ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
THE KING AND I
AT THE ORCHARD THEATRE
INTERVIEW BY JASPER REES
THE KING AND I IS THE MOST SUMPTUOUS MUSICAL OF THEM ALL . ONE OF THE GREAT CLASSIC MUSICALS FROM THE ‘ GOLDEN AGE ’ OF BROADWAY MUSICALS WITH ONE OF THE FINEST SCORES EVER WRITTEN INCLUDING ‘ SHALL WE DANCE ’ AND ‘ GETTING TO KNOW YOU ’.
It opens on the deck of a ship as it snakes up river at dusk , heading for a glittering royal palace in 19th century Siam . No production of the timeless classic by Rodgers and Hammerstein has managed to lay on a feast for the eyes quite like the one now touring the UK , following its record-breaking runs at the London Palladium and on Broadway and with an internationally renowned creative team headed by Bartlett Sher ( My Fair Lady / To Kill a Mockingbird / South Pacific ).
The powerful spectacle staged by acclaimed multi Tony Award-winning Sher now welcomes two new stars to lead roles famously occupied by many before them . Helen George , star of Call The Midwife , returns to the stage after many years to play Anna Leonowens , a widow from Victorian England who has travelled to Bangkok to teach English to the King ’ s many children .
“ I ’ d been wanting to do a musical for a while ,” she says , “ and I was waiting for the right one to come along and just couldn ’ t say no . It ’ s just such a classical musical theatre part .”
Though better known for bringing babies into the world on TV , her first job after drama college was in the ensemble of Andrew Lloyd Webber ’ s The Woman in White in 2004 . She has since sung at the BBC ’ s VE Day 75th anniversary commemoration and on the cast album of Lloyd Webber ’ s Cinderella .
As for dancing , she took the dancefloor by storm on Strictly in 2015 , so she won ’ t have any trouble with ‘ Shall We Dance ?’. In the show ’ s climactic song , Anna and the King dance a sweeping polka that is an ecstatic meeting of minds , hearts and , most of all , feet .
“ When we do this incredible dance I wear this incredible dress ,” she says . “ I ’ m as big as a house . In the rehearsal room everybody has had to get out of the way . I lift up the skirt and drag scripts and tea cups with me along the way . It weighs ten pounds and it ’ s uncomfortable but this was the life of a Victorian woman .”
The role of the strutting , domineering King of Siam will always carry a trace memory of Yul Brynner , who clung to it tenaciously for 34 years and 4,600 performances . However , returning to the role is Broadway star Darren Lee , who has himself made the role his own since he first played it there in 2016 . “ I started my career primarily as a dancer so early on it was not on my radar ,” says Lee , “ but growing up as an Asian-American performer you know that there is this role , and it sits within the top five to ten shows of classic musicals .”
The production also represents a wonderful opportunity to see a parade of talented young performers dressed to the nines in beautiful costumes . The King ’ s large brood of cute children is played on this tour by eighteen actors ranging in age from 13 down to only seven .
The King and I is a multi-generational musical , and generations of families come together to see it . That means there is a new generation who , like Helen George , won ’ t realise much loved songs such as ‘ I Whistle a Happy Tune ’ and ‘ Getting to Know You ’ belong to The King and I . “ I went to see the show when I was seven or eight when I was growing up in Birmingham ,” she says . “ I haven ’ t gone back and watched the film because I need to find Anna myself , and I hadn ’ t realised how many songs she sings . I knew them but I hadn ’ t quite figured they were all together in this show .”
With a stunning score , given the full velvet touch by a sublime orchestra , exquisite costumes , a stellar cast that discovers dark , rich , exotic layers through incredible storytelling and the most charming and endearing group of young children performers , you have the ultimate classical musical theatre show . It ’ s rare to feel such warmth and delight about a production but The King And I delivers that and so much more in abundance
The King and I plays at The Orchard Theatre , Dartford 4-8 April 2023 .
KingandIMusical . co . uk orchardtheatre . co . uk
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