The King and I
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 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 |
| Based upon | Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon |
| Productions | 1951 Broadway production 1953 Original London production |
| Awards | 1952 Tony Award for Best Musical |
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. The possession of anything relating to "Anna and the King of Siam" or "The King and I" is illegal in Thailand, where the story is set, because of what the Thai government said were historical inaccuracies about the King of Siam. (See trivia section below).
Contents |
[edit] Musical
[edit] Broadway
[edit] Original production
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 1246 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.
[edit] 1977 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 and was nominated for a Tony. The revival ran for 695 performances.
[edit] 1985 revival
The 1985 revival opened at The Broadway Theatre on Jan 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.
[edit] 1996 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.
[edit] London
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 926 performances.
In 1979, a new production opened at the London Palladium with Yul Brynner recreating his most famous role, co-starring with Virginia McKenna and John Bennett.
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 as the King.
[edit] 1956 Film version
Main Article: The King and I (1956 film)
The musical was filmed in 1956 with Brynner re-creating his role opposite Deborah Kerr. Brynner won an Oscar as Best Actor for his portrayal, and Kerr was nominated as Best Actress. The singing voice for Anna in the film was provided by Marni Nixon.
[edit] 1999 Animated version
RichCrest Animation Studios (then known as Rich Animation Studios) made a new, animated adaptation of the musical. Many who have seen this version consider it a disgrace to both the original film and the Broadway version unlike the animated version of Anastasia. While this version follows the same layout of the relationship of Anna and the king, the story and subplot were changed drastically:
- The Kralahome was made into a villain who tries to use Anna as bait to overthrow the King as a barbarian and rule the kingdom, with the aid of a new character, Master Little.
- The King is less aggressive with people and has more of a sense of humor.
- Tuptim falls in love with Prince Chulalongkorn (who was written as an adult) instead of Lun Tha, who does not exist in this version.
- There is no "Small House" ballet in this version as well.
- The King does not die.
- Anna gets a house adjoining the palace at the end of the film.
- The "Shall we Dance?" reprise sequence is not shown until the end of the picture.
- The "Getting To Know You" number was sung outside the palace, with Master Little pursuing Anna and the children.
- The "Whistle A Happy Tune" number was sung to ward off a sea monster.
- The numbers "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You" and "A Puzzlement" were shortened.
- In the Prayer to Buddha scene, "scientific sewing of dresses" was changed to "scientific preparation of banquet".
- New animal characters are added to the story, including the King's pet panther and a baby elephant named Tusker.
[edit] 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, Crown Prince Chulalongkorn -- her favorite pupil -- to rule his people.
[edit] Music
[edit] Act I
- Overture -- Orchestra
- I Whistle a Happy Tune -- Anna and Louis
- My Lord and Master -- Tuptim (omitted from the 1956 film, but included on the film's soundtrack album)
- Hello, Young Lovers -- Anna
- The March of the Siamese Children -- Orchestra
- Scene Before Curtain (Home Sweet Home) -- Priests and Children
- A Puzzlement -- King
- The Royal Bangkok Academy -- Anna, Wives, and Children (omitted from the 1956 film)
- Getting to Know You -- Anna, Wives, and Children
- We Kiss in a Shadow -- Tuptim and Lun Tha
- A Puzzlement (Reprise) -- Louis and Prince Chululongkorn (omitted from the 1956 film)
- Shall I Tell You What I Think of You? -- Anna (omitted from the 1956 film, but included on the film's soundtrack album)
- Something Wonderful -- Lady Thiang
- Something Wonderful (Reprise) -- Lady Thiang (omitted from the 1956 film)
- Finale, Act I -- King, entire palace
[edit] Act II
- Entr'acte -- Orchestra (omitted from the 1956 film)
- Western People Funny -- Lady Thiang and Wives (heard only as background music in the 1956 film)
- I Have Dreamed -- Tuptim and Lun Tha (heard only as background music in the 1956 film, but sung on the film's soundtrack album)
- Hello, Young Lovers (Reprise) -- Anna (omitted from the 1956 film)
- The Small House of Uncle Thomas (Ballet) -- Tuptim and Wives
- Song of the King -- King
- Shall We Dance? -- Anna and King
- I Whistle a Happy Tune (Reprise) -- Anna (omitted from the 1956 film)
An offscreen chorus reprises part of Something Wonderful at the end of the 1956 film. This reprise is also heard on the film's soundtrack album.
[edit] 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 commercial soundtrack recording. The song, "I Have Dreamed" was used as an instrumental in the background score. (Interestingly, 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 omitted, but also used in the commercial Soundtrack recording. Only the second part of the song was retained. Even the Overture had to be modified, due to the omssion 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 their stars, Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner, who were not true singers. Therefore, they reserved the sweeping, deep melodies for the characters of Tuptim and Lun Tha and kept the songs sung by the other leads very simple.
[edit] Trivia
- In 2005 the musical version came fourth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals" (wherein Nation refers to the United Kingdom). [1]
- Mary Martin had worked on South Pacific with 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." [2]
- The possession of anything related to Anna and the King of Siam or The King and I is illegal in Thailand, because of what the Thai government said were historical inaccuracies about the King of Siam.[1] [2]
[edit] Related film and television versions
There are two non-musical films based upon this 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. Also in 1999, an animated version of The King and I was released by Warner Bros.; it was also a musical, but except for using some of the songs, it was unrelated to the Rodgers and Hammerstein version. (Needless to say, there are considerable variations among the film versions of the story.)
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 was cast as Anna Leonowens.
An episode of the adult cartoon Family Guy entitled "The King Is Dead" parodies this story.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Anna and the King of Siam (1946) at the Internet Movie Database
- The King and I (1956) at the Internet Movie Database
- Anna and the King (TV Series; 1972) at the Internet Movie Database
- The King and I (Animated; 1999) at the Internet Movie Database
- Anna and the King (1999) at the Internet Movie Database
- The King and I at The Internet Broadway Database
| Musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein |
|---|
| Oklahoma! • Carousel • Allegro • South Pacific • The King and I • Me and Juliet • Pipe Dream • Cinderella • Flower Drum Song • The Sound of Music • State Fair |
