Posted: 6/7/18 at 11:36pm
Or, The King and I in 23 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4vCKcxcMO0
Can anyone understand Ken?
Updated On: 6/9/18 at 11:36 PM
Posted: 6/8/18 at 7:43am
Having lived in Japan, I can understand about 80%. But I don't think Ken has a strong Japanese accent though. The problem is more on the part of enunciation.
Posted: 6/8/18 at 10:36am
Kelli looks INSANE in that opening scene. Beyond gorgeous.
Posted: 6/8/18 at 11:56am
Wow. Kelli is still absolutely stunning in this role. Brought me to tears a few times during these clips to see and hear her sing those songs in a fresh way. Her and Ken are just too sweet together, you can tell they love working with each other. I also didn't find the accent that bad. He's definitely improved a lot since he originally played the role.
Posted: 6/8/18 at 12:09pm
Posted: 6/8/18 at 12:23pm
I'm not able to watch the whole thing right now, but from what I've seen, I think Ken's enunciation regressed from when I saw him live at the Vivian Beaumont. I think he just needs more practice and direction and he'll be a lot more understandable. Right now, it seems he's getting back into shape and is letting the emotion/excitement take over a bit.
Posted: 6/8/18 at 8:43pm
The moment that Kelli first opened her mouth and began to sing "Hello, Young Lovers," I thought to myself that she was exquisite. That I had never heard her sing this song more beautifully.
During about the fourth time that I was listening to her it hit me that she was not miked. This was just her pure and powerful trained voice. I will say until the day I die that we are cheated out of hearing many lovely voices at their most lovely by the amplification process.
But I suppose that, even if you assembled an entire Broadway cast that could fill a theater without amplification, the eight performances a week would be too much for their voices to bear.
Posted: 6/9/18 at 8:59am
This brought back so many joyful memories of the six times I saw this at Lincoln Center. One of my favorite productions of all time.
Posted: 6/10/18 at 10:44am
Reaction to the London press launch:
https://www.mrcarlwoodward.com/news/so-i-went-along-to-the-launch-of-the-king-and-i-yesterday/
The orchestra fires up and O’Hara storms the space like a celestial being with ‘Getting To Know You’. What a voice. What. A. Woman.
https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2018/06/06/broadway-sensation-the-king-and-i-launches-in-londons-west-end/
At the launch of the production – held at the WAC Arts centre in north London – the cast, together with director Bartlett Sher, gave the press a sneak preview of what to expect. An open rehearsal showcasing some of the show’s most salient moments and popular songs (including the hits Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance?) was enough to convince everyone present that this is a top-notch ensemble, and that the leading couple still have the spark that worked so well in Broadway.
