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Overview

Synopsis

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I is a moving, radiant story of East meets West. It is the early 1860s when newly widowed Anna Leonowens and her son, Louis, set sail from their native England for Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand). Anna, still grieving, has set her sights on a new adventure and taken a position as the schoolteacher for the royal offspring of the King of Siam. The King is determined to usher Siam into the modern world, and he thinks Western education can be a part of that – yet, Anna is horrified at first by many of the traditions that he holds dear. Anna and the King struggle to find common ground. The King is largely considered to be a barbarian by rulers of the West, and he takes Anna on as an advisor, asking her to help change his image – if not his actual practice. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King teach each other about understanding, respect, and love that can transcend the greatest of differences. Beneath the fraught, fiercely opinionated, conflict-ridden surface of Anna and the King’s relationship lies one of the most unique love stories in the musical theatre canon.

Show Information

Based on the Play/Book/Film
Margaret Landon's 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam
Category
Musical
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1951
Genres
Romance
Settings
Multiple Settings
Time & Place
bangkok, siam, early 1860s
Cast Size
large
Dancing
Some Dance
Ideal For
Mostly Male Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult, Late Teen, Early Teen, Child Characters, Large Cast

Context

Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

King of Siam

Lead

Male

Baritone

Anna Leonowens

Lead

Female

Soprano

The Kralahome

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Captain Orton

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Sir Edward Ramsay

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Lun Tha

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Lady Thiang

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Prince Chulalongkorn

Supporting

Male

Alto

Louis Leonowens

Supporting

Male

Countertenor

Tuptim

Supporting

Female

Soprano

The Interpreter

Featured

Male

Spoken

Phra Alack

Featured

Male

Spoken

Princess Ying Yaowalak

Featured

Female

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Royal Children

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Countertenor, Tenor, Treble/Boy Soprano

Royal Wives

Ensemble

Female

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Ensemble

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Songs

Act One

  • Overture – Orchestra
  • Opening Act I (Arrival in Bangkok) - Orchestra
  • I Whistle a Happy Tune – Anna and Louis
  • Vignettes and Dance - Orchestra
  • My Lord and Master – Tuptim
  • Hello, Young Lovers – Anna
  • March of the Royal Siamese Children – Orchestra, *Royal Children
  • A Puzzlement – King
  • The Royal Bangkok Academy – Anna, Wives and Children
  • *Getting to Know You – Anna, Wives and Children
  • We Kiss in a Shadow – Tuptim and Lun Tha
  • A Puzzlement (reprise) – Louis and Prince Chulalongkorn
  • Shall I Tell You What I Think of You? – Anna
  • Something Wonderful – Lady Thiang
  • Buddhist Prayer/Act I finale – King and Company

Act Two

  • Entr'acte – Orchestra
  • Western People Funny – Lady Thiang and Wives
  • *Dance of Anna and Sir Edward - Orchestra, *Anna, *Sir Edward
  • I Have Dreamed – Tuptim and Lun Tha
  • Hello, Young Lovers (reprise) – Anna
  • *The Small House of Uncle Thomas (Ballet) – Tuptim and *Dancers
  • Song of the King – King and Anna
  • *Shall We Dance? – Anna and the King
  • *Processional - Orchestra
  • Reprise: Something Wonderful (Letter Reading) - Orchestra
  • I Whistle a Happy Tune (reprise) – Anna
  • Finale Ultimo - Orchestra

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

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Scenes

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