The King & I

The current seasons of The King & I and West Side Story are reminders of the now unthinkable concept of importing a Star Performer for Australian productions. Younger musical fans may not be aware of this practice and yet it persisted as recently as the 1990s. 1991 saw a lavish Australian staging of The King & I, which featured Hayley Mills and her somewhat disconcerting habit of bobbing in time with the music as she sang. The production itself was more successful, sweeping the 1998 Tonys in a very rare example of an Australian production going to Broadway rather than the other way around. (With charisma and acting talent to spare, newly minted leading man Josh Piterman’s gorgeous singing as Tony obliterates the memory of Broadway import Sean McDermott from the 1994 production of West Side Story)

 

The artistic achievements of this current staging of The King & I are such an embarrassment of riches that is difficult to know where to lavish praise first. Possibly the most striking element is the extravagant costume design, which sees the stage filled with red, gold and vivid jewel tones. Ornamental headwear and footwear add to the striking effect.

 

Set pieces have been carefully chosen to allow the action to flow without pause and to represent the grandeur of the palace without trying to recreate it. A large central raked platform serves as boat, schoolroom and royal court, with the action framed by upstage and downstage sets of decorative hanging panels.

 

The stellar efforts of Kim Bishop, Costume Design, and Kathryn Sproul, Set Design, are light years ahead of their work this time last year in Crazy for You.

 

Rounding out the technical achievements are highly atmospheric lighting by Trent Suidgeest and crystal clear sound design by System Sound.

 

Peter Casey, resplendent in shiny red jacket, conducts the 23 members of Orchestra Victoria is a sumptuous rendition of the score. Diction and volume from the singers are uniformly excellent.

 

Director Terence O’Connell has shown a reliably sure hand with the material. The 40 plus performers on stage move with focus and clarity of purpose.

 

Issues of nationality seem trivial in relation to the quality of the cast assembled.

 

Juan Jackson proves to be an inspired choice as The King. Blessed with a very strong voice, he can sound booming without sounding like he is shouting. His singing in ‘A Puzzlement’ is excellent. With a twinkle in his eye, Jackson captures The King’s spoilt, child-like naiveté as well as his commanding power over his subjects.

 

Looking gorgeous and graceful, Chelsea Gibb makes a welcome return to the stage as Anna. Affecting a clipped, polished English accent, she clearly projects inner turmoil created by the compromises Anna makes in her journey from trepidation and indignation to warm affection. Gibb and Jackson are well matched. Their climactic act one showdown is very effective and their chemistry in ‘Shall We Dance?’ is palpable.

 

It is criminal, or at least incomprehensible, that Silvie Paladino has not been in a Production Company show until now. Authentically made up as Lady Thiang, The King’s number one wife, her divine performance of ‘Something Wonderful’ was rapturously received.

 

Emily Xiang Wang projected tender vulnerability and sang beautifully as Tuptim, a ‘gift’ to the King from Burma. She was particularly strong throughout the second act ballet ‘Small House of Uncle Thomas’. This sequence, it must be noted, was one of the highlights of the show. A cavalcade of creative movement and clever imagery thanks to Alana Scanlan's choreography and Christopher Bartlett's props.

 

As Lun Tha, Tuptim’s love, Adrian Li Donni sang well but did not have the requisite presence or stagecraft for the role. By contrast, youngsters Thomas New (Anna’s son Louis) and Lucas Tang (Prince Chungulongkorn) easily held their own against the adult performers. Their duet ‘A Puzzlement - reprise’ was a delight.

 

Given all this positivity, audience members should keep in mind that The King & I was written 60 years ago. It is a lengthy show with some long book scenes. Existing fans should need no further encouragement to attend other than to know that it is now playing. Newcomers should admire the glorious melodies and ever-relevant story and revel in the opportunity to see a piece of music theatre history presented so affectionately.

 

The King & I plays a two week season at the State Theatre, the Arts Centre until 25 July. 

 

Photos: Jodie Hutchinson