The King & I - A Classic Musical

I have been to Thailand but never seen Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical The King and I. Based on a fictionalized account of a true story, the plot involves a young widowed British schoolteacher who moves to the kingdom of Siam with her young son to teach the children of the King. Events of this story occurred in the 1860s and the musical premiered nearly 100 years later in 1951. As the fifth musical created by Rodgers & Hammerstein, there were high expectations that it would be a Broadway success... which it was.

Jovanni Sy, the new Artistic Director of the Gateway Theatre, is making his Vancouver stage debut in one of the title roles. The other is played by Barbara Tomasic. They are supported by a large cast of both professionals and community actors, including a plethora of young talent playing the royal children. 

The King and I is an ambitious show and the production values are certainly high. The designers have done an excellent job of evoking the visual elements of a foreign culture, particularly with set and costumes. A small orchestra fills the theatre with classic music of Rodgers and Hammerstein including "I Whistle A Happy Tune", "Getting to Know You" and "Hello, Young Lovers." (They even play us an overture!)

But today is 2013 and the 1860s are far away. I appreciated the comments in the notes about the key questions of progress versus tradition as well as finding harmony in cultural clashes. Those themes are definitely present. Yet perhaps as a modern woman I was less than enthralled with the 1950s sensibility of head wife Lady Thiang convincing Anna that the King deserves her support despite his overt rudeness and refusal to live up to his contractual obligations. (He's such a good guy underneath, really...) 

This story continues to be told due to its extraordinary protagonist, an independent woman who is making her way in extraordinary circumstances. And I think the most interesting part of the story is that this one schoolteacher brought to one young crown prince the impetus to modernize a country and that influence continues to be felt today in modern Thailand.