The King and I

There must have been a mix up at the box office because of instead of sitting in the clouds somehow we ended up in what felt like the Governor’s seats – dead centre five rows from the front. Malcolm Turnbull, in the seat behind, gave me a tip on how to conduct a regal wave.

Already on a high after seeing Stage Whispers’ own Coral Drouyn quoted in large letters at the front entrance of the Opera House describing the Melbourne production as “the perfect musical” I could hardly fail to have a good time.

The word which comes to mind to describe this production is glittering. We were showered with gold paper at the curtain call and showered with visual morsels during the entire performance. The set and costumes, which won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for designers Brian Thomson and Roger Kirk in 1996, are exquisite.

The debate amongst music theatre aficionados afterwards, was whether the performances of the cast members were as  spectacular as their surroundings?

You could not fault the utterly gorgeous children’s cast who were as cute as possible.

There was also real chemistry between the frustrated young lovers Adrian Li Donni as Lun Tha and Jenny Liu as Tuptim, as you can see in the song I have Dreamed.

Lisa McCune was charming and dignified as Anna Leonowens and especially up close when she starts dancing with the King you could feel her being swept off her feet.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes however divided audience members. The fact that he was not Thai was not a problem in my opinion. After all if it is OK for colour blind casting to allow a Japanese tenor play a Parisian bohemian then why can’t a New Zealander play the King of Siam?

The issue which rankled some was his acting ability. His dialogue skills are less developed than his impressive physique and booming baritone voice. A more charismatic King can help distract from the creakier parts of the book.

Aspects of the musical written in 1951 are beginning to show their age. One that comes to mind is the ballet sequence in the Uncle Tom’s Cabin play scene. It was staged beautifully but this could not disguise the fact that its portrayal of race relations is at the very least awkward.

None of these issues will however diminish the overall enjoyment for audience members who will be enchanted by its music, spectacle and romance.

David Spicer

Images: Lisa McCune as Anna Leonowens and Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the King of Siam & Jenny Liu as Tuptim and Adrian Li Donni as Lun Tha. Photographer: Brian Geach.

More Reading

Our original Brisbane review

Melbourne review with Jason Scott Lee

Melbourne review with Lou Diamond Phillips