The King and I
- For the 1956 film version starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr see The King and I (1956 film)
| The King and I | |
|---|---|
 Poster for the original Broadway production | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Book | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Basis | Novel by Margaret Landon Anna and the King of Siam |
| Productions | 1951 Broadway 1953 West End |
| Awards | 1952 Tony Award for Best Musical 1996 Tony Award for Best Revival |
The King and I is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, with a script based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon.The plot comes from the story written by Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Leonowens' story was autobiographical except that its objective accuracy is questionable. In Thailand, the possession of anything related to Anna and the King of Siam or The King and I is illegal, because of the historical inaccuracies about the King of Siam. It then became a movie and starred Deborah Kerr and Yul Brunner. [1] [2].
The musical opened on Broadway in 1951 and was the fourth hit out of five collaborations for the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It ran for 1,246 performances, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, among other awards. It spawned numerous revivals and a popular 1956 film version.
Plot
Mrs. Anna Leonowens, a widow from Wales, arrives in Bangkok with her young son to teach English to the children of the royal household. The King eventually honors his promise of a suitable house. He also very much wishes to absorb western knowledge, but is sometimes conflicted over how to reconcile western ways with his own. His efforts to do this, unadmitted even by himself, are further hindered by his minister, who wishes to keep Western influence out of the court.
Meanwhile, a new (literate) slave for the king named Tuptim -- a gift from the king of Burma -- befriends "Mrs. Anna" and borrows her copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin. She transforms it into the Siamese ballet Small House of Uncle Thomas, which is presented amidst the welcoming of emissaries from Great Britain, making it clear she is unhappy being a slave to the King. After the performance, when she tries to escape with her lover Lun Tha, she is apprehended. Anna urges the King not to beat the girl; he states he will do so anyway but finds himself unable to (presumably due to Anna's influence on him) and he hides himself away and declines in health. In the play, it is strongly implied that both Tuptim and Lun Tha are put to death, but in the 1956 film version of The King and I, it is suggested that only Lun Tha is killed.
Anna, thinking that she can no longer be of any use, is just about to leave Siam when she is told that the King is dying. She decides to stay in order to help his young son, Prince Chulalongkorn to rule the peple of Siam.
Music
|
|
* Omitted from 1956 film
† Omitted from 1956 film, but included on film soundtrack
‡ Heard in the film as underscoring
Notes on the music
The best-known songs from the musical are probably "Whistle a Happy Tune," "Getting to Know You," "Hello, Young Lovers," and "Shall We Dance?" Three songs omitted in the film-version, "My Lord and Master" , "I Have Dreamed", and "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?," were nonetheless included in the film's soundtrack recording. The song, "I Have Dreamed" was used as an instrumental in the background score. The song "Western People Funny," sung by Lady Thiang in the stage version, appears in the film only as orchestral background music. The first part of the "Song of the King" was also omitted in the film but included in the soundtrack recording. Only the second part of the song was retained in the film. Even the Overture was modified, due to the omission of "I Have Dreamed", which the film editor considered one too many love songs for Tuptim and Lun Tha. The most colorful number in the musical, both musically and visually (to Western audiences), is the ballet "Small House of Uncle Thomas," choreographed by Jerome Robbins.
Rodgers and Hammerstein knew they were writing for stars, Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner, who were primarily actors rather than singers. Therefore, they reserved the sweeping, more challenging melodies for the characters of Tuptim and Lun Tha and kept the songs sung by the other leads simple.
Mary Martin had starred in South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein a few years previously and was an investor in The King and I. When Gertrude Lawrence wanted to have a song with the children, Martin suggested that Rodgers and Hammerstein write new lyrics for "Suddenly Lovely," which had been cut from South Pacific. The song then became "Getting to Know You." [3]
Productions
Original Broadway 1951
The musical opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 29 1951 and starred Gertrude Lawrence as Anna, and a then mostly unknown Yul Brynner as the King. The production was directed by John Van Druten, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, with scenic and lighting design by Jo Mielziner, and costumes designed by Irene Sharaff.
It ran for 1,246 performances and won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress, Best Featured Actor (for Brynner, who was billed below the title and therefore considered featured instead of lead), Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design. Lawrence died the year after The King and I opened on Broadway. She was 54 years old.
London debut 1953
The musical opened at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on October 8 1953, and starred Valerie Hobson as Anna and Herbert Lom as the King. Muriel Smith portrayed Lady Thiang. The show ran for 926 performances.[4]
1977 Broadway revival
Brynner reprised the role twice on Broadway in 1977 and 1985 and played it over 4,000 times in the course of his life. He often stated he was far too young for the part when he originated it and felt more comfortable as the King in later years.
The 1977 production opened at the Uris Theatre, (now the George Gershwin Theatre) on May 2, 1977 with, in addition to Brynner, Constance Towers as Anna Leonowens, June Angela as Tuptim and Martin Vidnovic as Lun Tha. It was directed by Yuriko. Angela Lansbury took over the role of Anna later in the run. The revival ran for 695 performances.
1979 London revival
In 1979 a new production opened at the London Palladium with Brynner recreating his most famous role, co-starring with Virginia McKenna and John Bennett.
1985 Broadway revival
The 1985 revival opened at The Broadway Theatre on January 7 1985 with Brynner, and Mary Beth Peil as Anna. The production was directed by Mitch Leigh. This revival was nominated for two Tony awards. Yul Brynner received a Tony Special Award "honoring his 4,525 performances in The King and I. It ran for 191 performances.
1996 Broadway revival
Another Broadway revival opened on April 11 1996 at the Neil Simon Theatre, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as King Mongkut in his Broadway debut and Donna Murphy as Anna Leonowens. The secondary parts were cast as follows: Lun Tha was played by Jose Llana, Tuptim by Joohee Choi, and Lady Thiang by Taewon Kim. The production ran for 780 performances and closed February 22 1998. The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards and won four, including the awards for Best Musical (Revival) and Best Actress in a Musical.
A production based on the 1996 Broadway revival opened May 3, 2000, at the London Palladium. It starred Elaine Paige as Anna and Jason Scott Lee and Paul Nakauchi as the King.
In 2005 the musical was rated fourth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of "The Nation's Number One Essential Musicals" (wherein "Nation" refers to the United Kingdom).
2007 Asia tour
The musical made its Asia premiere in Shenzhen, China, on April 25, 2007. The tour continued to Hangzhou, China, as well as to Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The production starred Paul Nakauchi, formerly of the 2000 London revival production, as the King and Brianna Borger as Anna.
Film and television versions
1956 film version
The musical was filmed in 1956 with Brynner re-creating his role opposite Deborah Kerr. The film won 5 Academy Awards and was nominated for four more. Brynner won an Oscar as Best Actor for his portrayal, and Kerr was nominated as Best Actress. The film also won for best music.
1999 Animated version
RichCrest Animation Studios released a new, animated adaptation of the musical in 1999. However, except for using some of the songs, the story was unrelated to the Rodgers and Hammerstein version.
Other film and television versions
A short-lived television series entitled Anna and the King was created in 1972, giving credit to Margaret Landon for the creation. Yul Brynner reprised his role in the series as the King while Samantha Eggar played Anna Leonowens.
There are two non-musical films based upon the Anna Leonowens story. In 1946, Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne starred in the film Anna and the King of Siam. In 1999, 20th Century Fox released another film entitled Anna and the King. This version starred Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat.
Reaction in Thailand
Most Thai were shocked by the portrayal of their revered nineteenth-century king, Mongkut, in the musical The King and I. The stage and screen versions were based on Margaret Landon's 1944 book entitled Anna and the King of Siam. To correct the record, well-known Thai intellectuals Seni and Kukrit Pramoj wrote the account The King of Siam speaks in 1948. The Pramoj brothers sent their manuscript to the American politician and diplomat Abbot Low Moffat,[5] who drew on it for his biography entitled Mongkut the King of Siam (1961). Moffat donated the Pramoj manuscript to the U.S. Library of Congress in 1961.[6]
References
- ^ Thai Students' Guide: The King & I, Fact Or Fiction?
- ^ Thailand travel guide from Wikitravel
- ^ Playbill Happy Talk 18 Dec 1995
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/paige/essentialvote.shtml
- ^ Finding Aid for the Abbot Low Moffat papers, 1929-1943 (APAP-063). Bonita L. Weddle, compiler, January 31, 2000. M. E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York.
- ^ Southeast Asian Collection, Asian Division, Library of Congress