"The King and I" a delight at the Sydney Opera House

“The King and I” has transformed the Sydney Opera House into an exotic Asian scene of beauty.

Tonight I was privileged to see the first of the series of Preview Performances before the show has its Opening Night this Thursday night.

Not having been to a Preview Performance before, I was not sure what to expect. Would the Director come out every 10 minutes and make changes, or ask for a scene to be repeated? No. Would there be some scenes in complete darkness because the lighting crew had not got it quite right? No. Would the orchestra play the wrong tune for a song? No. For the first part of the show I was keeping alert to spot any mistakes made. However, I soon forgot about trying to find mistakes, as I did not find any. I just enjoyed being swept away in the emotion and story line of “The King and I”.

What a show it was. The singing, costumes, sets and all the other theatre components made “The King and I” the most enjoyable theatre production I have seen for ages.

The foyer was decorated with Siam sets, so that I and the full house of other theatre goers were put in the right mood even before entering the theatre proper.

“The King and I” tells the story of an Anna Leonowens, an English school teacher, arriving in Siam in 1862 to teach the children of Mongkut, the King of Siam. Anna wrote two books in the 1870’s about her experiences in Siam, and Margaret Landon wrote the novel “Anna and the King of Siam” in 1944. Films and TV series were based on this novel, and Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein 11 adapted the novel into a musical in 1951. Yul Brynner is well known for staring in the 1956 “The King and I” movie. (For those who are like me and are not up on world geography, Siam is the country that changed its name to Thailand in 1948.)

The “King and I” speaks of the clash of Western and Asian cultures, of authority, loyalty and of love.

The two main roles in “The King and I” were admirably played by Lisa McCune (Anna) and Teddy Tahu Rhodes (the King).

Lisa has been in commercials for Coles Supermarkets, and is well known for her TV roles in Blue Heelers, Sea Patrol and Reef Doctors. Previous musicals she has been in include “The Sound of Music”, “South Pacific”, and “Guys and Dolls”. Lisa’s soprano voice captures well all the emotions that Anna exhibits from when she first meets the King and gets to know him to the final tearful scene.

Teddy, born in New Zealand, has performed in many prominent Australian and overseas opera companies and theatres. His bass/baritone voice is well suited to the commanding and gentle songs that the King sings in the show.

The stand out singers in “The King and I” belong to the concubine Tuptim (Jenny Liu) and her secret lover Lun Tha (Adrian Li Donni). They both have perfect singing voices for their love scenes.

The supporting roles of Shu-Cheen Yu as Lady Thiang, with her strong voice singing “Something Wonderful”, and Marty Rhone as Kralahome, add to the strength of this production of “The King and I”.

The Children of the King are a delight on stage, and add a degree of cuteness to the production.

The full theatre audience appreciated this production of “The King and I” as much as I did. This is a credit to the shows Director, production team, actors and dancers. “The King and I” Director Christopher Renshaw has done a wonderful job of bringing all the various components of the show together.

The costumes designed by Roger Kirk were exceptional. Lisa McCune wore a total of six wonderful huge dresses with corseted bodices and hooped skirts during the show. These seemed to fill the whole stage when she danced. The exotic oriental fabrics of gold embroidered Thai silk in the dresses worn by the King’s wives and children were dazzling.

The sets designed by Brian Thomson create the port scene where Anna first arrives in Siam and the opulent Kings Palace where most of the action of the musical takes place. The exquisite gold fabric curtains, Swarovski crystals, moving set pieces and sliding screens that make up the various sets, create an effective backdrop for the singers and dancers on stage that transports you to Siam. The elaborate sets, especially the wonderful King’s throne, take you to another time and place.

The spectacular Original Choreography in “The King and I” is by Jerome Robbins and the Choreography by Susan Kikuchi. The dancing, whether it was the gracious waltzes or the enticing Siamese dances, looked wonderful when combined with the elaborate costumes and lighting effects. The dance scenes in the play “The Small House of Uncle Thomas”, performed by the Siamese in the Palace for visiting dignitaries, were a highlight of the show.

The “King and I” orchestra was wonderful. The loud dramatic instrumental pieces were just that. The soft romantic pieces provided the right background for the singer’s voices. All helped create the Siamese Palace atmosphere. This is all due to the skills of the Musical Director Peter Casey, the Orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and the Dance, Vocal, & incidental music arrangements by Trude Rittman.

Nigel Levings , the Lighting Designer was responsible for lighting the stage to highlight the golden tones of the Palace. Michael Waters, the Sound Designer, worked wonders with the sound so that all the spoken and sung words and music could be clearly heard.

At the recent Helpmann Awards, “The King and I” was presented with three awards that recognised the great musical theatre production that it is - Best Musical, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound Design.

“The King and I” is the result of a wonderful partnership of Opera Australia and John Frost, who have done so much over the years to bring excellent music and theatre to Australian audiences over the years.

My recommendation is that you make your booking to see “the King and I” very soon, as some of the shows have already sold out and it has only a short season at the Sydney Opera House.

The King and I

Where: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
When: Now until November 1st.
Tickets: http://thekingandimusical.com.au/