The King and I
What a beautiful revival of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Just kidding! Of course I have more to say about the show. I, of course, knew of The King and I , and had heard or heard of many of the songs in its delightful score, yet I had never seen The King and I , and the first thing that struck me about this musical, which first bowed on Broadway in the 1950s and takes place in the 1860s, is that our leading lady, Anna (Kelli O'Hara), is a proto-feminist. Anna, a widow, and her son arrive in Siam, where Anna will teach English to the king's children (and others). She shrugs off the British naval officer's warnings about being a woman alone in Siam and, once she arrives at the palace, insists that the king honor their agreement. (There is a discrepancy about where she will live and what salary she'll draw.) She continues this way, speaking truth to power, demanding the king ( Ken Watanabe , making his Broadway debut) ...