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Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I

Anna is a widow from England, and he is the King of Siam. When Anna travels to Siam to teach his many children and wives, the two find themselves in an unlikely friendship.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Drama
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 19th Century
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Cautions: No Special Cautions
  • Orchestra Size: X-Large

  • Performance Group:
  • Community Theatre, High School/Secondary, Professional Theatre, College Theatre / Student, Church / Religious Groups

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! 3 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Musical Revival (1952)
    Winner! 3 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Musical Revival (1996)
    Winner! 4 Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical Revival (1996)
    Winner! 4 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical (1996)
It is 1862 in Siam when an English widow, Anna Leonowens, and her young son arrive at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. The King is largely considered to be a "barbarian" by those in the West, and he seeks Anna's assistance in changing his image, if not his ways. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and respect one another in a truly unique love story.
REVIEWS:

"Has heart, drama, comedy... sets a new high standard for the musical stage."

New York Daily Mirror

"THE KING AND I is perfect."

Liz Smith

"THE KING AND I is the essence of musical theater, an occasion when drama, music, dance and decor combine to take the audience on an unforgettable journey."

Houston Chronicle

"The star of this production remains the show itself. It grows more impressive with each viewing."

New York Daily News
Premiere Production:

The King and I opened on Broadway on March 29, 1951, starring Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner. The show proceeded to run for three years, racking up 1,246 performances. It received five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and honors for both of its stars. Valerie Hobson and Herbert Lom starred in the original London production, and the musical scored great successes in Australia, Japan, and throughout Europe—from Le Roi Et Moi in Brussels to Der Konig Und Ich in Berlin.

In 1956, Twentieth Century Fox released the motion picture version of The King and I with Deborah Kerr as Anna (with her musical voice provided by Marni Nixon) and Yul Brynner recreating his role as The King. An immediate success, The King and I became the second-highest grossing film of the year and was also critically acclaimed; nominated for nine Academy Awards, it received five, including the Best Actor Award to Brynner.

Over the course of 34 years, Yul Brynner played The King more than 4,600 times; first on stage, then on the big screen and then on television (co-starring with Samantha Eggar in the short-lived series, Anna and the King in the early '70s). He brought The King and I back to Broadway for two separate, triumphant engagements; the latter, the culmination of his farewell tour as The King, was presented in 1985, the final year of his life. At the conclusion of that run Mr. Brynner received a special Tony Award for his achievements.

A Broadway revival opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on April 11, 1996, starring Tony Award winner Donna Murphy as Anna and film star Lou Diamond Phillips as The King. Hailed by the critics and public alike, The King and I swept the triple crown of Broadway honours that spring, winning the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics' Circle Awards for Best Musical Revival.

In 2015, Lincoln Center Theater presented a Broadway revival starring Kelli O'Hara, Ken Watanabe and Ruthie Ann Miles. Directed by Bartlett Sher, the show was a critical smash, earning nine Tony nominations and winning four, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Characters

  • Casting: 6M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Roles for Multicultural Casting, Role(s) for Asian Actor(s), Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle), Roles for Children
  • Casting Notes: The King and I takes place in Siam during the early 1860s, and the roles should be cast accordingly
  • Chorus Size: Large

  • The King and I is inspired by the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and is based on the lives of real people. The story takes place in Siam during the early 1860s in and around the Royal Palace. Many of the characters are Siamese or from surrounding countries and of Asian heritage. The actors should be cast accordingly. The use of make-up or prosthetics to alter an actor’s ethnicity is prohibited.

    CAPTAIN ORTON
    LOUIS LEONOWENS
    ANNA LWONOWENS
    THE INTERPRETER
    THE KRALAHOME
    THE KING
    PHRA ALACK
    LUN THA
    TUPTIM
    LADY THIANG
    PRINCE CHULALONGKORN
    SIR EDWARD RAMSAY
    PRINCESS YING YAOWALAK
    NINE PRINCES AND EIGHT PRINCESSES
    EIGHTEEN ROYAL DANCERS
    TEN PRIESTS OF SIAM
    TEN ROYAL WIVES
    FOUR AMAZONS

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

    1 x Lib/Vocal Book
    1 x Piano Vocal Score

    		 $24.00
    Pre-Production Pack Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    1 x Lib-Vocal Book
    1 x Piano Vocal Score

    		 $75.00
    Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

    20 x Libretto/Vocal Books
    2 x Piano Vocal Score

    		 $550.00 +$135.00/pm
    Orchestral Material Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    1 x Piano Conductor Score
    1 x Flute I
    1 x Flute II (Double Piccolo)
    1 x Oboe (Optional Doubling English Horn)
    1 x Clarinet I-II
    1 x Clarinet III (Doubling Bass Clarinet)
    1 x Bassoon
    1 x Horn I-II
    1 x Horn III
    1 x Trumpet I-II
    1 x Trumpet III
    1 x Trombone I
    1 x Trombone
    1 x Tuba
    2 x Percussion (timp trap set, timp, bells, gong, triangle, xylo, temple blocks, oriental drum, finger cymbal, wood block, ratchet, slap stick)
    1 x Harp
    1 x Violin A (Divisi) *
    1 x Violin B (Divisi) *
    1 x Violin C *
    1 x Viola (Divisi) *
    1 x Cello *
    1 x Bass *

    * In the original Broadway pit of The King and I there were 2 players on Violin A, 2 players on Violin B, 1 player on Violin C, 2 Viola players, 2 Cello players and 1 Bass player.

    		 $350.00 +$135.00/pm
    Two Piano Arrangement Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    1 x Two Piano Arrangement ACT 1
    1 x Two Piano Arrangement ACT 2

    		 $50.00 +$50.00/pm
    Lib/Vocal Book 10 Pack Shipped with (or after) Rehearsal Material. This is optional.

    10 x Libretto/Vocal Books

    		 $50.00 +$50.00/pm

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