The King and I

What an absolutely riveting piece of musical theatre BROS provided, with their slick first-night performance from the opening scene on board ship to the final death-bed scene in Siam brought vividly to life by a well-rehearsed and talented cast.

The company had decided to avoid the usual pit-fall of long scene-change pauses, by devising a simplified set and virtually no props or furnishings. Unfortunately I think this was a mistake as it was quite difficult to imagine one was looking at a royal palace let alone in the East. Added to this problem the lighting was a bit ‘all over the place’ which sometimes happens on an opening night. Thankfully the costumes looked exquisite, the pace was up-beat throughout the performance and the well-disciplined orchestra, under the direction of Dan Lacey, provided a nicely balanced accompaniment, with plenty of light and shade in the musical numbers, which supported the cast admirably.

Wezley Sebastian excelled as the King of Siam, a hugely challenging role, with some demanding musical numbers and even more demanding acting skills. He was more than ably supported by Caroline Bennett in the role of Mrs Anna, who was hired to teach the royal children. Her rendition of ‘Hello Young Lovers’ was beautifully sung and together they made a thoroughly convincing pair. Caroline Lowe made a delightful and totally believable Lady Thiang.  Her singing of ‘Something Wonderful’ was indeed wonderful.  Richard Millen and Bethan Chapman as the ill fated lovers were a joy to see and hear. As usual the children were a delight to see on stage, especially Dominic McGreevy as Louis and Benjamin McGreevy as Prince Chulalongkorn. 

To me the biggest delight of this performance was the outstanding version of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’.  This was the best version I have ever seen, danced by Arabesque Dancers and ADF Dancers.  This lifted the entire show onto another level.  It was riveting. 

 The principals were very well supported by the other cast members, who all added significantly to the performance, some in their individual roles, others creating some truly enjoyable scenes, which were never over-crowded, with imaginative scene setting.   The delightful contrasts between rousing numbers such as ‘Shall we Dance’ and ‘Getting to Know You’ and the magical number ‘I have Dreamed’ , sung by Lun Tha and Tuptim, made for a truly memorable performance and one for which BROS should be heartily congratulated. Well done!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.