Tony winner Bartlett Sher (South Pacific) directs this classic tale of a British schoolteacher's unexpected relationship with the imperious King of Siam.
Five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific) and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception) star in a magnificent new Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved THE KING AND I.
Featuring a cast of more than 50, choreography based on the original by Jerome Robbins, and a score of treasured songs including "Getting to Know You," "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Shall We Dance?" in their glorious, original orchestrations, Lincoln Center Theater's new staging of THE KING AND I invites you to get to know this inspiring and enchanting musical classic.
...in a year of bland nostalgic revivals, this grand and glorious production gives you hope in the nonprofit stewardship of our theatrical heritage...let's be frank: Although Hammerstein's characterization of the King has pain and pathos in addition to comic bluster, he speaks a pidgin English that few actors can pull off today. Luckily, the Japanese Watanabe shows a man struggling with a foreign tongue. (His accent can be thick, but that adds authenticity.) The 55-year-old Watanabe also cuts an older figure than Lou Diamond Phillips did in the 1996 revival, which adds gravitas as well as humor to his outbursts and temper tantrums. O'Hara sounds angelic as ever...her silky, shimmering soprano a treasure -- and the role plays to her strengths: wryness, warmth and quiet dignity. Sher directs her and the rest of an exceptionally good cast...with palpable respect for the material and a care to avoid orientalist humbug.
In its heart of hearts, the extraordinarily deep and often underutilized thrust stage of Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater has probably always yearned to host an opera. That's pretty much what director Bartlett Sher has wrought with his sumptuous revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1951 musical, 'The King and I.' Broadway's darling, Kelli O'Hara, is ravishing as the English governess to the children in the royal household of the King of Siam, played by the powerfully seductive Japanese movie star Ken Watanabe. But the production itself, with its operatic sweep and opulent aesthetic, is the star of its own show.
1951 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1953 | West End |
London Production West End |
1956 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1960 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1961 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1963 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1964 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Revival Broadway |
1968 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1969 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
1973 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1977 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1979 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1985 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1996 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2000 | West End |
London Production West End |
2002 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
2004 | US Tour |
Touring Revival US Tour |
2006 | St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
St. Louis MUNY Production St. Louis, MO (Regional) |
2015 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theatre Broadway Revival Broadway |
2016 | US Tour |
Lincoln Center National Tour US Tour |
2018 | West End |
West End Revival Prodution West End |
2024 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Costume Design | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Scott Lehrer |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ruthie Ann Miles |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ruthie Ann Miles |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Michael Yeargan |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Christopher Gattelli |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Bartlett Sher |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Donald Holder |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Ken Watanabe |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Ruthie Ann Miles |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The King and I |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Lincoln Center Theater |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Andre Bishop |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Adam Siegel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Hattie K. Jutagir |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Ambassador Theatre Group |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Michael Yeargan |
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