The 2015 Broadway Revival of "The King and I" Review ☑
"The King and I" is a classic Broadway musical about a woman named Anna Leonowens who goes to Siam to be the schoolteacher to the King of Siam's 67 children. The musical is based on a true story and explores the unlikely relationship between Anna and The King of Siam (Hoon Lee).
The show starts out on a huge ship that makes its way down the Lincoln Center Stage. On that ship is our Anna Leonowens, Kelli O'Hara and Jake Lucas, plays her son Louis. Kelli O'Hara had me from the moment she walked onstage, she was greeted with a nice entrance applause and all eyes were on her, especially mine. O'Hara gave one of the best performances that I have seen in anything ever. She played the role with such elegance and control. When she sang, she had a sweet voice, so sweet she can bring you to tears during songs like "Hello, Young Lovers" or she can just have you in awe of her talent during songs like "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?". She also has a really strong stage presence. There a few scenes where she wasn't doing anything but I couldn't help but look at her. Her Tony Award was well deserved.
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| Kelli O'Hara as Anna in the new revival of "The King and I" on Broadway |
Hoon Lee was very close to Yul Brynner in the role of the King. There were some moments where Lee sounded just like Brynner. Hoon Lee played the role with such cleverness and realism. Ruthie Ann Miles did a wonderful job as Lady Thiang. Mile's song, "Something Wonderful" brought the house down. Her Tony was well deserved as well.
Ashley Park and Conrad Ricamora played the ill fated lovers Tuptim and Lun Tha. Park and Ricamora had stunning voices. Ashley Park played the role of Tuptim with such vulnerability, while Conrad Ricamora played Lun Tha with great confidence.
My favorite parts of the show were "Getting to Know You" and the ballet in the second act, "The Small House of Uncle Thomas". "Getting to Know You" because that was the number where it completely phased me that I was watching Kelli O'Hara in "The King and I" on Broadway and she looked and sounded so beautiful. It was just true musical theatre. "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" because the choreography was amazing and it was so gorgeously staged.
At the beginning of the show, the actor's microphones weren't completely turned up. They were on, but they were just very quiet. but luckily that was fixed by the time Kelli O'Hara started to sing "I Whistle a Happy Tune". The lighting design (by Donald Holder) was very simple. Nothing to write home about.
Director Bartlett Sher did a wonderful job staging the show nearly in the round. He staged it to where you can see everyone's face at nearly all times, and when someone's back was to you, you were okay with it. Christopher Gattelli did a superior job choreographing the show. "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" was so beautiful to watch and the orchestra sounded so marvelous through out the entire show.
I can't really go into the sets (done by Michael Yeargan) since from where I was sitting I couldn't really see them. I was in the sixth row of the theatre side orchestra. However, there are a few set pieces that I can talk about. The first of which, is the huge ship that same down at the beginning of the show. That ship looked amazing. It is the first thing you see once the curtain opens and it just leaves you saying "WOW!" The second one is the big Buddha that is in the king's palace. It is really grand and is fun to look at. Also, the costumes by Catherine Zuber were such great eye candy.
Overall, "The King and I" was beautiful production with a cast that was on the dot. I'd say that this production should be on everybody's "to see" list. Five Stars.
As of May 3 2016, the current cast of "THE KING AND I" consists of:
Anna Leonowens- MARIN MAZZIE
The King of Siam- DANIEL DAE KIM
Lady Thiang- RUTHIE ANN MILES
Tuptim- ASHLEY PARK
Lun Tha- CONRAD RICAMORA
Prince Chulalongkorn- JON VIKTOR CORPUZ
The Krolahome- PAUL NAKAUCHI
Louis Leonowens- NICKY TORCHIA
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