Bartlett Sher keeping "Western People Funny"....

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 9:03pm

A brave but expected choice coming from Sher. I am pleased. It's a short but enjoyable song, and gives Thiang some more to sing.

BL: For many years now, some productions of The King and I have cut material, so as not to risk offending contemporary sensibilities. You are sensitive to the social questions, yet you are not afraid of the material as it was written. In fact, you think it is worth exploring.

BS: Yes. For example, I’m keeping “Western People Funny”, which is often cut. Once you can redo that number from the point of view of, in this case, the dominant culture, you can have irony about situation. If you do it from the point of view of lowly easterners who don’t understand what’s going on then it would be received very differently. If you take older versions and tilt them back then you can change how they land.

http://www.lct.org/explore/blog/why-bartlett-sher-wanted-do-king-and-i/

I'm also expecting him to keep the often cut "Puzzlement" reprise. I cannot wait to see the first preview!!










Updated On: 3/6/15 at 09:03 PM

[Fantod]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 9:22pm

That's good to hear. It's a part of the show and should be kept. I also prefer when productions of Annie Get Your Gun keep "I'm an Indian Too".

[cockeyedoptimist2]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 9:40pm

Barlett Sher is my favorite theater director working today. He does a lot of historical and sociological research into the time period of his productions, and always takes care to have a nuanced and historically accurate take on race. Which is rare in the theater world even today, especially when it comes to representation of Asians. Interestingly enough, I read an interview with him during the South Pacific era where he said that he was raised by Chinese stepfather and so he had a personal connection and interest to making sure there was nothing problematic in his depiction of cultures.

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 9:57pm

I thought I was CockeyedOptimist2! Weird!

Can't wait for this revival. I have tickets for Thursday night and have been looking forward to this for ages!

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 9:59pm

Bartlett Sher is one of the best directors to come to Broadway in quite a long time. Sher is exactly the sole reason why I'm really excited to see what he does with FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

Now if fate allows him to direct a LCT production of FOLLIES for 2021.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 10:22pm

I want that Follies to star Kelli, Laura Benanti, and Audra all swapping and alternating roles nightly.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 10:24pm

I am seeing the third preview one week from tomorrow, and I could not be more excited.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 10:35pm

I love Lady Thiang's character...come to think of it I like pretty much every character in this show. Even Lun Tha.

My friend's hubby works for Rockefeller Center and she is going to see if he can get us discount tickets! It'll be my 3rd Kelli O'Hara show.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 10:43pm

March 17th cannot come soon enough. SO excited.

[Rinaldo]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 10:55pm

I am glad to hear this. If done thoughtfully the song actually provides a much-needed point of view.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 11:08pm

I bought my tickets for the Friday night just after the opening on Thursday April 16. We saw On the Town the Friday after a Thursday opening and the excitement and electricity in the air that night was ecstatic. I expect this opening will have even more of that feeling.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 11:11pm

If you're going to do a show where the King of a major Asian country doesn't know that elephants don't do well against cannons, then you might as well sing the whole score. IMO, obviously.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 3/7/15 at 3:47pm

But the elephant episode is supposedly taken from history, not invented by Oscar. Obviously, all this was long before internet/plane travel/etc., and it doesn't imply anything bad about a person if they are not fully familiar with the weapons capabilities of faraway lands.