• Review For Us
    • In London or across the UK
    • at Edinburgh Fringe
  • List Your Show
  • Advertising
  • Musicals
  • Plays
  • Ballet & Dance
  • Previews
  • First Look
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
    • Edinburgh Fringe Interviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
    • Edinburgh Fringe Interviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews

Review: The King and I at The London Palladium

by Greg Stewart
July 3, 2018
Reading Time: 4 mins read
The King and I London Palladium Review

The King and I London Palladium Review

Four Star Review from Theatre WeeklyThere is no doubting the influence of Rodgers and Hammerstein, who created a slew of popular musicals that are still beloved today.  In the fifties and sixties movie studios clambered over themselves to turn their delightfully family friendly musicals in to movies, including The King and I. Turn on the TV on a Sunday afternoon and one of their greats will probably be playing.

But seeing their work on stage is now less common, it’s been two decades since Oklahoma was in the West End, and over ten years since a television talent show found a Maria for The Sound of Music. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s work has been overtaken by new edgier and relevant work, which is good news for the industry, but is there still a place with audiences for the ‘golden age’ of musical theatre?

English school teacher, Anna Leonowens is employed by the King of Siam (now Thailand) to teach the royal children, but only those of the royal wives who are currently in favour, this must come as a relief to producers as we are told the King has over sixty children, in one of the many references to the monarch’s polygamous lifestyle.

       

Any romantic relationship between King and teacher is merely hinted at, the plot focussing more on the personalities of the two as a metaphor for their differing cultures.  A love story does develop between two other characters, Tuptim and Lun Tha and as always, it’s interesting to watch the stories unfold simultaneously.

Bartlett Sher directs this production of The King and I which has transferred from New York’s Lincoln Center, it has a very different look to Christopher Renshaw’s production which also played the London Palladium some twenty years ago.  Sher’s production is more cinematic, making it feel more like the movie version many will be familiar with, from the very first scene as a large boat sails on to the stage, you know that this will be a visually commanding performance, and that continues through the streets of Bangkok and in to the Royal Palace.

You mightalso like

That'll be The Day image supplied by publicist

That’ll Be The Day Returns to the London Palladium for 40th Anniversary Tour

LtoR Blake Patrick Anderson, Jacqui Dubois, Rebecca Lock, Rosie Singha & River Medway, credit Rich Lakos

Principal Cast Announced for Here & Now UK and Ireland Tour

There is sure to be comment on the Western view of the East, given how significantly things have changed since The King and I was written, the production itself goes someway in acknowledging this with the return of ‘Western People Funny’ which was cut from the movie and many subsequent stage productions.

Kelli O’Hara is simply wonderful in the role of Anna, every second she is on stage is a delight for the audience, she perfectly balances the feistiness with the caring side of the teacher, and her interactions with those adorable royal children could keep you smiling all night.

Ken Watanabe makes his West End debut as The King of Siam, he certainly manages to both align with and distinguish himself from Yul Brynner, who came to personify the role on both stage and screen.  Watanabe is strong and commanding allowing the audience to fear and respect the King, while bemusing his childlike petulance. Sadly, it is often very difficult to pick up what he’s saying, and vast swathes of speech are lost, as you just wait for the next song.

Dean John-Wilson and Na-Young Jeon as Lun Tha and Tuptim respectively, are wonderful as the forbidden lovers, I found myself more captivated by their story, wishing there was more time spent on them.  It is a fairly long production, but elements of story are passed by for finely choreographed dance routines, and of course ‘The Small House of Uncle Thomas’ takes up a large portion of the second act.

       

The King and I comes to the West End under an immense weight of expectation, following glowing reviews in New York, and an extension before the first curtain up.  On the whole the production more than meets this heavy burden, though it does sag at points, it is a clear demonstration that the golden age of musicals does still have a place in the West End, and indeed many of our hearts.

Buy Tickets

Na Young Jeon and Dean John Wilson c. Matthew Murphy
Na Young Jeon and Dean John Wilson c. Matthew Murphy
Ken Watanabe C. Matthew Murphy
Ken Watanabe C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy
Kelli Ohara C. Matthew Murphy

 

Greg Stewart

Greg Stewart

Greg is an award-winning writer with a huge passion for theatre. He has appeared on stage, as well as having directed several plays in his native Scotland. Greg is the founder and editor of Theatre Weekly

Related Articles

That'll be The Day image supplied by publicist
News

That’ll Be The Day Returns to the London Palladium for 40th Anniversary Tour

LtoR Blake Patrick Anderson, Jacqui Dubois, Rebecca Lock, Rosie Singha & River Medway, credit Rich Lakos
News

Principal Cast Announced for Here & Now UK and Ireland Tour

Rachel Zegler and cast of Evita. Credit Marc Brenner
First Look

First Look Rehearsal Images Released for Evita at the London Palladium

Cast of Evita (c) Justine Matthew
News

Full Cast and Creative Team Announced for Jamie Lloyd’s Production of Evita at The London Palladium

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Twitter Facebook Youtube Instagram

At Theatre Weekly we give theatre a new audience. You'll find our theatre news, theatre reviews and theatre interviews are written from an audience point of view. Our great value London theatre tickets will get you the best deal for your theatre tickets.
Theatre Weekly, 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
  • Join Our Community
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising

Recent News

Spin A Play (Credit Lynsey Nicol)

Spin-a-Play Brings Improvised Chaos to Camden Fringe 2025

The sound of Music Cast Image supplied by publicist

The Sound of Music Full Cast Announced for Curve’s 2025 Christmas Production

© 2022 Theatre Weekly

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Tickets
  • Digital Theatre
  • News
    • News
    • West End
    • Off West End
    • Regional & Tours
    • Digital
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
    • Edinburgh Fringe Interviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer

© 2022 Theatre Weekly