Posted: 4/18/15 at 12:36pm
I agree with everything Pal Joey wrote. I saw the third preview. This is truly a majestic production.
Posted: 4/18/15 at 3:39pm
I was saving the rest of the cast for a fuller recounting, but it's too nice a day here in New York to stay inside and blog.
Suffice it to say there is not a bad penny in the bunch. Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora and Paul Nakauchi are all perfect: everything you could want Tuptim, Lun Tha and the Kralahome to be.
But two actors managed to re-define their characters in ways that were surprising and delightful for those of us who know the script and score by heart.
Ruthie Ann Miles played a younger and more savvy Lady Thiang than I have ever seen before. She has a fierce sense of pride in her place as First Wife in the king's household, so she is not jealous of his sexual relations with the other wives. Her manner with Tuptim was hard as nails. But I've seen all that before--it's in the writing.
But this Lady Thiang was also wise enough not to be jealous of the king's romantic attachment to Mrs. Anna. Not only was it something she was not jealous of, it was also something she wanted for him, because she knew he needed it to make him happy, and she was used to sharing him to make him happy.
Ruthie Ann Miles's performance was rich and complex and nuanced and brought a level of depth to the play and "Something Wonderful" that I've never seen before.
And Jon Viktor Corpuz was not at all the typical Chulalongkorn. He was a spiky and sometimes unpleasant little man. At first I didn't like him at all, the slowly it dawned on me that he was playing the prince as a boy who is trying to be a man, while Ken Watanabe is playing the king as a man who still acts like a boy. Brilliant.
And my hat's off to Christopher Gattelli. His choreography is Robbins-influenced in the same satisfying way that Joshua Bergasse's work in On the Town is. Gattelli delivers 100% on the March of the Siamese Children, the Shall We Dance number and the Small House of Uncle Thomas. He uses the depth of the Beaumont stage beautifully, especially in Shall We Dance, when Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe polka around the stage, going all the way up and all the way down, which makes the audience applaud spontaneously.
And while we're on the subject of the Shall We Dance number, the moment when Ken Watanabe puts his hand around Kelli O'Hara's waist is probably the most erotic moment I have ever witnessed onstage.
Did I say "erotic"? I meant "romantic."
Actually, no, I meant "erotic."
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:00pm
I let out a small gasp. . . Stunning moment.
Updated On: 4/18/15 at 04:00 PM
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:06pm
That is great to hear, even in the movie I found Shall We Dance to be one of the most sexually charged, nay, erotic sequences I have ever seen in a musical. Glad to find it is the same in this production!
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:27pm
The moment just before he took her waist seemed to last blissfully forever. Time stopped.
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:40pm
I have long thought that moment is one of the most thrilling, romantic and goosebump producing moments in the cannon of musical theater. If the timing syncs properly with the music, it's just incomparable.
Posted: 4/18/15 at 10:55pm
^ agreed!!
Last night the moment was *literally* breath-taking.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 8:26am
A few days late on the review, but I thought the show was amazing. I have to admit that I had no prior knowledge of the plot/story before seeing this production. I thought the staging was extraordinary and was moved by the show. I would definitely recommend seeing it.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 8:35am
PalJoey
What wonderfully written remarks. I so enjoyed reading it. Made me even more excited to catch this.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 1:51pm
Does anyone know if Ken Watanabe will be out in May to promote 'The Sea of Trees' at Cannes?
Posted: 4/19/15 at 2:56pm
I am literally wishing away 1 month of my life in anticipating seeing this in May. I have never seen a stage production of this show and add the fact that I adore Kelli, along with these incredible reviews, is heightening my anticipation.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 7:29pm
I saw the show today and it was truly an incredible and remarkable piece of theatre. From the sets, to the direction, to the acting everything was amazing. If Kelli O'Hara doesn't win the Tony there is no justice. There are no words to what she brought to Anna. Ken Watanabe was fantastic as the King, and showed such strength on stage yet weakness in a very powerful way. I am happy to report that I was fully able to understand him with the exception of a line or two here or there but nothing major. The children were fantastic and so adorable, and I really just can't say enough about this production. I wish it a very long run!
Posted: 4/19/15 at 7:52pm
Oh, and by the way for those asking a seating question, my view from orchestra row M seat 503 was better than a perfect view. I felt the effect of the boat, and the actors came to our side a lot facing us (they pretty much turned and faced each section equally) so you're in good hands if you're sitting there. It also felt really close to the stage.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 7:53pm
What is most perplexing to me in all the reviews is that some people seem to have no problem understand Watanabe and others say he is incomprehensible. I wonder if it's just the quality of one's "ear" or if his performance waxes and wanes in that regard.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 7:59pm
With all the new tickets going on sale for performances beginning in July, it would be nice to know for how long the stars were committed.
Posted: 4/19/15 at 8:02pm
I just heard a little bit of her "Shall we Dance"
They took the song up a few keys!! She sounds amazing!!
Posted: 4/19/15 at 11:29pm
One more question for PalJoey. Do you think of the design aspects of the show helps this new revival the same way that SOUTH PACIFIC did without using the same dang lavishness that many previous productions have used? (Even though the boat as described by countless reviews is the jaw-dropping lavish part).
Some people on here complained about the rest of the show being set in the palace with the big wall and the ornate pillars but I think they sometimes forget that SOUTH PACIFIC did the same thing with the island backdrop with the sand dune and the lone palm tree.
After looking at the photos of the set. I can now imagine what a Michael Yeargan designed FOLLIES could look like.
Updated On: 4/19/15 at 11:29 PM
Posted: 4/20/15 at 11:18am
I think the CONTRAST between the opening scene with the boat and the lavish town and surroundings with lush lighting VS the palace 'behind the wall', with the rest of the world out of sight is a brilliant design concept.
The 'simple' suggestions of the rooms of the palace and the gardens, with the pillars and the hanging flowers, were beautiful. Stunning in their simplicity. And fitting for the idea that life in the palace is a world unto itself.
Updated On: 4/20/15 at 11:18 AM
Posted: 4/20/15 at 11:29am
Exact what Addy said, The sets look and feel sumptuous, even in their spareness.
Updated On: 4/20/15 at 11:29 AM
Posted: 4/24/15 at 2:34pm
I agree PalJoey, it's the perfect combination of epic and intimate. Some set designers today could take a few notes from Michael Yeargan.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 11:44am
Though a poor "King and I" is possible, it's improbable, since the it's one of the most perfect theater pieces ever created.
You didn't see the 2004 tour with Sandy Duncan, did you?
Posted: 5/2/15 at 3:06am
"Though a poor "King and I" is possible, it's improbable, since the it's one of the most perfect theater pieces ever created.
You didn't see the 2004 tour with Sandy Duncan, did you?"
After listening to some audio, this is one role that Sandy Duncan was tragically miscast in.
But back to the new production, I changed plans and I will see it in mid June after the Tony Awards. I have every reason to believe that this will be a theater experience that I will never forget and a production that I will still blab about.
Posted: 5/2/15 at 3:29am
I'm guessing Kelli's wig looks a lot better in the theatre than it does in photos?
Posted: 5/2/15 at 5:55am
"I'm guessing Kelli's wig looks a lot better in the theatre than it does in photos? "
I don't know that I would go with "a lot" but her wig never bothered me when I saw the show.
