The King and I

This Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is guaranteed to attract audiences to the theatre and this production was no exception. I am certain that everyone who saw it went away whistling a ‘happy tune’.

The pairing of Dawn Welch and Jordan Adams as Anna Leonowens and The King of Siam worked really well. Dawn showed us the softer side of Anna when dealing with others but contrasted this well with feistiness when there was an injustice. Jordan’s stage presence made sure that we realised that here was a man not to be crossed until finally his spirit was broken. Well done to both of you. Sue Morgan gave a solid performance as Lady Thiang, a woman torn between her loyalty to the king and a need for things to change. James Padley was delightful as Anna’s son Louis and young Nathan de Giorgio (Prince Chulalongkorn) showed that he is going to play many more principal roles in the future. There was also some excellent singing from Kathy Coombes (Tuptim) and Jon Barakat (Lun Tha). The children were a delight and there was solid support from Ray Hibbs (Sir Edward), Dave Hill (Captain Orton) and Jack Pritchard (Phra Alack).

The singing by all the principals and chorus was confident and they were backed up by an excellent orchestra. Chorography was pleasant on the eye and slickly operated.

The set was very impressive as were the costumes.

The lighting plot was well thought out and the sound balance between the orchestra and the singers was excellent. Congratulations to everyone involved!  

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