Looking for someone to spend New Year’s Day with? We’d like to recommend one of the most amiable and talented performers in musical history: Julie Andrews. The star of such movies as “The Sound of Music,” “Mary Poppins,” and “The Princess Diaries” is returning as the host of “From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013″ airing on PBS on New Year’s Day (check local listings). This year the event is conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, who has been music director at The Cleveland Orchestra since 2002.

Recently, NBC announced that they’re remaking “The Sound of Music” with country singer Carrie Underwood in the lead role. Before that, we caught up with the 77-year-old Andrews, who has been directing for the stage (she recently helmed a production of “The Great American Mousical” at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut). Andrews chatted about directing, musicals and her coming PBS New Year’s Day special.

You made your Broadway debut in 1954. What about the musical theater do you love so much?

Well the music is the first thing. To have been part of so many wonderful musical shows and films I feel really blessed. I think the immediacy of being on stage is quite wonderful. The audience that night doesn’t know you gave a great performance the night before. They want that communication, and that communion with you as an actor and actress. It is that moment of togetherness that’s so magical. When it works it’s a thrill that’s hard to describe.

Do you get the same fulfillment out of directing that you get from being on stage yourself?

Yes, I do. When I’m directing I’m actually looking at the whole team, and being responsible for them and trying to guide them into a cohesive whole, It’s very thrilling work—especially when I work with the young people I’ve worked with it.

You co-wrote the book “Little Bo in London,” it’s another in a series with your daughter Emma. How do you go about collaborating with her?

We began writing together about fifteen years ago as a happy accident. My publisher asked if I had anything for very young children that I might consider writing about and I thought, let me ask Emma, she’s got a brand new son. And I asked her if you went to the library what would you choose for him? And she said Mom, there’s no discussion about it, it would have to be a book about trucks. My daughter couldn’t find any with a family theme so I said, let’s write one together. And from that came such joy we developed our Dumpy-the-dump-truck series. Since then we’ve written about 27 books together.

You’re also hosting “From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013.” What about Vienna attracts you?

I think it’s as much because of PBS, who are the people responsible for it. They bring such phenomenal work to television. Originally Walter Cronkite was the host of this particular show, and when he passed they asked if I would take up the baton. I’m so thrilled that they asked me– I love doing it. It’s a  beautiful New Year Day’s concert of wonderful music, mostly Strauss. I’m the narrator and I take the audience on a kind of small picture postcard tour. It’s a lovely show. It airs New Year’s Day.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/12/31/julie-andrews-helps-ring-in-the-new-year/