Review: THE KING AND I at Ottawa's National Arts Centre

Broadway Across Canada's performance of the Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved classic, The King and I, is everything you expect it to be: luxurious, with sparkling costumes and convincing set design, as well as talented vocals and choreography.

The story is set in the mid-1800s, with the arrival of a British widow, Anna Leonowens, and her son, Louis, in Bangkok. The former has come to act as a schoolteacher to the King of Siam's children and wives. Anna also teaches the King some new words and phrases, notably the word "etcetera", which he subsequently peppers across his speeches with gusto.

The King's wives and children are bemused by Anna's clothes and mannerisms that are so different from their own, but they quickly learn to love Anna, and she loves them in return.

When the King is accused of being a barbarian by foreigners, despite their many differences, Anna finds herself to be indignant and she and the King set out to rectify the situation.

The sets are simplistic with the ability to be moved about quickly; however, they still evoked 19th century Bangkok, particularly the large golden statue of Buddha. The costumes are lavishly designed, crafted with brocades and silks that glitter in the light. Anna's costumes are equally grand, but of a traditional 19th century British style, including large hoop skirts (to the utter puzzlement of the kingdom).

Angela Baumgardner, starring in the role of Anna, has a lovely singing voice, and gave charming performances of classic Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes, including "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance". Young Louis (Hayden Bercy) was difficult to understand at times, perhaps his British accent getting in the way of enunciation.

The King's son, and next in line to the throne, Prince Chulalongkorn (Trevor Roderick, the understudy for the role), lacked conviction in his rendition of "A Puzzlement", particularly as it was a reprise of a song performed powerfully earlier by the King of Siam (Pedro Ka'awaloa). However, Roderick gave a fine performance in the final scene.

The King's head wife, Lady Thiang (Deanna Choi), has a wonderful singing voice and every song she sang was beautifully performed.

The two young lovers, Tuptim (Paulina Yeung) and Lun Tha (Brandon Shan Chu) were simply exquisite. Yeung, especially, has the voice of an angel and her performance captivated the entire audience. Indeed, the applause she received at curtain call equalled that of Anna and the King.

Ka'Awaloa gave a commanding performance as the King of Siam. He alternated from stubborn monarch to insecure leader with ease and channelled Yul Brenner with his pronunciation of the word "etcetera", adding some comedy to many scenes.

The ensemble was wonderful, evidenced during "The Small House of Uncle Thomas", a play within a play that was so well done that I almost didn't want it to end. This number, together with "Shall We Dance", were my favourite parts of the show.

Part of Broadway Across Canada's 2018-2019 season, The King and I is a classic and is suitable for all ages. You can see it at the National Arts Centre until March 17th. For show times and tickets, go to https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/18603.

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