'The King and I': Revival of classic is the best ever

SHALL WE DANCE? Kelli O’Hara & Ken Watanabe in ‘The King and I.’ Photo: Paul Kolnik

THE KING AND I
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret London
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
150 West 65th Street
(212-239-6200), www.KingandIBroadway.com

By David NouNou

I’m not going to beat around the bush. The King and I is simply the best musical of the year. Each year in April, it has become customary for a crush of shows that open almost every night of the month and this year is no exception. What is an exception is the phenomenal revival that Lincoln Center is presenting and it is, by far, the best revival ever done of this classic 1951 musical. When most shows are being pared down to skimpy and tacky revivals, Lincoln Center and the formidable director Bartlett Sher have kept The King and I in its original sumptuous size and the result is simply breathtaking.

From the moment you enter the theater, Michael Yeargan’s magnificent Siamese set frame and curtain is in full view and already the mood is set for the magnificence and story to unfold. The same creative team and designers who did the outstanding 2008 revival of Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific have outdone themselves here. As in South Pacific, there is the incomparable Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens, giving an incandescent and what may be her best performance to date.

Going to Siam to teach the children of the King of Siam (Ken Watanabe) English, Anna gets exposed to a whole new way of life, culture, standards, rules and the role of women as slaves or concubines of the king. This is against anything she has known as an Englishwoman, widow and a mother of a young boy. At the palace, she gets to know the king and his demands, his wife, Lady Thiang (Ruthie Ann Miles), the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn (Jon Viktor Corpuz) and his 60-plus children as well as befriending the king’s latest present/slave from Burma, the lovely Tuptim (Ashley Park) and her lover, Lun Tha (Conrad Ricamora).

Intertwined with all these characters is the sumptuous score that actually propels the story forward; from the tuneful opening song of “I Whistle A Happy Tune” and “Getting to Know You” to the heartbreaking “Hello, Young Lovers” “We Kiss in a Shadow,” “Something Wonderful” and “I Have Dreamed” and to the heart-pounding rendition of “Shall We Dance,” each song is a story unto itself and each one is done to perfection.

I extolled Kelli O’Hara already; two more ladies are due their kudos: Ruthie Ann Miles nails Lady Thiang. As head wife of the king and future Queen Mother, Ms. Miles is flawless in her rendition of “Something Wonderful,” it is a showstopper; and Ashley Park as Tuptin is both lovely and vibrant. Ms. Park’s rendition of “The Small House of Uncle Thomas (Ballet)” is exhilarating.

I honestly wish I could end my review here, but how can one write a review about a show entitled The King and I and not mention the king? In South Pacific, Kelli O’Hara played against Paulo Szot who was outstanding and won the Tony as best actor as Emile de Becque. I’m afraid the same cannot be said here. Like the king in the show, Mr. Watanabe does try his best to be the best he can be, but his performance is a puzzlement. Who is to blame for it? On the surface, it seems that he just clenches his words so tightly, which render them totally incomprehensible. However, that is not the only problem. In trying not to do a carbon copy of Yul Brynner, the strength and the personality of the king become totally lost and he is no match for Anna. I wish more attention was paid to him to have improved the king’s diction and demeanor.

Despite this shortcoming, the show is still the best of the year, with the best score, best book from the days when they knew how to write one and tell a story, and the best creative team of sets, costumes, lighting, sound, musical direction and the crowning touch of Kelli O’Hara as the leading “I.”