Quite a Night in Bangkok
Lyric Stage's "The King and I" is a feast. Mark Lowry reviews; plus commentary from composer Gregory Sullivan Isaacs.
It seemed unimaginable that Lyric Stage could top its phenomenal 2007 full-orchestra production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel", but its staging of the famous duo's better-known musical "The King and I"has done just that.
Directed by Cheryl Denson and featuring original orchestrations played by a 35-piece orchestra (conducted by music director Jay Dias), this "King and I"is not only a visual feast and beautifully sung, it's also rich in storytelling, thanks to clear and focused acting performances. For once, here's a production of a warhorse musical that is concerned with the entire picture, and not just with nailing the well-known songs and rehashing previously seen characterizations.
Usually it's a treat simply seeing this lush musical with competent singers and dancers who can pull off one of legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins' greatest achievements, "The Small House of Uncle Thomas"ballet. But in Denson's production, it goes above and beyond. For instance, the parallels between the ballet's source material, Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and the musical's themes of slavery, flight from an unpleasant situation and needing a house of one's own are crystal clear, but not forced. (The musical is based on Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Langdon.)
And hearing the majestic score with so many instruments is just one part of the puzzle (opera composer Gregory Sullivan Isaacs' review of this aspect is below).
Luann Aronson plays Anna, the British schoolteacher who comes to Siam (now called Thailand) with her son to teach English to the King's children, and her performance is revelatory. For once, this character doesn't seem like she is just another teacher ordered to teach her language in some exotic country. Aronson plays her with passion and purpose, and her singing is full of emotion and spirit.
The King was never a difficult role to sing, which is why actors who aren't vocally strong often play the role. Local actor Joe Nemmers won't blow anyone away with his singing prowess, but at least it feels natural and unforced. He's also not tall, as the real King wasn't, and his honest attraction to Anna is believable. He has many wives, but Nemmers actually gives us a King who discovers true love for the first time. Interestingly, the power he wields over his court and everyone around him is never in question either.
There is also soaring vocal work (and equally powerful acting) from Adrian Li Donni as Lun Tha, the man who delivers a gift from Burma's king to the Siam king; and Jung Eun Kim as that gift, the lovely Tuptim; and from Ya Han Chang, who makes Lady Thiang a real person, not the caricature of the put-upon first wife that is often brushed off in this show.
And then there's that ballet. Robbins' ingeniously combined elements of Chinese opera and Southeast Asian dance (mostly Cambodian) for a spectacularly choreographed sequence performed for British visitors. Created by Tuptim, it follows Eliza (Angela Nicole Moore) as she escapes the "kingdom of Kentucky" for the freeman's land of Canada, running from Simon of Legree (Molly Welch—the main characters wear masks and, as in the Cambodian style, women play all of the main characters), aided by an Angel (Amanda Brown) and Buddha (Anthony Carillo, who sits above the clouds). Restaged here by Ann Neiman, Lyric's dancers perform this ballet in unison, with grace, focus and admirable athleticism.
If there's to be any criticism of this production, it's that some of the King's wives are awfully white. It's hard to cast so many Asians (and other non-Caucasian ethnicities) in large productions like this, but at least give the milky gals some bronzer.
But that's minute in the midst of such a gorgeous production. The scenery (by Michael Anania) and costumes (mostly rented and coordinated by Drenda Lewis), along with Julie Moroney's lighting and Bill Eickenloff's sound design all add to the triumphant production.
And you can't really talk about sound without highlighting these restored orchestrations, with brings us to...
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