Tony Tuesday: THE KING AND I
Today we’re going back to 2015 to honour a revival of some quintessential musical theatre. Today’s TONY Tuesday is:
‘Getting To Know You/Something Wonderful/Shall We Dance’ from The King and I.
The King and I is a 1951 musical with music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II that is based on the book ‘Anna and the King of Siam’ by Margaret Landon. The story tells of a British Governess who travels to Siam (now Thailand) to educate the children of the country’s King. What initially starts as a fractious relationship between Anna and the King starts becoming the most unlikely of friendships.
The idea for adapting the book into a musical came when renowned British actress Gertrude’s Lawrence’s agent was looking for a project for her client and was sent Landon’s book. She initially approached Cole Porter but he declined and when she was about to move onto Noel Coward, she met Oscar Hammerstein’s wife Dorothy, who asked her husband to read the book with a view to adapt it into a musical. The writing pair had already read the book and were hesitant to adapt it into a musical because it had no clear plot and was largely glimpses of Anna’s life in Siam. It wasn’t until they saw the 1946 film and felt that the screenplay held up that they could create a show. They were also concerned about writing a star vehicle show, Lawrence’s expense and dive reputation, also her diminishing vocal range put limitation on the score. However, the pair knew that her stage presence and ability to act were undeniable and agreed to write the show. When finding the King, they wanted someone who was secondary to Lawrence, but a strong actor to hold their own. Initially, they wanted to cast Rex Harrison from the film adaptation but when he was unavailable, they cast actor Yul Brynner on a mutual friend’s recommendation.
The King and I opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre in 1951. The composers were concerned that the show would not be as big a hit as their previous work South Pacific but that was all put to rest when the production received rave reviews. Despite her, at times, off-key singing Lawrence was unanimously praised and played Anna in the West End. She also bagged the TONY Award for her performances. Despite many tests and struggles with her health, Lawrence’s liver cancer was not detected until it was too late. Lawrence fainted after the matinee performance on 16 August 1952 and was admitted to hospital where she fell into a coma and later died. Lawrence was buried in the ball gown she wore in the second act of the musical, leaving behind a formidable legacy.
The King and I has enjoyed countless productions in its time, most notably a 1996 Broadway revival at the Neil Simon Theatre starring Donna Murphy as Anna, for which she won a TONY award, and a production at the London Palladium in 2000 starring Elaine Paige as Anna which brought in over £8 million in advance ticket sales.
The most notable revival of recent years occurred in 2015 at The Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. This production was directed by Bartlett Sher, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli and costumed by Catherine Zuber. Kelli O’Hara took on the role of Anna Leonowens whilst Ken Watanabe took on the role of the King and Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang. Both O’Hara and Miles won TONY Awards for their performances in this production. The production opened to rave reviews and ran for 538 performances before going on a national tour. The Lincoln Center production transferred to the West End in 2018 at opened at the Palladium with O’Hara and Watanabe reprising their roles, as well as Ruthin Ann Miles who shared the part with Naoko Mori. The show again opened to rave reviews and was also filmed and shown in cinemas in late 2018.
The show was adapted into a film in 1956 with Yul Brynner reprising his role as The King opposite Deborah Kerr as Anna. The film is a very faithful adaptation of the show, however, it does cut a few of the songs.
A 1999 film version also exists of the film but apart from using some characters and songs from the musical, it is largely unrelated. Miranda Richardson starred as Anna with Broadway performer Christiane Noll providing the singing voice.
The King and I is timeless musical theatre and if you haven’t listened to this charming score Besties, you know what you need to do.
Cast recordings available from streaming services.
FACTS:
Music: Richard Rodgers
Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Theatre: The James Theatre
Run: 29 March 1951 – 20 March 1954 (1,246 performances)
TONYS:
(WON) Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Gertrude Lawrence, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Yul Brynner, Best Costume Design – Irene Sharaff, Best Scenic Design – Jo Mielziner
(1996) Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Donna Murphy, Best Revival of a Musical, Best Costume Design – Roger Kirk, Best Scenic Design – Brian Thomson
(2015) Best Revival, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Kelli O’Hara, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Ruthie Ann Miles, Best Costume Design – Catherine Zuber
