- Performances: 1,246.
- Open / Close: March 29, 1951 – March 20, 1954
- Theater: St. James.
- Tony Awards: Nominated for 5 and won all of them, including Best Musical. Gertrude Lawrence won for Best Performance by a Leading Actress. Yul Brynner won in the Featured Actor category. Irene Sharaff won for Costume Design; that same year, she would win the first of 5 Academy Awards for her work on “An American in Paris.” She would win the Oscar for the movie version of “The King and I” as well.
- Fun Fact: As mentioned in the podcast episode, Richard Rogers studied Asian music to give the score an exotic feel. Even so, he turned to composer and arranger Trude Rittmann, who had worked on “Carousel” and “Allegro,” for assistance for the music used in “The Small House of Uncle Thomas.” The final composition is largely written by her.
Podcast
We are hurtling towards the holidays and so, for this episode, I make the case for “The King and I” to be considered among your holiday viewing options. Even though it’s a 70+ year show, it’s a smart and sophisticated musical with interesting cross-cultural dynamics. And so, of course, I turned to the smart and sophisticated Phil Crosby, most knowledgeable of all humans on the subject of older musicals, to help me explicate and praise this wonderful show.
Phil provides some vital context on Gertrude Lawrence, who originated the role of Anna and who is a Broadway diva largely forgotten or overlooked today. We also give only the briefest recap of the fascinating emergence of Yul Brynner as a star, a former circus performer who first arrived on Broadway at 21 having already lived a remarkable life spending time in Russia, China and Paris.
“The King and I” is the fifth Rogers and Hammerstein collaboration and full of amazing music, gorgeous sets and costumes, and a compelling leading character. Though Deborah Kerr isn’t singing in the movie adaptation, she makes for a fine Anna. This isn’t a show that gets staged that often any more, but we are lucky that the movie version is pretty remarkable. So go ahead and dial it up during some holiday downtime – you’ll be glad you did!
Bonus episode! Even more of my chat with Phil, including a spoilery conversation about the end of the show.