From other shows, I'd offer Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews as a good example. Harrison was a much bigger star in 1956 than Preston was in 1957, and although Andrews had made a splash in The Boy Friend, she was not as established or known here as Barbara Cook, and she certainly didn't have Cook's level of experience acting in musicals. Of course, we know that Harrison was unhappy with Andrews early in rehearsals, but all worked out well.
Another example would be Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner. |
