Tony winner Bartlett Sher (South Pacific) directs this classic tale of a British schoolteacher's unexpected relationship with the imperious King of Siam.
Five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific) and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception) star in a magnificent new Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved THE KING AND I.
Featuring a cast of more than 50, choreography based on the original by Jerome Robbins, and a score of treasured songs including "Getting to Know You," "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Shall We Dance?" in their glorious, original orchestrations, Lincoln Center Theater's new staging of THE KING AND I invites you to get to know this inspiring and enchanting musical classic.
There are moments in Lincoln Center Theater's ravishing new Broadway production of The King and I (***½ out of four) that may leave you grinning so hard your face will hurt. Then suddenly, without warning, you'll be fighting off tears...The one element missing from this new revival is a rock-solid leading man. Making his Broadway debut as the King of Siam, Japanese film star Ken Watanabe doesn't yet hold the stage with complete confidence, or enunciate all of his lines clearly. But his performance is brave, underlining the character's hidden vulnerability, and at times disarmingly playful. Sparring with and teasing Anna, his King can convey an almost childlike sense of mischief, and wonder. O'Hara complements and supports her co-star with a study in effortless poise, singing and acting with gorgeous subtlety. There is nothing forced or strident about this Anna; when she stands up to the King -- defying his attitudes about women, and his apparent need to demean his subjects -- her indignation is made more powerful by her sustained grace.
Mr. Sher...understands very well what makes the show work, and he delivers it clean-scrubbed and naked, allowing us to see 'The King and I' plain...its most impressive achievement is how it balances epic sweep with intimate sensibility...That Ms. O'Hara, one of our greatest reinterpreters of musical standards, does so is not surprising. (You'll feel you're hearing 'Hello, Young Lovers' for the first time.) But also give full marks to the first-rate Ruthie Ann Miles...who, as the King's chief wife, turns 'Something Wonderful' into an exquisite expression of romantic realism that could be the show's anthem. The person she's singing about with such fond ambivalence...is the King himself, embodied here by Mr. Watanabe with the convincing exasperation of a majesty under siege...his big solos, while attacked with ardor, should become even stronger as his pronunciation improves. But he sure comes across when it really counts...As played by Ms. O'Hara, [Anna's] a smart, scrappy, willful pragmatist who also happens to know that love is often as strange as it is undeniable. That knowledge infuses every note Ms. O'Hara sings, and it is something wonderful indeed.
1951 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1953 | West End |
London Production West End |
1956 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1960 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1961 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1963 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1964 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Revival Broadway |
1968 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1969 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1973 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1977 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1979 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1985 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1996 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2000 | West End |
London Production West End |
2002 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
2004 | US Tour |
Touring Revival US Tour |
2006 | St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
St. Louis MUNY Production St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
2015 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theatre Broadway Revival Broadway |
2016 | US Tour |
Lincoln Center National Tour US Tour |
2018 | West End |
West End Revival Prodution West End |
2024 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Costume Design | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Scott Lehrer |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ruthie Ann Miles |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ruthie Ann Miles |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Michael Yeargan |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Christopher Gattelli |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Bartlett Sher |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Donald Holder |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Ken Watanabe |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Ruthie Ann Miles |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Lincoln Center Theater |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Andre Bishop |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Adam Siegel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Hattie K. Jutagir |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Ambassador Theatre Group |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Michael Yeargan |
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