“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s songs are somewhere in everybody’s cerebral cortex – we all know and love them,” declared The King And I director, Bartlett Sher, before going on to prove his point in the best way possible: with some fantastic preview performances at the show’s West End launch event.
The production transfers from the Lincoln Center Theater in New York, where it claimed four Tony Awards, to go with hearts and minds in abundance. Now, starring the likes of leading lady Kelli O’Hara (who won the Tony for her Broadway performance) and Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe, reprising his role as the titular King of Siam, The King And I is set to do the same on these shores. Get a sneak peek of the show below.
Set in 1860’s Bangkok, The King And I tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children in an effort to modernise the country. But this appointment leads to a bitter conflict – and, secretly, a burgeoning love – between the two, neither of whom are prepared to admit their feelings.
With a glittering score of treasured songs including Whistle A Happy Tune, Getting To Know You, and Shall We Dance, and featuring a company of over 50 world-class performers, The King And I is a testament to the lavish heritage of gloriously romantic musical theatre.
The King And I begins performances at the London Palladium on 21 June 2018, booking until 29 September.
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