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The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical (Carousel, The Sound of Music) is on stage at the London Palladium until September 29.
The recovery of The King and I, who won 4 Tony Awards in 2015, moved to the huge London Palladium stage in June.
The story
Anna Leonowens, accompanied by her son, arrive in the Kingdom of Siam (present-day Thailand) to work as an English teacher at the Palace. The situation does not go as planned and the king refuses to keep his promises and grant Anna her personal home and the strength to live in the palace protected by the guards. She realizes the king's oppressive power over his subjects and does not hesitate to confront him. She still taught the king's children and wives to speak English and became friends with her students. In this intrigue interweaves the impossible love between the young Tiptum (the new wife of the king) and the student Lun Tha. Gradually, the king shows himself vulnerable and Anna agrees to help him in his foreign relations and even to orchestrate a dinner for the arrival of English graduates.
If the story does not end “well”, there is a message of hope for the future and for generations to come.
We especially notice the performance of Kelli O'Hara in the role of Anna Leonowens which is simply sublime. Her voice resonates and fills the theater with rare simplicity. She is an excellent actress and gives this musical a correctness in its subject. She captivates the 2200 spectators: we refrain from crying at the sound of his divine voice. She sets the bar high for the other actors!
Ken Watanabe, known in Hollywood for The Last Samurai and Inception, plays the king. It's very funny, but playing on the Thai accent causes a lot of text to be lost, we miss a few punchlines. He is not a singer but there is a certain vulnerability to the role. It has some highlight moments like 'A Puzzlement' and 'Shall We Dance?'.
The role of Lady Thiang is shared between Naoko Mori and Ruthie Ann Miles (who lost her daughter and newborn to an accident earlier this year) and who is remarkable in this role.
We also applaud Dean John-Wilson who plays Lun Tha and whose voice is delicious!
We completely fall in love with the King's children who are three apples tall and already so talented!
The audience is enchanted by the melodies and Rodgers & Hammerstein II performed by Kelli O'Hara and by the brilliance of the costumes and sets. It's a great show for all ages.