BWW Reviews: Opera Australia and John Frost's THE KING AND I

Before Thursday's opening night, Opera Australia and John Frost's revival of the Rodger and Hammerstein classic musical The King and I was already a resounding success following positive reviews during it's run in Melbourne, impressive advanced ticket sales and a Helpmann Award for Best Musical. It was as a result of this hype that I entered the Opera House full of high expectations and ready, no, expecting to be entertained. I was not disappointed.

Before I wax lyrical about the amazing costumes and excellent performances, there were a few minor flaws that must be noted. The attempted Thai accents were often cringeworthy and it made dialogue difficult to understand, particularly in some of the songs. This was not helped by the acoustics of the room where often the orchestra overpowered the on-stage performers. That said, these issues were mainly obvious in the subplot and rarely distracted from any moments involving Anna or the king.

Now that i've got that little complaint out of the way, everything else about the show more than makes up for the little sound and accent flaws. The impressive set and elaborate costumes alone were enough to make one feel their ticket cost was money well spent. It was easy to let go of any thoughts of life's realities and to submerse myself in the world of Siam and the coming together of Anna Leonowens a British governess and the King of Siam whose children she begins to teach.

Throughout her career, I will admit that I have been more often a critic than a fan of Lisa McCune and further, it was only that she was playing the role of Anna that led me to have any doubts about the likelihood of me enjoying this production. I will now hapilly, however, go on record as saying she is perfect at the role. I had no idea how well she can sing and despite the many Logie award wins, I did not previously realise just how great an actress she is either. McCune perhaps best showed off both her vocal and acting skills with her impressive comedic timing during "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You?". I wished I could rewind and watch that scene all over again straight away just to soak in the brilliance. A feeling I normally only get following a particularly brilliant "Defying Gravity" in Wicked or anytime I saw Megan Hilty deliver the "Rooster to a hen" line in 9 to 5.

The King of Siam was played by Opera veteran, Teddy Tahu Rhodes. Having seen him in Opera Australia's Don Giovanni, I had no concern about his ability to sing this role but was concerned slightly about the idea of a New Zealander playing the King of Siam. The bald head helped as it was easy to recall Yul Brynner who made the role famous in the film version and whilst his accent threw me at first, it did seem to improve as the show continued. The heart of the show is the banter and developing rapport between Anna and the King and there is no faulting the charisma and connection that oozed from any scene involving McCune and Rhodes who recently starred together in South Pacific.

Beyond the two leads, I also want to give particular credit to one of the child actors. Jaya Soewito-Martin, who played Prince Chululongkorn, next in-line to the throne. Soewito-Martin commanded attention every time he was on stage. To have that sort of stage presence even during scenes where he had minimal or no lines is impressive for any actor, let alone one of such a young age. I have no doubt that he has a fantastic acting career ahead of him.

As a fan of the movie and never having seen a stage production, I was most excited to see the scenes where Anna is introduced to each of the children and the production of The Small House of Uncle Thomas and I was not let down by either with both scenes creating some of the best moments of the musical. The children and ensemble all contributed significantly to the overall success of this show.

The King and I is a well-known and loved musical around the world and this production surely is one of the best that has been put together. Yet again, John Frost has delivered to us a great production with an impressive cast supported by stunning sets and costumes. I recommend all sydneysiders get out and see this production and I look forward to the next Frost production, particularly should he combine yet again with the ever reliable Opera Australia.

For more information and tickets visit: http://www.thekingandImusical.com.au/city/sydney

Photo credit Brian Geach

To post a comment, you must register and login.