BWW Reviews: THE KING AND I Charms with Royal Turns by Alan Ariano and Chelsea Soto

Ours is not the first time in history that the forces of modernity have clashed with those of tradition, that the spirit of change has been met with fierce resistance. It is virtually unimaginable to our 21st Century minds that a despot would deign to freely forego his privilege and liberate his subjects from servitude and iron rule. Thanks, however, to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, The King and I offers a romantic vision of a ruler's self-directed effort to rebrand himself and to shapeshift his image as a barbarian. In this regard, even today, sixty-four years after its premiere, its core themes remain relevant.

Based on Anna and the King of Siam, Margaret Landon's 1944 adaptation of Anna Leonowens' memoirs of her experience as a teacher in the court of King Mongkut, The King and I is, however, two love stories in one: that of Anna's relationship with the King and that of Tuptim and Lun's forbidden affair.

Recruited to teach English to the palace children, Anna arrives in Bangkok in 1862 with her son Louis only to discover that the King has reneged on his deal to accommodate her in a house apart from the palace. Notwithstanding her misgivings, she remains in the palace to fulfill the commitment to her charges and, in due course, to persuade the King to abandon such practices as kowtowing. (It is worth noting that the King is well aware that the United States is in its second year of the Civil War and intrigued by the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and his commitment to end slavery.)

Concurrent with Anna's arrival is that of Tuptim (Chelsea Soto), a gift from the king of Burma to Mongkut. Tuptim's revulsion over her enslavement is displayed in her bold translation of Uncle Tom's Cabin into a ballet. Following the provocative performance, Tuptim's unsuccessful attempt to escape with Lun subjects her to a penalty that Anna cannot abide. The simmering tension between Anna and the King bubbles over and what hope there may have been for change seems to evaporate. It may ultimately fall to the King's son and future ruler, Chulalongkorn, to fulfill Anna's aspirations.

Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of this classic musical, directed by Andy Meyers, is a fine spectacle, enriched by Jim Hunter's exotic set and Kelsey Ettman's stunning costumes.

Alan Ariano has made the King's role his own, complete with emphatic gestures and vocalization. He captures the internal struggle of the autocrat with one foot in the past and one foot tiptoeing into an uncertain future ~ of the King who can turn on a dime from enthusiastic student to tyrant, from vulnerability to cruelty.

While Jill Tieskoetter brings an elegant bearing and a sturdy voice to her role as Anna, hers is a more by-the-numbers performance. She does not convey the nuances of emotion that would make Anna's and the King's emerging love believable and thus the audience more sympathetic to the musical's denouement.

Sometimes, there are moments in a production that are transcendent, that may virtually steal the show. In ABT's The King and I, two such moments occur. The first is the melodic, poignant, and inspiring performance of I Have Dreamed by Chelsea Soto. Ms. Soto seizes the moment and captures the audience's collective heart. She returns to introduce the musical's second tour de force of this musical, Jerome Robbins' The Small House of Uncle Thomas ballet, brilliantly choreographed by Heather Adams.

The King and I continues its run through February 15th.

Photo credit to Arizona Broadway Theatre

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