Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes to Star in Opera Australia's THE KING AND I from April 15

Opera Australia Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini and leading Australian theatre producer John Frost today announced the principal cast for Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic Broadway musical The King and I.

Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes will co-star in the Tony Award-winning Australian production, which is being revived next year by the Gordon Frost Organisation and Opera Australia.

Much-loved Australian actress and four-time Gold Logie winner Lisa McCune plays English governess Anna Leonowens, while internationally acclaimed opera singer Teddy Tahu Rhodes takes on his second musical theatre role as the King of Siam.

Hot from their success playing opposite each other in South Pacific, also presented by Opera Australia and John Frost, the pair will headline the Brisbane and Sydney seasons. Lisa McCune will also star in Melbourne, where the King will be played by an international artist to be announced at a later date.

Chinese-born Australian opera singer Shu-Cheen Yu plays Lady Thiang, the King's chief wife, returning to the production 23 years after playing the young Burmese slave girl Tuptim in 1991.

Adrian Li Donni is Lun Tha, the Burmese scholar and envoy who is secretly in love with Tuptim, a role he played for the Production Company in Melbourne in 2010 and in the US the year before that.

"I'm thrilled with the wonderful cast we've assembled for The King and I," said John Frost. "I know this production will be as magnificent as the original, which is remembered as a milestone in Australian theatrical history. It brings me great joy to be able to return to this special production with Opera Australia following our huge success with South Pacific."

"Teddy and Lisa coming together worked wonderfully well in South Pacific and it seemed to us that we should capitalise on that success and continue with it. They were both terrific in South Pacific and the audience really responded to them as I'm sure they will in The King and I," said Lyndon Terracini.

The King and I was Rodgers and Hammerstein's fifth musical together and is considered one of the jewels in their crown. It was based on Margaret Landon's 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, which took its inspiration from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, a British governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam (now Thailand) in the early 1860s.

The beautiful score includes the songs "I Whistle a Happy Tune", "Getting to Know You", "Shall We Dance?" and "Hello, Young Lovers".

A hit on Broadway in 1951, where it starred Gertrude Lawrence (who died during the season) and Yul Brynner, the show ran for three years before touring. The first London production opened in 1953, enjoying similar success. In 1956 it became a famous film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner who won an Academy Award for his performance.

John Frost's now legendary Australian production premiered at the Adelaide Festival Theatre in 1991. Directed by West End director Christopher Renshaw and starring Hayley Mills as Anna, it played to sell out houses around the country. In 1996, the production went on to win four Tony Awards on Broadway: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical (Donna Murphy), Best Scenic Design (Brian Thomson) and Best Costume Design (Roger Kirk). The Broadway season was followed by a US tour. In 2000, the production opened at the London Palladium with Elaine Paige as Anna where it played for nearly two years before embarking on a UK tour.

Christopher Renshaw will return to Australia next year to revive the production, with its stunning Thai-inspired set design by Brian Thomson, sumptuous costumes by Roger Kirk and lighting by Nigel Levings. Susan Kikuchi will recreate the original Jerome Robbins choreography as well as the choreography of her mother Yuriko who appeared in the 1951 Broadway production and the 1956 film.

President and Executive Director of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, Ted Chapin said: "John Frost's production of The King And I is a classic example of taking a theatrical risk - a risk that ended up paying off better than anyone could have imagined. John's resume didn't necessarily warrant him being handed the rights to one of Rodgers & Hammerstein's best shows, but he was enthusiastic and spirited - characteristics I am happy to say he still possesses today - and persuasive. Seeing the production in Melbourne was one of the most exciting nights of my life, and that started the worldwide roll-out which, of course, included a triumphant run on Broadway. I am so looking forward to seeing it again, and Opera Australia is the perfect modern partner."

The King and I opens in Brisbane at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in April 2014, then moves to the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in June, followed by a Sydney season at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House in September.

For more information, visit www.thekingandimusical.com.au.

SEASON DETAILS:

Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane

Season: From 15 April, 2014

Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Matinees Tues, Wed & Sat 1.30pm & Sun 3pm

Price: From $69.90*

Bookings: qpac.com.au or phone 136 246

Groups of 10 or more 07 3840 7466

Premium Tickets & Packages visit SHOWBIZ.COM.AU or 1300 4 SHOWS

Tickets on sale 28 October

Princess Theatre, Melbourne

Season: From 10 June, 2014

Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Matinees Tues & Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm & Sun 3pm

Price: From $79.90*

Bookings: Ticketmaster.com.au or phone 1300 111 011

Groups of 10 or more call 1300 889 278

Premium Tickets & Packages visit SHOWBIZ.COM.AU or 1300 4 SHOWS

Tickets on sale 25 November

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Season: From 9 September

Performance Times: Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Matinees Tues & Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm & Sun 3pm

Price: From $59.90*

Bookings: sydneyoperahouse.com or 9250 7777

Ticketmaster.com.au or phone 1300 723 038

Groups of 10 or more call 02 8240 2290

Premium Tickets & Packages visit SHOWBIZ.COM.AU or 1300 4 SHOWS

Tickets on sale 28 October

* An additional transaction fee and/or a credit/debit payment processing fee may apply

Lisa McCune: Lisa McCune is one of Australia's most successful screen and theatre actors, earning an impressive collection of awards, including ten Logie Awards, four of them Gold for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.

At age 17, Lisa was accepted into the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree shot several television pilots before landing the role of Maggie Doyle in the police drama Blue Heelers. The show went on to become one of the most popular and enduring programs in Australian television history and made Lisa a household name. During this time, she played the role of Mary Abacus in the Seven Network mini-series The Potato Factory and appeared on stage as Cinderella in Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods and as Anne Egerman in A Little Night Music, both for Melbourne Theatre Company.

Lisa then starred as Maria in The Sound of Music for the Gordon Frost Organisation, which she followed with her Green Room Award-winning performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. She also received nominations for a Helpmann Award and Green Room Award for her performance as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown. Other stage credits include Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dead Man's Cell Phoneand Guys and Dolls for the Ambassador Theatre Group.

Her screen credits include Little Fish, the highly acclaimed medical series MDA, Two Twisted, the UK/Australia co-production Tripping Over, Rakeand telemovie Hell Has Harbour Views for which she received a Silver Logie Nomination for Most Outstanding Actress.

Lisa starred in five series of Sea Patrol and in the telemovie Blood Brothers. In 2013, she appeared in Reef Doctors on Channel 11, It's a Date for the ABC, as well as on stage in Eddie Perfect's Shane Warne The Musical. She also filmed a role in Josh Lawson's debut feature film, the highly anticipated Little Death.

Lisa comes to The King and I after playing Nellie Forbush in the Australian tour of South Pacific for Opera Australia.

TEDDY TAHU RHODES: Internationally acclaimed opera singer Teddy Tahu Rhodes is currently starring as Emile De Becque in the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific for Opera Australia - his first musical.

Teddy studied in New Zealand with Mary Adams Taylor, in London with Rudolf Piernay at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and more recently with David Harper and Sharolyn Kimmorley. Early in his career, he represented New Zealand in the 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World competition. After appearing with New Zealand's major opera, concert and choral organisations he made a highly successful Australian debut with Opera Australia in 1998 as Dandini in La Cenerentola and in the Messiah for the Melbourne Symphony and Sydney Philharmonia Choir.

Since then, Teddy has rapidly established an international career on both the opera stage and the concert platform. He sings a wide-ranging repertoire, notable for several Australian and world premiere performances including Bendrix (The End of the Affair), Joe (Dead Man Walking), The Pilot (The Little Prince) - subsequently filmed for the BBC and televised in both the UK and the USA - Nigel Butterley's Spell of Creation and Barry Conyngham's Fix.

Since his debut with Opera Australia, he has sung many roles for the company and will play Don Giovanni in Sydney in 2014. He is a frequent guest with major opera houses in the US (Austin, Washington, Philadelphia, Houston, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Dallas and the Metropolitan in New York), in Europe (Hamburg, Munich, Paris, Vienna) and in the UK (Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera). State Opera of South Australia presented him in landmark performances as Joe in Dead Man Walking, a role he also performed for Andrew McManus/Alexander Productions in Sydney.

Recent opera engagements include Ned Keene in Peter Grimes (Metropolitan Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (Opera Australia, Paris, Hamburg, Munich, Bilbao, Scottish Opera and the Metropolitan Opera), Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire (Vienna/OA), the Count in Le nozze di Figaro(Cincinnati/Washington), Don Giovanni and the title role in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (OA), Lescaut (Leipzig/OA), Billy Budd (Santa Fe/OA) and Scarpia in Tosca (West Australian Opera).

A regular guest with all the major symphony orchestras in Australasia, his concert engagements have included recitals at Sydney's Utzon Room as well as in Washington DC, national tours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2002, 2006 and 2011 as well as a US tour with the ACO in 2012, the prestigious BBC Proms, London Philharmonic, Bundaleer Festival in 2002 and 2006, and two Australian tours with David Hobson for Andrew McKinnon Presentations. He debuted at New York's Carnegie Hall in 2009.

This year, Teddy has played Don Giovanni for WA Opera and in a concert version in St Petersburg, made his debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in A Streetcar Named Desire and performed in return seasons of South Pacific. He and Kate Ceberano - one of his co-stars in South Pacific last year - also premiered a cabaret show called Meet Me in the Middle at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Teddy's recordings include Fauré's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Mozart Arias, Musical Renegades, The Voice, Vagabond, You'll Never Walk Alone (with David Hobson), Bach Arias, Mozart Requiem, Serious Songs (ABC Classics); The Little Prince (BBC/Sony Music);Hayley Westenra Live (Decca); Love for Three Oranges (Chandos). With the Metropolitan Opera he appears on the DVDs of Peter Grimes (EMI) and Carmen (Deutsche Grammophon).

His awards include an ARIA (Best Classical Record/The Voice), two Helpmann Awards (Best Male Operatic Performer), a Mo Award (Operatic Performer of the Year) and a Green Room Award (Don Giovanni/OA).

SHU-CHEEN YU: Born in China, Shu-Cheen Yu began her career as a child star in Chinese traditional opera. She went on to become one of China's best folk singers and a principal artist with the Shan-Xi province Beijing Opera Company as well as China's prestigious National Oriental Song and Dance Company. She made regular broadcasts on Television China and on Radio Beijing and released five successful albums.

Since arriving in Australia in 1987, Shu-Cheen has performed in Opera Australia productions of Der Freischütz (Annchen), The Elixir of Love(Giannetta), The Marriage of Figaro (Barbarina), Rigoletto (the Page) Werther (Katchen) and The Coronation of Poppea (Drusilla).

She has also performed in a special version of Madama Butterfly for Parramatta Riverside Theatres. Other roles include Judou in Julian Yu's The Possessed for Chamber Made Opera in Melbourne, for which she was nominated for a Green Room Award and Helpmann Award, the Woodbird in Wagner's Siegfried as part of the State Opera of South Australia's Ring Cycle and for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Virgin Mary in Peter Sellars' production of El Nino for the Adelaide Festival, Papagena in The Magic Flute for the Melbourne Opera Company, and the title role in Purcell's The Fairy Queen for The Song Company.

Shu-Cheen's concert work has included Handel's Solomon, Handel's Samson and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana for the Sydney Philharmonia Choir. She also appeared as a soloist with the SSO in their Olympic Arts Festival performance of Mahler's 8th Symphony and with the Sydney Youth Orchestra, the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble. She has also performed at many festivals, gala concerts and corporate events.

She has also appeared in the musical Chess at the Theatre Royal and played Tuptim in John Frost's 1991 production of The King and I and has recorded three best-selling CDs for ABC Classics: Lotus Moon, Willow Spirit Song and Serenade.

The recipient of many awards, she was the winner of the Australian Regional Finals of the Metropolitan Opera New York auditions in 1992 and the Shell Royal Opera House Covent Garden Scholarship in 1994.

ADRIAN LI DONNI: Adrian Li Donni is a graduate of Circle In The Square Theatre School in New York. Whilst there, he performed in The Seagull, Measure For Measure and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

In New York, Adrian was seen in Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic of '08, at Joe's Pub in Leap, and in Lance Horne, Or What You Will. In 2009 he toured with Broadway writing legends Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens in Broadway to Australia, and a year later with Broadway composer, Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Enchanted) in a concert tour of his acclaimed catalogue of works, Festival Of Broadway.

Adrian has played the role of Lun Tha in numerous productions across the globe. These include the world premiere of the newly-restored The King And I for Lyric Stage in Texas, for The Production Company in Melbourne and most recently in the UK/Ireland tour for Curve Theatre (Leicester, UK). Other credits include Rent, The Music of Georgia Stitt, Songs for a New World, and more recently, Loaded and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Ljubljana Festival Theatre in Slovenia.

The King And I will mark his debut with Opera Australia, and he is thrilled to be a part of this revival for Australia.

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