THE KING & I Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 1:12am

Today is Thursday, April 16, marking the official opening of the new Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic THE KING & I, starring five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe, playing the Beaumont, having begun previews March 12. A 29-piece orchestra is and cast of more than 50 is featured, under the astute direction of Bartlett Sher.

According to production notes: "Set in 1860's Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children."

Post 'em here, kids!

Addendum: Also, I want to wish a very Hap-Hap-Happy Birthday to the show's leading lady! :)

Updated On: 4/16/15 at 01:12 AM

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 12:07pm

TK&I opens tonight, but BWW's Homepage is plastered with Something Rotten! 

Is it the same for everyone else?

[LittleCheno]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 12:12pm

Same for me! I totally thought, "Hey. Where's the K&I?!"

[tazber]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 12:26pm

The logo is on the masthead.

 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 12:53pm

 

Yes, I see that. I just find it strange that the rest of the homepage is plastered with SR! after It Shoulda Been You on Tuesday and Neverland on Wednesday had their name and logo all over the homepage. Just an observation. 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 1:01pm

The logo shrunk down to fit on the masthead looks ridiculous. You can barely discern what it is. 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 1:45pm

Seeing it tomorrow night after the reviews come out. I'm expecting it to be glorious.

[musikman]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 2:37pm

Hoping for great reviews on this one.  I found this to be one of the most glorious evenings in the theatre I've had in years.  I'm frankly dumbfounded by people thinking that Kelli O'Hara was bland.  I enjoyed this production more than the South Pacific done several years ago.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 3:19pm

 

Ticket sales are so strong for The King and I (yes, it's a small theater) that they almost have more to lose if reviews are tepid than they have to gain with great reviews.

 

Not that I can see the show getting tepid reviews except maybe in comparison to South Pacific.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 3:26pm

" I'm frankly dumbfounded by people thinking that Kelli O'Hara was bland. "

 

Word.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 3:46pm

I believe the Something Rotten stuff are paid ads, not anything BWW put up. 

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 4:00pm

For me I think bland is the perfect description for Kelly, and id say its quite a common opinion. She has a great voice (although it was weak during Whistle a happy tune), but theres just nothing there in terms of charisma, stage presence etc that makes her exciting to watch.  She is missing that elusive x factor that takes someone into the 'star' category

That said I'm sure she will get great reviews, and I really hope Ken gets a lot of recognition, one of the best male performances I've seen on stage in recent years. Electrifying

and yes the front page is clearly paid advertising

[brucebossa]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 4:38pm

I might not say "bland" but I would say "cool" and not in a cool way.  Aloof? 

I think the "hottest" I have ever seen her was in THE PAJAMA GAME.  I also appreciated her in BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY but thought that the whole show didn't help her.  It should have been her and Stephen Pasquale for 90 minutes and dump the townspeople.

 

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 5:17pm

I've NEVER understood the "bland" thing.  I feel like people conflate "understated/not hyper theatrical" with "bland."  I don't know.  I guess I just feel like you don't need to Act with a capital "A" to been engaging.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 5:43pm

Opening Night  Birthday!

Kelli O'Hara  Born: April 16, 1976 Elk City, Oklahoma

 

[CoreyRyan3]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 5:55pm

"I've NEVER understood the "bland" thing.  I feel like people conflate "understated/not hyper theatrical" with "bland."  I don't know.  I guess I just feel like you don't need to Act with a capital "A" to been engaging."

 

Exactly. Kelli brought a great depth to the role. Just because it wasn't a flashy performance doesn't mean it was bland. 

Updated On: 4/16/15 at 05:55 PM

[Annetteiago]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 5:58pm

I saw Kelli in SP and she was amazing

 

""I've NEVER understood the "bland" thing.  I feel like people conflate "understated/not hyper theatrical" with "bland."  I don't know.  I guess I just feel like you don't need to Act with a capital "A" to been engaging."
 
Exactly. Kelli brought a great depth to the role. Just because it wasn't a flashy performance doesn't mean it was bland. "

 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 6:05pm

Kelli gave Tony-worthy performances in The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific, and The Bridges of Madison County. She is doing beautiful work in this show as well. Subtle but truly felt does not mean bland.

I wish The King and I all the best!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 6:13pm

Obviously this isn't a major review (as it came out on April , but let's get this party started.

 

British Theatre is a rave:

"As Anna, Kelli O’Hara is incomparable. Perfectly English in every way, with delicious cut-glass vowels, she is quintessentially Victorian, even to the extent that she never really shouts. She might get passionate, but she is never loud in a vulgar sense; the well of propriety runs deep in her. O’Hara captures the style perfectly, without ever sending it up or trying to be “now”: her soft, determined, but inherently feminine approach is intoxicating."

https://britishtheatre.com/review-the-king-and-i-vivian-beaumont-theatre-5stars/

 

That review of Kelli coming from a Brit is a huge compliment, I'd say.

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 6:29pm

bland = not a drama queen

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 6:49pm

Murray is Mixed to Negative

Sher's magic just hasn't kindled this time around as it did with South Pacific, and a result this King and I is not remotely all it could be. But even with the missteps, it retains an enormous amount of power in its finale, when we witness what Anna and the King's back-and-forth means for both the present and the future. Change is inevitable, Hammerstein cries across the decades — what matters most is how you cope with it. We can't hear such a statement too much. But we could more easily hear and absorb it if Sher's production better supported it and the gorgeous writing that crafted it.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/KingandI2015.html

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 6:52pm

AMNY is 3 stars but reads Mixed to Positive

Sher's production, which features a 51-member cast and a 29-piece orchestra, is generally impressive and satisfying (how could it not be given the music itself and the lavish production values?), but it doesn't match the brilliance of his "South Pacific" revival.

It is very difficult to understand what Watanabe is saying. He has an imposing presence and highly theatrical spirit, but his diction stops the show in its tracks.

O'Hara, one of the finest actresses working in musical theater today, delivers a fine, sympathetic performance as the staunch Anna, but it is hardly as captivating as her sexy Nellie.

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/the-king-and-i-theater-review-3-stars-1.10280665

Updated On: 4/16/15 at 06:52 PM

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 7:31pm

It's irritating that, with 40 Broadway credits, the extraordinay dance and vocal arranger, Trude Rittmann, still has her name misspelled.  Couldn't Murray have done his homework?  Of course he also misnamed "The Puzzlement" although he got it right later when refering to the reprise.  Jeez.

[Fantod]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 7:31pm

I would say Murray is more middle of the road, because he does end on a high note, saying that the show is worthwhile, though for the show itself instead of the production.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/16/15 at 7:38pm

Though a poor "King and I" is possible, it's improbable, since the it's one of the most perfect theater pieces ever created. Few shows have both epic sweep and great moment by moment intimacy, and a story so fully deserving of every flourish, and the running time.  If traditional staging values (starting with some preservation of the genius that Robbins wrought) are maintained and the text and score carefully negotiated, it's almost impossible to ruin.  Almost.  Of course, there's no danger of anything close to that here. It's more a question of how successful these elements coalesce, based on expectation.