelibly associated - when she took over one of the leading roles in Company. After spending four years at the Guildhall School of Music, she performed in provincial theatres and toured in operettas and musical comedies for a good number of years before coming to prominence in 1969 in the London production of Mame, which starred Ginger Rogers.
She was about to begin training to become a French teacher when she was offered a scholarship to study opera. She started to perform at an early age, and attended the Sylvia Spriggs Dancing School. An actress, singer, and director, Julia McKenzie is one of the most accomplished leading ladies in the British (and occasionally Broadway) musical theatre. 17 February 1941, Enfield, Middlesex, England.
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