Following its Broadway debut in 1951, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s film adaptation of The King and I premiered in theatre’s June 29, 1956. The movie musical, starring Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, and Rita Moreno, would go on to win five Academy Awards.
Based on the memoir of schoolteacher Anna Leonowens, The King and I tells the story of a Welsh woman who travels from England to Siam to serve as governess to the king's many children, resulting in a passionate clashing of wills.
The King and I was last on Broadway in a Bartlett Sher-helmed revival, which opened at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont April 16, 2015. Starring Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe, the production played through June 26, 2016, garnering Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, O'Hara, and Ruthie Ann Miles' performances, as well as costume designer Catherine Zuber.
O'Hara and Watanabe are currently reprising their roles in Tokyo through August 4, 2019, directed by Sher. Miles also reprised her role as Lady Thiang for the beginning of the run, from July 11–15. Since July 17, Cezarah Bonner has taken over that role through the end of the engagement. The cast also includes Philip Bulcock as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey, Kamm Kunaree as Tuptim, Takao Osawa as Kralahome, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, and Aaron Teo Guan Ti as Prince Chulalongbor. The production is in English with Japanese subtitles. Click here for tickets and more information about the Japan production.
