The King and I previews thread - Page 17

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 12:23am

Corpuz is wonderful, but i'm not sure he stands a chance of being nominated. Sher made the very smart decision to cast both boys slightly older in this production. They bring more maturity and wisdom to the roles, in contrast to the hokey "little boy" performances we've seen in the past.

Updated On: 3/26/15 at 12:23 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 12:23am

. Updated On: 3/26/15 at 12:23 AM

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 12:38am

I agree about Sher creating moments that we will never let go. I've seen the SOUTH PACIFIC filmed "Live at Lincoln Center", and watching it, it was truly a glorious production that I dearly wished I've seen on Broadway. The direction, sets, actors, 30 piece orchestra, it was all done in such a way that it was truly close to perfection.

I'll see THE KING AND I in July and I can't wait to see more of that magic. Bartlett Sher is the only man who knows how to direct productions that have those many moments; now if only a Sher directed FOLLIES is on the horizon, then our lives would be complete.

Updated On: 3/26/15 at 12:38 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 12:39am

Interesting/promising praise of Corpuz. Is a Tony nod a possibility?

Highly unlikely, at least IMO.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 2:38am

Show Boat is almost 90 years old and has not been forgotten. I wonder how many people going through real hard times in their lives have thought about those lyrics:

Ah, gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin'

Carmen is 140 years old, and the plot doesn't really resonate with contemporary Americans, yet there are hundreds of productions each year.

My favorite night on Broadway was the night I saw South Pacific at Lincoln Center. Brantley, who seems to be growing soft lately, at the time said I know we're not supposed to expect perfection in this imperfect world, but I'm darned if I can find one serious flaw in this production. I don't expect The King and I to reach that level, but I expect it to come close.

As to the Facebook review, there have already been about twenty reviews in this topic that contradict it, and the regulars here can be a tough crowd.

I am concerned about the difficulty in understanding Watanabe. This show will not be a big success if the audience has to work to understand what the co-star is saying. Tomorrow night I see it for the first time with a wonderful seat in row 7 center orchestra, so I won't have to rely on anyone else's opinion.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 8:59am

After Here Lies Love and King and I, I propose a Miles trilogy of South Asian First Ladies. Someone should write a new musical for her about Dewi Sukarno.

[allyk]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 6:01pm

Seeing this April 15 (the matinee) for my birthday. My mother and I bought our tickets today and got a pretty good deal for first row center loge. We don't normally spend a lot on theatre tickets (we usually do rush, lottery, TKTS, etc.) but it's been a crazy couple of months and so we bit the bullet and purchased in advance. We also saw the '96 revival (it was my first Broadway show... I was 7 and I loved it but I don't remember much of it) so it'll be great to see it again after all these years.

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 7:59pm

Can someone who has seen the show comment on why Ruthie Ann Miles' performances is drawing such consistent raves on these comment boards? What is she doing?

[juice23]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 10:17pm

She's acting and singing on a very detailed, nuanced, and powerful level.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 11:01pm

I saw the preview on Thursday night. To get this out of the way, I understood one hundred percent of everything the King said or sung during the show, and without straining. If some still have a problem with this, I'm sure that it will all be resolved by the opening of the show.

Some will surely debate the casting of the two leads, and whether a different actor would have been a better choice, but I was just happy to be at this production with the wonderfully talented O'Hara and Watanabe. Perhaps when I see the show again, as was the case with Twentieth Century, some defects may stand out that I missed the first time.

"The March of the Siamese Children" was a highlight that was brighter than it had been in the other productions that I have seen. The audience was of course delighted with the shenanigans of the children. I once heard Richard Rodgers in an interview, perhaps on the Ed Sullivan show, describe how it had been difficult to get that accompanying music right. He could not use genuine Thai music, as that would have been foreign to Western ears. He had to use the tools of Western music to create a piece that evoked the East. I think that he was justifiably proud of what he came up with.

As mentioned by another recent reviewer, "Getting to Know You" was also a big highlight. So many young Asian children, all participating.

The signature polka late in the second act was also a joy, only with the joy constrained somewhat by the knowledge of what was to come immediately after it ended.

I think that I would have to work too hard to come up with any substantial criticisms, other than the mangling of the Overture, so I'll leave that for the other critics. For what it's worth, the audience was all on its feet early in the curtain calls.

I will try to leave you who will be going to see the show with a useful bit of guidance. Try to get seats in the first five or six rows of the orchestra. Difficult and expensive? Yes. Especially because there seem to be no seats on sale for the first 10 or 12 or more rows in the center, center left or center right sections for the entire remainder of the run. I haven't seen Telecharge follow Roundabout's practice of throwing a hundred choice seats of a day's production to the public two or three days prior to it. But the producers must be holding a lot of these seats and they will show up as available at certain times (unless they were all sold to American Express card holders).

With the structure of the stage, that is with the prominent proscenium jutting far out into the orchestra seating, that part of the stage is nearly surrounded on three sides by orchestra seats. When I took my seat in the fourth row of the orchestra center left, I was blown away by my intimacy with the proscenium on which almost all of the musical is staged. No need for theater glasses; I could read the expression on everyone's face. Frequently Anna or Lady Thiang stepped right out on one of the forward corners, faced the audience and sang. From only fifteen or twenty feet away, she could have been singing right to me (OK, that sounds pretty stupidly romantic). The cast with its many children entered or exited the stage by running past you or under you.

During the lengthy staging of "Uncle Thomas," which I must admit has always been my least favorite part of this musical, Kelli O'Hara perched herself on a small stool near my corner of the stage and I caught the rather strong scent of whatever powder that had been applied to her (hmm, bringing that up as a memorable moment also seems a bit strange).

Even as I write this I know some will contradict me strongly and claim that being further back from the stage allows you to see the sets and all the costumes and all the actors as a unified entity, and that is preferable.

With some shows that is unquestionably correct, but when I bought my tickets to see the show later in its run in June I got two in the first row absolute dead center of the loge and I thought I had done a great thing. Now I'll be disappointed, I believe, with those seats. The loge offers a good view of the entire stage, but it barely overlaps the last rows of the orchestra and is quite far from the stage horizontally and vertically.

Well, that's my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

[BwayLeadman]

Posted: 3/28/15 at 12:20am

Saw tonight's performance. The staging was beautifully done. My only issue was there were times I couldn't hear the dialogue or some of Kelli's soft singing moments. Everyone did a fantastic job, can't really think of anyone who performed poorly. I'm not a huge fan of kids on stage, but they were all charming.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/28/15 at 1:10am

Well, it didn't take long for Twitter and Tumblr to show gifs of the show. There is some pictures of Kelli in different outfits and I really like them. Her "Hello Young Lovers" dress is green and her "Final Scene" is a regal magenta. Catherine Zuber is doing some very splendid work here and not just the Siam Court costumes but Kelli's as well.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/28/15 at 1:23am

Kelli's final dress is my favorite. The shade of red & the fit are just PERFECT

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/28/15 at 1:32am

^ Agreed. LOVED that last dress.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 1:27am

My theater friend told me that out of all the productions she has seen of the show (she saw the 1985 revival when she was 10), it's Bartlett Sher's version of the ending that made her really teary eyed.

Did you hear some sobbing during the ending?

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 1:27am

Updated On: 3/29/15 at 01:27 AM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 2:14am

I can't recall hearing anyone sobbing, but my eyes were teary enough for me to pull out a tissue. I never had a good understanding on how the still young and vigorous King had been sent to his deathbed shortly after his final confrontation with Anna over the beating of Tuptim, even if it cost him humiliation at the hands of his subjects.

This production made it clear that the deathbed scene had occurred many months later, during which he had not seen Anna.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 8:07am

Went last night, and it was beautiful. Was with my brother who is not a big musical fan, but he enjoyed it.

We both agreed that Ken Watanabe was difficult to understand about 50% of the time. Sometimes he's crisp and clear, but something it's so mumbled it doesn't even sound like he's attempting English words. Perhaps he's been working on his diction starting with the beginning of the show because as the show went on it began progressively more jumbled. The King has so many funny lines and, of course, the most intense and dramatic ones, so it's a shame to miss them.

Kelli O'Hara just sings with such an ease. She never seems like she's pushing for notes, and it is a joy to listen to her. Ruthie Ann Miles was very good, and I liked many of the others including Anna's son and Tuptim, but it was the kids who stole the show. I wanted to bite their little faces!

The orchestra being where it was was glorious, and the staging and stage itself were impressive. The audience definitely seemed to be an average age of about 60. Don't know how a younger audience would feel about the 3 hr running time, but it's a classic that deserves to be seen by young people.

[enjoyable2]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 12:36pm

There haver been a lot of comments recently that he's been much easier to understand. Since you wrote that you saw it last night, your comment makes me wonder if Watanabe is having particular difficulties on Wed and Sat when he is doing two shows. Might he be reaching a point of exhaustion halfway through the second show and losing his ability to project clearly? It sounds like his interpretation is wonderful. I wonder if the creative team has noticed this and if so, maybe they should have someone else do the matinees. Many years ago before the era of using microphoness, I sat through a number of wonderful shows where I couldn't hear a lot of dialogue and it was certainly frustrating.

Updated On: 3/29/15 at 12:36 PM

[Mike3]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 1:04pm

For what it's worth, at Friday evening's performance I had no trouble understanding Ken Watanabe. His performance was engrossing.

I found Kelli O'Hara's performance beautiful. I suspect I will be rooting for her on June 7. I am seeing Chita Rivera this afternoon, so we shall see.

I loved the scenic design. Just loved it. (I was in the center section of the orchestra, which helps.)

[TBone]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 2:08pm

Have they changed the curtain call or is it still just the group bow? I overheard quite a few comments about it on the way out last Sunday. I have to admit that It did seem a little odd... disappointing even.

[prouvaire]

Posted: 3/29/15 at 6:11pm

I was there yesterday afternoon and they had individual (or couple) bows in addition to the group one.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 12:26am

Looked like a traditional curtain call. The young prince, Sir Edward, Tuptim's lover, Tuptim, Lady Thiang, and the two stars coming from left and right to join hands in the middle and take bows separately and individually.

I was surprised initially at the attention and anticipation of so many people here for the revival. Just because it predated so many by such a long time. But not to be too impressed since it still trailed Hedwig in posts and views.

When I was an undergrad the album of the year was the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," which contained the instructions that This Record Should Be Played Loud. I still listen to it and play it loud, but I can't make a connection between great theater and loud rock. That's just me.

I've been seeing a lot more Broadway shows over the past few years, going in with groups to sit in the Rear Mezz and taking out some subscriptions. But watching The King and I last week it immediately separated itself from all the other shows. A musical play telling a story still relevant with the fine costumes and large orchestra and great music. A classic.

But then I'm brought up by what Dramateach said about the age of the crowd. Hmmm. I wonder if that is the reason that the weekend matinees are outselling the Friday and Saturday night performances.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 9:57am

"I saw the preview on Thursday night. To get this out of the way, I understood one hundred percent of everything the King said or sung during the show, and without straining. If some still have a problem with this, I'm sure that it will all be resolved by the opening of the show. "

Disagree. I saw the show Saturday and had lots of trouble understanding him. I thought his "Puzzlement" was an absolute disaster. He was easier to understand in book scenes, but it still took most of my concentration to follow what he was saying.

FWIW, I'm very familiar with the show and I'm under 30, so hearing is not an issue.

I was also underwhelmed with Kelli. Shame.

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 3/30/15 at 10:04am

Lightning never strikes twice. I'll be curious to see how this production is remembered in 5-7 years. Perhaps Sher should take a break for a bit before going right into Fiddler.