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ARCHIVE PAGE FOR - King and I

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London Palladium: Previewed 18 April, Opened 3 May 2000, Closed 5 January 2002

Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, directed by Christopher Renshaw with choregraphy by Jerome Robbins and musical staging by Lar Lubovitch.

For decades The King and I has captivated millions with its delightful story of Anna Leonowens, brought to the court of Siam as tutor to the king's children, it is a story of love and joy set to one of the most glorious, beautiful and unforgettable scores ever written, including 'Shall We Dance', 'I Whistle A Happy Tune', 'Hello Young Lovers' and 'Getting To Know You'. Winner of 4 Tony Awards, this revival promises to be "a lavish, luscious and triumphant new look at a time-honoured classic'

Cast from 24 April 2001: Josie Lawrence and Keo Woolford will play the roles of 'Anna' and 'The King'. The cast also includes Saeed Jaffrey as the 'Kralahome'. NOTE: Josie Lawrence is on holiday from 29 October to 3 November 2001

Hailed as "the most revishing show you may ever see on Broadway" when it opened there in 1996, this multi award-winning production of The King and I opened at the London Palladium on 3 May 2000 starring the 'First Lady of British Musical Theatre', Elaine Paige, and introducing Jason Scott Lee as the King of Siam. (Paul Nagauchi replaced Jason Scott Lee during the run).

Christopher Renshaw's West End credits include We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre 2002) and Taboo (The Venue 2002).

News about the show

On 30 November 1999: The search has started to find up to 100 children aged between 3 and 11 and of south-east Asian appearance to play the King's children! In London's West End children are only allowed to work 40 days in any one year - and the youngest ones can also only work eight days in every four weeks - so for The King and I they will be organised into three teams of about 12 which can be rotated. As the run continues more and more children will be needed to play the King's children.

On 18 July 2000: It was announced that Jason Scott Lee - who is currently playing the role of 'The King' - will be leaving the production on Saturday 29 July 2000. A spokesperson said that he was leaving the musical earlier than scheduled "due to a serious illness in the family," adding that there where no plans for him to return "for the forseeable future". From Monday 31 July 2000 the role of 'The King' will be played by Paul Nagauchi who was in the Broadway production.

On 17 October 2000: Elaine Paige will no longer appearing in any further Wednesday matinee performances. On Wednesday matinees the role of 'Anna' will be played by Claire Moore.

On 24 January 2001: A new eight month booking period - 23 April 2000 to 5 January 2002 was announced.

On 1 February 2001: It was announced that, with immediate effect, Elaine Paige will no longer be performing on Saturday matinees. As announced on 17 Oct, Elaine Paige also does not perform on Wednesday matinees either).

On 1 March 2001: It was officially confirmed that from Tuesday 24 April 2001, Josie Lawrence and Keo will replace Elaine Paige and Paul Nakauchi in the roles of 'Anna' and 'The King'. There will be an official 'Press/First Night' on Wednesday 9 May 2001 which will be at 7.00pm.

On 11 July 2001: A new three month booking period - covering performances from 7 January to 30 March 2002 - went on sale. There are rumours that the production may transfer from the 2300 seat London Palladium Theatre to a smaller theatre although this is currently just a rumour and nothing has been officially announced.

On 5 September 2001: Closing notices have been posted for 5 January 2001 after a run of 20 months. The production is expected to commence a national tour in April 2002. The next production at the London Palladium has not been announced yet, although there are rumours that a stage musical adaptation of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may possibly open here in Spring 2002 although this has not been confirmed yet and no futher details are currently available. (This has now been confirmed)

Extracts from the reviews:

From the 9 May 2001 cast featuring Josie Lawrence and Keo:

"One year on at the Palladium, The King and I looks and sounds as sumptuous as ever. Gertie Lawrence created the first-person role in 1951. This week Josie Lawrence (no relation) succeeded Ealine Paige as the governess at the court of the King of Siam. And the best compliment I can pay here is that she no way lets down the reputation of her great namesake, who was buried in the costume she first wore on Broadway, or indeed that of Miss Paige. Josie is tall, affable, impressionable. Her voice may lack a final dimension of quality and depth. But she is marvellously musical, and she puts her numbers across with good timing and finesse. The show strikes me as tighter than before, and the operatic singing, and orchestral playing are of the highest order." The Daily Mail

"...Elaine Paige has bequeathed her Victorian corsets and petticoats to Josie Lawrence, who takes on the role of governess Anna Leonowens with comic bite and a proper-as-teatime English accent that would make Julie Andrews proud. An audience filled with her fans ensures that Lawrence gets a round of applause simply for walking on stage, but after a slightly stilted start, she demonstrates herself worthy of such impromptu enthusiasm... Ironically, neither Lawrence nor Keo Woolford - who plays the King of Siam - excel as singers, but a sumptuously varied cast ensures that you are more entertained and awed than bored." The London Evening Standard

From the original revival cast starring Elaine Paige and Jason Scott Lee:

"... A good musical is more than the sum of its songs; and, if you have never seen this one, this new production - which comes from Broadway - is a handsome, spectacular, strongly performed introduction to one of the truly great musicals. And the show touches you on many fronts: the meeting of Siamese and Anglo-American culture, the issues of education and the loyalties between teacher and taught, the agonising conflicts within a would-be progressive monarch. One moment it is Mary Poppins (but better), another it is Boris Godounov; and the unfulfilled love story at its core is a fascination. But there is more to The King and I than this production reveals. Directed by Christopher Renshaw, it is set on commercial success. Too often it takes the cute or hard-boiled route... As Lady Thiang, Taewon Yi Kim's singing of "Something Wonderful" is the most glorious singing I have heard in a musical in years... Yukiko Kashiki's dancing as Eliza in the "Little House" ballet is astoundingly strong: her buoyancy in all those hops is breathtaking. The Siamese children are so wee that you want to applaud them just for being able to walk, let alone perform. But the staging of the children's entrance - in a good production, this can be the most moving moment in the show - has become horridly over-cute in this staging; and the "Little House" ballet has never seemed less fresh... The additional numbers, choreographed by Lar Lubovich, are thin, cute, forgettable... I can't help liking Elaine Paige. She's a true star, and a true professional; you can't take your eyes off her, the bloom still lies fresh on her voice, and the firm glow of her singing is all too rare in musicals today. Admittedly, she is not really an Anna. She has next to no vulnerability, no poignancy, and none of the demure, delicate, fine-lady exterior under which Anna's steel becomes so affecting... Jason Scott Lee makes the King a callow, cardboard creature, all eyes and eyebrows and clumsy diction. He, too, is a sort of star. At curtain-calls, he and Paige eye each other warily, like friendly alligators only temporarily basking in the sunlight." The Financial Times

"Shall we dance? Most certainly. The King and I waltzed back to the West End in truimph last night... Elaine Paige as English governess Anna proves she is the queen of the British stage musical and also shows a delicate comic touch. At 52 she should be better suited playing mothers not lovers. But she looks a lot younger than her years and is in excellent shape. The show cost �6million to stage and is money well spent. The palace sets are spectacular, the costumes dazzling and the songs a knockout too..." The Mirror

"...The one original component is the astonishing look of this production. It's the most gobsmacking sight on the London stage since The Lion King. The palace sets are a riot of reds and golds and the costumes just incredible... Love it or loathe it, The King and I is an unstoppable smash." The Express

"Once again, you may whistle a happy tune, kiss in the shadow, say hello to young lovers wherever they are, and wonder, shall we dance (one, two, three). Anna and the King of Siam are reunited in a good-looking, old-fashioned and totally unadventurous new production from Australia via Broadway. You can see why Elaine Paige had misgivings about taking the role of the Victorian governess trying to bring democracy, education and new values to the court of a tyrannical polygamist. She is too short, too rough at the edges and not really all that shockable. But she sings up a storm and brings revelatory musicianship to the difficult first act soliloquy. The trouble is that Christopher Renshaw's frankly provincial production has no pace or vitality and is too faithfully reconstituted in a red cavern of stooping elephant trunks, Brian Thomson's design resembles a large-scale Indian restaurant with a naff floorshow... Shall we dance? By all means, on a bright cloud of music, but not for too long." The Daily Mail

 
 
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