By Amber Rubio
St. George Musical Theater brings The King and I to the stage in southern Utah and once again SGMT manages to go beyond belief in their quaint space. For those that have not had the privilege of attending a show by this company, you must run (or dance!) to get tickets as fast as you can. This theater is an “in the round” style and allows the audience to be fully emerged in the show. There is not a bad seat in the house and the actors are so close you can appreciate the detail of every emotion, interaction, and design choice that has been selected for The King and I.
The King and I has a rich history. It was the fifth musical penned by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and premiered March 29, 1951 on Broadway’s St. James Theatre. The musical’s plot stems from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, a governess for King Mongkut of Siam during the early 1860’s. The story weaves through the life of a British schoolteacher hired as part of the King’s drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked with conflict as well as by a love to which neither of them can admit.
Dan Workman plays the King and has done justice to the iconic role. He has a booming, clear, and pleasant voice that helps characterize this authoritarian role. He sings his way into your heart as you both love and laugh at the man that knows it all. Rachel Cox as Anna is nothing but pure delight. Besides her amazing vocal range, she is so engaging you hang on her every laugh, tender moment, and fierce determination as she attempts to help the King and his family move forward into a whole new world and way of thinking.
Tumtim (Alissa Mayer) and Lady Thiang (Charisma Pinna) are great balances to each other as the young, curious student that wanted nothing more than romantic love and the wife that knew her role to help her husband be the great leader that she knew he was capable of being. Watching both of them play the roles that each influenced the King to become the man he is in the end was magical.
This cast is extensive and there just is not enough space to list them all. However, each actors plays such an important part to the story. Ezekiel Weir, Chululongkorn, and Cai Klomp as Louis show that even with the cultural differences, boys are still the same as they share a brief scene discussing the reasons their parents are acting the way they are and disagree about the future of Siam. The dancing and singing just make you smile and the audience laughed out loud as the cast brought you into the crazy world of Siam as they move forward into the modern day.
Director Norman Lister had his hands full with this large, talented cast, and made some great decisions in casting and in his technical crew. The detail in each of these well-known scenes and songs are right on point while still feeling fresh and new.
One thing I have noticed with SGMT is that their costuming is always a treat and this show has gone above and beyond. Katie Wood and Marilynn Wood did a stunning job. The colors, details, sheer number of costumes are a show in and of itself. Cox has several old-fashioned Western style dresses that are larger than life and stunning. The oriental dresses on all the princesses, children, King, and cast are vibrant, flowing, exciting and the headdresses’ detail is flawless. The Uncle Thomas Ballet and procession had my daughter and me smiling with pure bliss at the face masks and the dragons dancing along the stage. I know there was an extensive team working on this task and Sharon Snow, Hortencia Grabner, Carrie Carlow, Irene Jones, Kathy Love, Sue Lister, Vauna Byrd, Theresa Robertson, Ellen Bennet, and Ester Bergman all need kudos for a job well done.
Music Director Kris Barber, Choreographer Becky Reed, Hair and Makeup Leanne Stanard, Props Cynthia Stueben, Lighting designer Jennifer Roberts and Don Gilman, along with Sound Designer Kyle Merrick are a behind the scenes dream team that allows the story to captivate us for a couple of hours and transport us to Siam.
Fifty years after its premiere, Rodgers biographer Meryle Secrest summed up the musical: “The King and I is really a celebration of love in all its guises, from the love of Anna for her dead husband; the love of the King’s official wife, Lady Thiang, for a man she knows is flawed and also unfaithful; the desperation of forbidden love; and a love that is barely recognized and can never be acted upon.” St. George Musical Theater’s The King and I brings beauty, delight, and passion to southern Utah. Don’t miss it.
St. George Musical Theater present The King and I, By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
St. George Musical Theater, 212 N Main, St. George, UT 84770
January 17- February 23, 2019, Thursday-Saturday, Monday, 7:30 PM
Tickets: $17-$21, call for group rates
St. George Musical Theater Facebook Page
Photo credit: Monica Johanson Photography
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