I’d not seen the stage version of The King and I before, only the classic Yul Brynner movie and the near forgotten, short-lived TV series, Anna and the King. However, the story is the same. British colonial governess takes up a position in the palace of the King of Siam, educating his children amidst a plot of culture clashes, romance, and a heavy dose of song.

So, how was it? Must be honest, from the start there’s a dated feel to not only the songs, but the script itself. It’s a good show, and I did enjoy it, but some of the magic has been lost in the mists of time. And to add to the tiredness, the image I got was a 1950s vision of what 19th century Siam would have been.

The production had a decent set and lots of colour, particularly in the costumes, but I didn’t have empathy for the King. He’s an ignorant tyrant and no matter what excuse you make for cultural differences, I could not get past the image he portrayed. I had also been warned about the Uncle Tom’s Cabin section which goes on for about fifteen minutes; however, I enjoyed it. It’s surreal and abstract in a way, and I quite like that.

Of the songs, there were three which I immediately had in my mind: I Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, and Shall We Dance? And at the end of the show, those were still the only tunes I recalled as most others were generic, especially the solos. Okay, I’m not a fan of solos anyway as I think they reduce the effects of musical theater, but these in King and I were very forgettable.

On the day, Anna was played in fine fashion by Annalene Beechey with good voice and character. Also, despite not liking the King as a person, the ruler of Siam was in excellent hands with Kok Hwa Lie. Supporting well were: Eu Jin Hwang (Kralahome), Jessica Gomes-Ng (Tup Tim), Sunny Yeo (Lady Thaing), Ethan Le Phong (Lun Tha), Phillip Bullcock (Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsay), Aaron Teoh (Chulalongkorn), William Mychael Lee (Phra Alack) and Joseph Black (Louis). The orchestra was conducted by Chris Mundy with choreography from Christopher Gattelli. The director was Bartlett Sher

I think the length of time it has taken between seeing the show and writing this review tells a tale of how little an impression was left on me. Thank heavens for my notes. Therefore, the message is this. Beware of sending me to see anything iconic because instead of praise for the Holy Grail, you might get a description of The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt