Kevin Gray will reprise his Broadway role as the King alongside esteemEd English actress Elizabeth Renihan as Mrs Anna in a brand new production of the much-loved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King & I, which will open at the Liverpool Empire in January 2005 ahead of a year-long national tour.

Directed by Stephen Rayne, this new production will use as its inspiration Anna and the King of Siam, the original Margaret Landon novel on which this all-time classic musical is based. Celebrating the fiftieth year since the release of the famous Oscar Winning film, it will explore and correct some of the myths behind this enchanting story, which is set in the early 1860s in the Royal capital city of Bangkok in the Kingdom of Siam.

Kevin Gray's extensive US theatre credits include Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, the Engineer in Miss Saigon and Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, whilst Elizabeth Renihan has worked extensively here in the UK with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.

The King and I is set to one of the most glorious, beautiful and unforgettable scores ever written for the stage, including 'Shall we Dance?', 'I Whistle a Happy Tune', 'Hello Young Lovers', 'Getting to Know You', 'I Have Dreamed' and 'Something Wonderful'. The original production of The King and I with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers, opened on Broadway in 1951 and has captured millions in the decades since with its delightful story of Anna Leonowens, brought to the court of Siam as tutor to the King's 67 children.

The King and I is directed by Stephen Rayne with choreography by Nikki Woolaston, musical supervision by John Rigby and sound design by Colin Pink.

This production is presented by NETworks Presentations International. Established in 1995, NETworks has offices in New York City, NY and Washington DC and London. Heading UK operations is NETworks Presentations Executive Producer Seth Wenig, a long established theatrical producer, who has worked on over 20 Broadway touring shows including The Sound of Music, Starlight Express, Gypsy, Cinderella and many more. NETworks are currently producing the US tours of the Royal National Theatre production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! and Cameron Mackintosh's production of Oliver!

 

UK DATES AND VENUES 

Liverpool	Empire Theatre  Box Office: 0870 6063536	Sat 22 – Sat 29 Jan
Manchester	Palace Theatre Box Office: 0870 4013000	Tue 1 – Sat 12 Feb
Eastbourne	Congress Theatre Box Office: 01323 412000	Tue 15 – Sat 26 Feb
Llandudno	North Wales Theatre Box Office: 01492 872000	Tue 1 – Sat12 March
Northampton	Derngate Box Office: 01604 624811	Tue 15 – Sat 26 March
York	Grand Opera House Box Office: 0870 606 3595	Tue 29 March – Sat 2 April
Oxford	New Theatre Box Office: 0870 606 3500	Mon 4 – Sat 9 April
Canterbury	Marlowe Theatre Box Office: 01227 787787	Tue 12 – Sat 23 April
Bradford	Alhambra Theatre Box Office: 01274 432 000	Tue 26 April – Sat 7 May
Nottingham	Royal Concert Hall Box Office: 0115 9895555	Tue 10 – Sat 21 May
Edinburgh	The Playhouse Box Office: 0870 6063424	Tue 24 May – Sat 4 June
Blackpool	Opera House Box Office: 01253 292029	Tue 7 – Sat 18 June
Birmingham	Alexandra Theatre Box Office: 0870 6077533	Tue 21 June – Sat 2 July
Bournemouth	Pavilion Theatre Box Office: 0870 111 3000	Tue 5 – Sat 16 July
Bristol	Bristol Hippodrome Box Office: 0870 6077500	Tue 19 – Sat 30 July
Wimbledon	New Wimbledon Theatre Box Office: 0870 0606646	Tue 30 Aug – Sat 10 Sept
Leicester	De Montfort Hall Box Office: 0116 233 3111	Tues 13 – Sat 17 Sept
Sheffield	Lyceum Theatre Box Office: 0114 2496000	Tue 20 Sept – Sat 1 Oct
Sunderland	Empire Theatre Box Office: 0870 6021130	Tue 4 – Sat 15 Oct

 

 

Glasgow	The King's Theatre Box Office: 0141 2401111	Tue 18 – Sat 29 Oct
Torquay	Princess Theatre Box Office: 0870 2414120	Tue 1 – Sat 12 Nov
Cardiff	New Theatre Box Office: 029 20878889	Tue 15 – Sat 26 Nov