Acclaimed actress Ruthie Ann Miles will reprise her Tony Award-winning role of Lady Thiang in the West End transfer of The King And I this summer, with the show extending its run at the London Palladium due to high demand.
Miles will join fellow Tony Award-winner Kelli O’Hara (Anna) and Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe (The King) in crossing the Atlantic and making their West End debuts with the multi award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical.
The King And I has also announced that it will extend its run at the world-famous Palladium until 8 September 2018 due to high demand for tickets. The show was originally booking until August.
Ruthie Ann Miles originated the role of Imelda Marcos in the prestigious Public Theater production of Here Lies Love, for which she received the Lucille Lortel Award and the Theatre World Award. Playing Lady Thiang, the King’s chief wife, in The King And I, she won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the 2015 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
Ruthie Ann Miles and Kelli O’Hara in Lincoln Center Theater’s production of The King And I (Photo: Paul Kolnik)
With music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, The King And I – one of the famous duo’s finest works – boasts a score featuring such beloved classics as Getting To Know You, Hello Young Lovers, Shall We Dance, I Have Dreamed, and Something Wonderful.
Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children.
The King And I plays at the London Palladium from 21 June.