The King and I previews thread - Page 18

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 10:26am

"Lightning never strikes twice." Really?

And the basis of that statement is?

So I guess the Empire State Building doesn't average more than 100 strikes a year?

But I'm sure Sher values your advice.

[canmark]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 10:27am

Regarding the comments about Watanabe’s diction: is he speaking with his natural Japanese accent or is he trying to speak with a Thai accent? I’m wondering if some people are having difficulty understanding him because they’re not accustomed to listening to a person with a Japanese accent – as opposed to a native English speaker using a mock Thai accent.

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 10:32am

"And the basis of that statement is?"

It's not obvious?

"So I guess the Empire State Building doesn't average more than 100 strikes a year?
But I'm sure Sher values your advice."

Didn't mean to hit a nerve, Mrs.Ohara. I'm sure your performance is great. You can unclutch those pearls at anytime.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 12:36pm

I's a puzzlement understanding why some still can't understand the King. When I saw If/Then with a group from the rear Mezz, her voice was so distorted that I could not enjoy her. That doesn't seem likely at Lincoln Center. I was close to the stage, but I'm fairly certain that I didn't read his lips.

Perhaps, if Watanabe has to put a lot of energy into the right diction, he was too tired to put all the effort into it.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 12:41pm

I saw it on friday evening this past weekend, and while his diction was reasonably good in the early book scenes, it was quite poor in Puzzlement and later in Shall We Dance. Specifically, it sounded as if he just simply didn't sing the consonants, and just had all the vowel sounds running together (which makes it easier to sing extended notes but is hard for a listener to decipher). Unfortunately, it did feel like the diction in the book scenes also started deteriorating towards the end of the evening, so it is likely that it does require a conscious effort from him that grew tiring as the show went on, and it sounds like some nights are better than others in that regard.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 12:52pm

I saw it over a week ago and understood 99% of what he said. I'm surprised people are having issues still, maybe some are just more used to listening to different accents than others, I don't know.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 1:36pm

It's not a matter of accent, but of diction (clearly pronouncing the words in whatever accent one is using). For contrast, Paul Nakauchi and Ruthie Ann Miles were portraying characters with the same accent, and they spoke and sang very clearly. On the other hand, Ken's pronunciation changed during the course of a single performance over the course of an evening. That really is a speech/singing mechanics issue and not an issue of his accent.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 1:40pm

"I’m wondering if some people are having difficulty understanding him because they’re not accustomed to listening to a person with a Japanese accent "

Nope. That's not the issue.

Adam.Peterson, I second what you said 100%.

[db0505]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 1:47pm

Saw it Sunday matinee and agree about the diction issue. King seemed to be making up words/sounds during Puzzlement patter sections. However, I cannot fault his acting. Question about the ending of "Shall We Dance"? (Possible spoiler) He appeared to slip and fall. Kelly immediately hit the floor as well to keep in character. Was delightful, but I'm not sure if it was staged or an accident. Either way, it made us love them more.

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 2:36pm

Clearly an accident. Sher would never, ever stage this in such a beloved number.

[Jersey Girl2]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 4:47pm

I was there on Wednesday and loved it. I was wondering if others thought Ken W. was difficult to understand. There were times I could not figure out what he was saying.

[MVintheheartland]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 5:16pm

I saw the Saturday matinee, (3/2, and also had trouble understanding the King, but mostly during "Puzzlement". I thought his acting was great, and his final scene was touching. All in all, a great production. I sort of feel sorry for Kelli O'hara, since she will most likely go up against Kristen Chenoweth for best actress in a revival, but they are two totally different roles, and the role of "Mrs. Anna" means more acting, not mugging. (I did love "On the Twentieth Century" however, saw that the next day.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 6:03pm

^ Best Actress in a Revival is not a Tony category.

[mariel9]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 11:13am

I saw it Tuesday night. Completely ignorant of the show (no, I've never even seen the movie), I understood Watanabe about 80% of the time. It was an effort, and lip-reading definitely helped. When he was facing away from me, I'd say my understanding dropped to 50%. As someone else said, his acting in the beating of Tuptim scene was amazing. I teared up at the ending. He was otherwise charming and funny and I didn't think the diction issues significantly detracted from his performance.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 11:19am

Jersey Girl, if you read through the thread, many of us have had trouble understanding Ken.

Marie, you shouldn't have to lip read what an actor is saying.

[bdn223]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 4:04pm

Saw show on March 26 with a friend who is a Watanabe fan. I mentioned during intermission I had some trouble understanding Watanabe, and he just laughed. He told me that is actually one of his calling cards. He said they even have trouble understanding him in Japan, when he is speaking his native Japanese. Then the second act came and I understood Mr. Watanabe perfectly.

 

I am not giving Mr. Watanabe an exscuse, but I am sure Sher knew of Watanabe's diction problems when he casted him. I just think at this point Sher is picking his battles in where perfect diction is needed and where it is not. Also I think at this point anyone involved in the production doesn't notice it.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 4:46pm

Canmark raises a question I had, whether Watanabe is attempting a Thai accent.  I'm not the least qualified to say but - for what it's worth which admittedly is not much - some of his speech, including (and meaning no mean disrespect a la Cristina Kirchner), occasional conflation of r and l sounds, gave a decidedly Japanese impression.  

Interesting that someone posted that even in Japan Watanabe has a reputation for being difficult to understand.

I share Adam's concerns that Watanabe's stamina fails him with the challenges with English.  I also think it's detracting from what could be a superb performance, not only for the obvious reason of partial unintelligibility, but because of the energy he's at important times devoting to his English as opposed to his performance.  Of course, there might be an acting solution in that the King himself could be devoting so much attention into speaking English in some scenes, but for me, unfortunately, it's not playing that way.

I really still hope he can make a major breakthrough with the language before opening night as it would be great to see him achieve a great success with this role, and so much of what he is already doing works beautifully.

Updated On: 4/2/15 at 04:46 PM

[wonkit]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 6:34pm

I saw this production about two weeks ago. My experience with Wantanabe's accent was similar to the issues I have when watching a Shakespeare performance. Once I was attuned to how he speaks, I seemed to have less trouble, just as the first ten minutes of Shakespeare see me struggling to listen carefully enough. I thought his performance was charismatic and moving, and the accent - after that initial adaptation - never got in my way. On the other hand, I spend a LOT of time watching Shakespeare!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 8:03pm

I saw the show last night and I feel like I'm still digesting it so I'll only throw in the things I'm certain about. As far as Ken Watanabe's accent, I had no trouble understanding him when he was speaking. I lost a couple of lyrics during the songs but no more than I would with any other actor who wasn't enunciating very clearly. The costumes are gorgeous. I did not realize how much I would enjoy seeing the Uncle Tom's Cabin section on stage. Ruthie Ann Miles is the MVP of this production. 

[bfreak]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 8:10pm

Has anyone stage doored recently? (please don't give me flack for asking) :)

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 8:35pm

@bfreak I was there last night. Ken Watanabe came out after a reasonable amount of time. I also got the actors playing Tuptim, the eldest prince, and the adviser. The members of the ensemble come out in their street clothes, sometimes with lots of gear and don't seem to want to sign. Some of the kids exited out the stage door but I don't bother them. The actor playing Lun Tha never came out. Kelli went out another entrance. The guard said she'd been mobbed on another day and was avoiding the stage door for that reason. Ruthie came out but she was looking for Alex Timbers and didn't sign. 

The area they have set up (that glass corridor) is really nice. The only other time I've been there the stage door they directed us to was still under construction (during South Pacific). There really should be barriers up though. Ken moved away from the main entrance to sign and everyone rushed up to him (not in a scary way but in a disorganized way). I mean, I think he can handle himself but if there was a larger crowd I'd worry about everyone getting their time... and also maybe the danger.

Hope that helps.

[bfreak]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 9:38pm

Thank you, but what do you mean about Kelli being "mobbed"?

[jennaisjamazing]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 10:56pm

I'd love more information about the stagedoor mobbing Kelli if you know anything else! I had a friend go on sunday and said that Kelli didn't stagedoor that day either. And Kelli's usually a pretty frequent stagedoorer. Hope nothing extreme happened..

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 11:05pm

@jennaisjamazing I only know what the guard told me. Kelli seems so sweet. I feel terrible hearing that she had a bad, let alone frightening, stage door experience. We were a very small crowd last night. Maybe less than 20 people (with most of them being friends or parents). No one was aggressive. I hope she'll start stage dooring again but I'll understand if she doesn't. 

I'm really thinking about seeing the show again if I can get tickets (it's selling out like crazy apparently) because the LincTix seat was super close but not at a great angle. A lot of the show plays to the center seats.

[jennaisjamazing]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 11:16pm

thanks so much for letting me know! I haven't met her at stagedoor yet, but from my friends who have they say she is lovely and beyond gracious and kind. So hopefully whatever happened isn't enough to deter her forever, but of course I'd completely understand!