The King and I

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s timeless classic The King and I is portrayed most effortlessly on the Gold Coast Little Theatre stage. With beautiful costumes and cheeky children, it is a great way to round out GCLT’s playbill for 2019.

The talented cast is led by Malcolm McKenzie as The King, Rowena Orcullo Ryan as Lady Thiang, Annie Fand and Jian Peters as Tuptim and Lun Tha, and Flynn Anderson as Prince Chulalongkorn, all ably supported by over 10 minor principles and 20 children. Special mention must also be made to Flynn Nowlan and Ryder Calbert who play Louis Leonowens phenomenally.

The star of this show is undoubtedly Kellie Wilson, who played the very strong Anna Leonownes. With an AMusA qualification in voice, she is definitely one in a million!

Director Stuart Morgan, together with MD Ann Sparks and Choreographers Natasha Stenta and Gemma Boucher, have put together a very enjoyable show - from the ship arriving in Siam to the sad death of the King. 

The ingenious set that Mr Morgan designed, with movable towers, created a very easy way to make different settings. The audience felt like they were a part of this narrative and was being whisked away to different places at every turn. 

Although being as good as it is, the opening night was overshadowed with technical mishaps all through the show. But I’m sure that as times progress each mishap will become flawless.

This is a show not to be missed! With a sold out opening weekend, the time is now to get your tickets!

Jake Goodall