The King and I previews thread - Page 6

[lite2shine]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 2:14pm

should they have hired this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kaga

Definitely not. He was in Love Never Die in Japan and he missed almost a half of the performances (good thing it was double cast), and his diction in Japanese is horrible, even Japanese audience couldn't understand him.

I'm wondering why they had to do a star casting for King, especially casting a non-native speaker in such important role?

Edited! Sorry for slippery typing. Updated On: 3/13/15 at 02:14 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 2:17pm

His "dictation?"

lol that's the second time I've seen that here.

I'm very sorry he would make a lousy secretary.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 2:29pm

LMFPRAO!!!

His dictation in his roll was horrible. I could not understand one word he was saying...Why did the producers casted him in the first place! Take his name off the marquis.

Updated On: 3/13/15 at 02:29 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 2:42pm

Maybe it'll be better for the soundtrack.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 2:58pm

Is he a decent singer at least? Don't know much about the show, if he sings a lot in the show or anything.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:02pm

The King has one song, which he can basically "shout" on key. It's an acting role primarily, and a really good one.

[krristinnicole13]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:09pm

Did anyone try rush last night?!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:10pm

I find it disturbing that some on this board are not familiar with an American musical theater classic like THE KING AND I. What kind of theater lovers are you?!!

/rant

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:11pm

Maybe it'll be better for the soundtrack.

@ Kad: I want to hit you SO HARD for typing that.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:12pm

^ WORD.


Also? WTF is this:

Wantanabe doesn't speak English and learned the entire role phonetically which, obviously, is a problem.

Pretty sure Watanabe spoke (heavily accented) English before getting cast in this production.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:25pm

CarlosAlberto, I'm with you completely. Also, there is a fantastic movie musical version of King and I, so nobody has any excuse for not being familiar.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:30pm

Haha. Theater lovers can love whatever theater they want. I simply am not familiar with the show, it's really not a big deal. Thanks for answering my question BestBars.

[Everlast85]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:34pm

I know nothing about the show, and cannot wait to discover it in April. Just ignore the judgmental dicks that think you SHOULD know all about the show simply because it's considered a classic and there was a movie about it.

LOL.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:39pm

^ Speaking of judgmental dicks...why are you one Everfat85?

And don't come for me...you don't want to get into it with me...you'll wind up wounded and crying in a corner...
Updated On: 3/13/15 at 03:39 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:41pm

I love how ending a rude nasty message with LOL is supposed to what...? Smooth things over, make you look clever by laughing at your lame self? What?

/rant

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:43pm

"The King and I" IS a classic whether you know it or not or understand that or not. It was a huge critical and artistic triumph (in its day) with lines forming around the block to get in, multiple Tony Awards for the stage production and multiple Oscars for the film adaptation.

You can LOL all you want, but you won't change any of that.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:45pm

^^ Thank you bestie as usual you put it better and classier than I can. My message would just be obscenity laden while trying to make my point.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:47pm

That's because you can't take dictation. You would be a horrible secretary as the King of Siam.

[Everlast85]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:47pm

BestBars, that had nothing to do with the show, Ive heard its extraordinary. That was for idiots like Carlos who feel the need to judge people based on what shows they are familiar with.

He's a judgemental dick with an ego problem, you're informative and smart. Thanks for the information.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:50pm

I have an ego problem because I'm confident, impossibly handsome and an amazingly great kisser? Well now doesn't it just SUCK to be YOU!

Bye Felicia, you lose!







Updated On: 3/13/15 at 03:50 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:51pm

I do agree that whether the show is a classic or not has nothing to do with whether this revival is delivering the goods.

I know Ken Watanabe is an excellent actor. I've seen him give wonderful nuanced and fascinating screen performances. But the stage is a different animal. It sounds like his problem is diction (not dictation!). And that's no small issue.

I really want this show to do well, not just for nostalgia's sake, but for people like Everlast85, who may wonder what all the fuss is about if he sees an unsuccessful production of it.

[decast]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:52pm

I can't quite get my head round people not knowing this show. It's a classic, legendary. I always thought of it as kind of a 'foundation musical' You know, you grow up with West Side Story, The King & I, all the major R&H shows, maybe Into the Woods. Perhaps it's just me, I can't remember a time when I didn't know the film,I certainly saw that before I saw it on stage, but that's just down to timing. But I guess we all discover things differently and at different times.

Watanabe speaks really quite good English, there's a number of interviews on Youtube, so I have a hard time believing her learned this role phonetically. I can see there might be a problem with diction though.

Updated On: 3/13/15 at 03:52 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:54pm

I really want this show to do well. It's my favorite R & H show...I love everything about it...the score, the characters, etc. When it's done right it's a glorious night at the theater. My first live production of it was the 1996 Broadway revival starring Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Philips.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 3:56pm

I can't quite get my head round people not knowing this show.

Apparently you cannot express this point of view here because the theater queens around these parts will start throwing hissy fits and will stoop to calling you a judgmental dick.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:02pm

I look at it this way ... none of us were born knowing "The King and I" or any other American musical classic.

At some point in our experience as theatre and/or musical lovers we all had to discover it for the first time, whether we were 5 years old or 15 or 25.

(Okay, if you were older than 25, you must have been myopic in your tastes or ignoring musical theatre in your younger days and became a really late-bloomer.)

Still there is a "first time" for all of you.