The King and I
In these days of real horror and turmoil around the world, perhaps an occasional dose of Rodgers and Hammerstein's theatrical escapism is no bad thing.
Norwich Theatre
This is a wonderful week for fans of the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein, as the UK stage tour of The Lincoln Centre Theater Production of 'The King and I', directed by Bartlett Sher, arrives at Norwich Theatre Royal. It was the fifth musical to be co-written by the duo, opening on Broadway in 1951, before famously being turned into an Oscar-winning film starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.
Originally inspired by the memoirs of Indian-born British travel writer and social activist Anna Leonowens, 'The King and I' is a largely fictionalised account of the time that Leonowens spent, in the mid 19th century, as teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam. Although now widely criticised for its racial subtext and its portrayal of the King of Siam as a selfish and temperamental tyrant, lovers of the musical genre remain happy to brush away these historical concerns in exchange for the opportunity to hear classic songs such as 'Hello Young Lovers', 'Getting To Know You' and, of course, 'Shall We Dance' performed live on stage (Within that number, I would include the lovely elderly lady in the seat next to me whose high-pitched humming accompanied the entire performance).
Starring as Anna Leowens on this section of the tour has been concert soloist Annalene Beechey, although on press night it was understudy Maria Coyne who turned in a marvellous performance playing opposite Darren Lee as the King of Siam. Cezarah Bonner is suitably authoritative as the King's head wife, Lady Thiang, as is Kok-Hwa Lie as The Kralahome (the Siamese equivalent of Prime Minister). Marinella Phillips and Dean John-Wilson are the winsome lovelorn couple Tuptim and Lun Tha, and Caleb Lagayan is impressive as Crown Prince Chulalongkorn. The part of Anna's young son, Louis is played tonight by Charlie McGuire. But, of course, the hearts really melt when the cute young royal princes and princesses arrive on stage, entering as the 'March of The Royal Siamese Children' is played by the orchestra, led by Christopher Mundy.
Michael Yeargan's rather sparse and uninspiring set design only really pays dividends during the play-within-a-play version of 'Small House of Uncle Thomas', a sensitively re-told version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', made more special thanks to Catherine Zuber's costume design and Christopher Gattelli's choreography.
But the acid test of any night at the theatre is whether the show holds your attention from start to finish, and this version of 'The King and I' certainly did that. With a running time of almost three hours (including the interval), I was spellbound for the entire duration, and just sat back and enjoyed the musical splendour. I know that purists will still criticise the historical accuracy in its depiction of 1860's Siam as a racially stereotyped society led by a polygamous misogynistic autocrat, but in these days of real horror and turmoil around the world, perhaps an occasional dose of Rodgers and Hammerstein's theatrical escapism is no bad thing. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
