Dare Devil Rides to Jarama – Townsend Productions, The Triumph of Evil – Tales from the Golden Age, Golden Age Theatre YouTube, Letters: Tim Crouch and Nadia Albina- The Gate, Zoom, Pippin – Garden Theatre at the Eagle, London, The Boss of It All -New Perspectives Theatre, Soho Theatre, Elephant’s Graveyard – The Production Exchange, Down for the Count Swing Orchestra: Swing that Music – Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, Hofesh Shechter Company: Grand Finale – Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage in Focus, Dick Whittington – Opera House, Manchester, Son of a Preacher Man – Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Son of a Preacher Man – New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CL-ZSuCrQ. This is a big, beautiful, bright and bold version of The King and I, which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable evening out at the theatre. Her rendition of “Getting to Know You”, which I’ve previously found irksome, was one of the evening’s highlights. From the opening with the huge steamer, to a garden adorned with masses of hanging flowers providing the hiding place for the illicit meetings of Tuptim and her lover Lun Tha and the gilt pillars representing the scale and majesty of the royal palace. Another very enjoyable scene is the interpretation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The costumes in it are stunning, as indeed they are throughout the show. Performing as Anna, fresh from her West End success, will be Annalene Beechey, and reprising his critically acclaimed Broadway performance as The King will be Jose Llana.
He was as funny as he was fearsome and made the role his own, shining in A Puzzlement - seeing Aaron Teoh mimic him so well as Prince Chulalongkorn in the reprise was a delight, too.
The cast are incredibly talented - from the smallest prince and princess to the wives, soldiers and palace servants that seem to glide, not walk, across the stage. The King and I. Although traditionally seen as a romance, it is against the backdrop of predatory, creeping western imperialism. The Reviews Hub - Yorkshire & North East 31/10/2019. Leonowens is an intriguing character. Despite these niggling imperfections, Sher’s production is—in many ways—something of a triumph. As Tuptim, the slave girl who has been given to the King in marriage against her will, Paulina Yeung reveals a voice of heartrending loveliness. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. You’ll find her excitedly singing showtunes whether she’s in the office, on a train or in an audience near you…, Leeds Grand Theatre until 9th November 2019, Why Joseph is the best musical of all time, 5 favourite musical characters – meet the boys, Jimmy Osmond review – an international treasure, The Last Ship at York Theatre Royal review. Her song “Something Wonderful”, towards the end of Act One, is both moving and thoroughly heart-warming. Fresh from an acclaimed London run, The King and I is now in the middle of a grand national tour. Annalene said: “I absolutely love playing Anna, she is a dream role for any actress. Llana brings to his performance an array of facial expressions and body language quirks that make his character – who, let’s not forget, has charges of barbarianism levelled at him – intensely loveable. It's a rich, emotional tale - from Anna and the King's slow evolution to the tragedy of Lun Tha and Tuptim and the inner conflicts of Lady Thiang - and that's before you consider the political subplot.
Eager to modernise his country, the King of Siam (Jose Llana) has hired Anna to teach English to his numerous children. Our. The music is so deliciously diverse, too - Getting to Know You is a familiar favourite, but I'd forgotten how simple yet heartwarming The March of the Siamese Children was, and the pain of We Kiss in a Shadow . As the determined Mrs Leonowens, Annalene Beechey shines just as brightly; she is certainly no mere foil to the King’s tragicomic. You'll find the latest food and drink reviews, gigs, events and lifestyle news.
In later life Anna chose to have almost no contact with her family, claiming to have been born in Caernarfon with the surname Crawford (her father’s surname was Edwards) and to have attended an English boarding school.