The King & I – Palace Theatre
In the aftermath of the coronation of King Charles III it seemed somehow appropriate to see this famous musical about an altogether different type of monarch.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit musical was written in 1951 and was based on Margaret Landon's novel, Anna and the King of Siam, which in turn is based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s.
Most people will know the 1956 film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, but this production was better than the film. It was full of fun, at turns amusing, emotional, lively and at its very heart lavishly entertaining.
Underneath its effervescent charm lie a number of issues that are bound to emerge in a cross-cultural musical, especially in this day and age. Anna’s attemp...