British actress Julie Andrews will have a “Sesame Street” inspired children’s show coming to Netflix that is being developed by the Jim Henson Company.
What can we expect from the upcoming show?
According to an upcoming press release, the new show, “Julie’s Greenroom,” will cast the actress as Mrs. Julie, a performing arts teacher. Helped by an assistant named Gus, played by Giullian Yao Gioiello, she works with a diverse group of children called the “Greenies,” who are portrayed by puppets. Reportedly, most of the episodes will have an original song and a guest star.
In addition, there will also be animal puppet characters, such as a dog named Toby and a duck named Hugo. Episodes will focus on aspects of the performing arts, such as writing or singing, and more specific disciplines, like circus arts or mime.
Guest stars for the upcoming show include Alec Baldwin, Sara Bareilles, Tituss Burgess, Carol Burnett, Robert Fairchild, Josh Groban, David Hyde Pierce, Idina Menzel, and the performance group, Stomp.
What is happening behind the scenes?
Andrews is known for her work in such films as “Mary Poppins,” “The Sound of Music,” “Victor/Victoria,” “The Princess Diaries,” and the original television production of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.” In a released statement, Andrews had said that the upcoming series would serve as "the fulfillment of a long held dream to educate children about the wonder of the arts."
Andrews created the show with the help of her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.
Andrews, Hamilton, and Lisa Henson will also all serve as executive producers on the show. As with “Sesame Street,” which films in Astoria, the show will be filmed in New York.
This is not the first time that Julie Andrews has had projects with the Jim Henson Company, In 1973, Andrews hosted a special, “Julie on Sesame Street,” in which she sang various Broadway songs with the Muppet characters.
In addition, she had also once appeared on “The Muppet Show” in the show’s second season, among other specials.
The episodes of the series will come to Netflix on February 1, 2017. Thirteen episodes of the series have already been commissioned so far by Netflix for the show’s first season in total. A trailer can be seen below.
