On & Off Broadway

Two Classics: ‘The King and I’ and ‘The Visit’

Reviewed by Elyse Trevers

Posted

A classic is something that is popular, timeless and influential. It can be a car, clothing, a Broadway musical like ‘The King and I’ or a Broadway performer like Chita Rivera.

I never thought of The King and I as a feminist play until I saw the latest revival, directed by Bartlett Sher at Lincoln Center. With no dialogue changes, this glorious production provides the play with a new meaning. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical stars Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens, an English schoolteacher who comes to Siam to teach the king’s wives and children. Those were the days when Thailand was Siam, European women wore unwieldy hoop skirts, and the King of Siam was the ultimate ruler with the power of life and death over his subjects.

The musical is the story of East meeting West and a strong-willed woman butting heads with an intransigent man. The story shows the relationship that develops between the two of them even as their cultures clash. Underscoring their cultural difference is a young girl, Tuptim (lovely Ashley Park) who has been sent as a “gift” to the King from Burma.

O’Hara has a splendid lyric soprano voice and delights the audience as she sings songs including “Shall We Dance” and “Getting To Know You.” Ken Wattanabee as the King has the appropriate tall muscular bearing, but he struggles with English and with melodies. He sings "’Tis a Puzzlement" but sadly t'was a distraction. Ruthie Ann Miles (Here Lies Love) as Lady Thiang gives a beautifully moving rendition of “Something Wonderful.” The large group of children is adorable. The staging is spare, yet elegant, and the costumes are stunning.

My much-younger colleague, lacking familiarity with The King and I, found it slow at times, yet the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show. Generally the Lincoln Center audience is an older, more sophisticated one, one less likely to give standing ovations, which have become commonplace at every Broadway show nowadays. Yet The King and I got a ‘standing O’ at its conclusion.

The King and I felt like a musical walk down memory lane. Classics like The King and I are never dated, especially when, like this one, it still has something to say.

The Visit

Page 1 / 2