The Regent Theatre has been transported back to the heyday of musical theatre with its latest production. The multi-award winning The King and I was one of the massive musical hits of the 1950s when Rodgers and Hammerstein ruled the entertainment roost.
Based loosely on a true story, the plot revolves around the court of The King of Siam (Darren Lee) telling the tale of an autocratic ruler who is fearful that his country will be taken over by an imperial power. Seeing his neighbouring countries becoming involved in “associations” with colonial states, the King decides to adopt a more western outlook for his nation.
With the huge gulf in cultures in the Victorian era this is a bold move but he hires an English widow to become teacher to his wives – the principal being Lady Thiang (Cezarah Bonner) – and many children – the heir to the throne being Prince Chulalongkorn (Caleb Lagayan). Anna Leonowens (Annalene Beechey) is persuaded to take the post by the offer of a salary of £20 and a house of her own and arrives with her son Louis.
A fiercely independent woman, she ignores the warnings of the Kralahome (Kok-Hwa Lie) that the King is all-powerful and meets him head on. The failure to provide the promised house becomes a major conflict between the two and Anna packs her bags to leave but there is a growing admiration between the two main characters which makes the parting more difficult.
The parting is made no easier by the respect shown to their teacher by the children who are taught the more liberal ways of the western world. And that respect is also evident in the relationship with Tuptim (Marienella Phillips) who has been given to the King as the gift of a junior wife by the King of Burma but is secretly in love with Lun Tha (Dean John-Wilson) – a relationship with fatal consequences.
The illicit relationship is one of a number of sub-plots. Thiang knows it is difficult to live with the King but is instrumental in persuading Anna to accept him for all his faults with a beautiful rendition of Something Wonderful. Meanwhile the crown prince is fearful of taking on the responsibility of becoming King even though he is anxious to westernise his kingdom.
All appears to be progressing smoothly when the visiting Sir Edward Ramsay (Sam Jenkins-Shaw) is impressed by the culture shown by his hosts. Unfortunately, the King is angered by the hidden message of the ballet The Small House of Uncle Thomas presented by Tuptim.
However, the main plot line is the love that should have been but could never be between the King and his governess. Lee and Leonowens have a beautiful chemistry between them with the Buddhist Prayer bringing a delightful end to Act 1 and giving a lovely performance of Shall We Dance. And this chemistry is echoed between John-Wilson and Phillips whose duet We Kiss In A Shadow is performed with genuine feeling.
The choreography from Christopher Galletti is pure perfection. The production of Getting To Know You is exquisite in its intricacy while the ballet is a masterpiece. Add in some West End-worthy vocals from all concerned and the whole production becomes a feast to the eyes and ears.
There are some nods to the fact that this piece of magical musical theatre first saw life in the 1950s. But there is no doubt that this production fully deserves a place on the modern stage. It is vibrant, colourful and professional in all respects and a cast of cute children adds to the experience.
The audience took the performance to its hearts “Great singing”; “Great Dancing”; “Great Acting”; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera were the comments heard. The King and I? The people of the Potteries should flock in and make this The King and the people of Stoke-on-Trent!!
The King And I has a running time of approximately 3 hours including interval. For ticket information contact atgtickets.com/stoke
