The King and I - Lincoln Center- Page 5

[dreaming]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 1:19pm

He's just rather young, at least in appearance.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 1:24pm

The King is also not a singing role, guys, so Sher is not going to cast him as an opera singer. The King will most likely be cast with an unknown Asian actor in the way Loreta Ables-Sayre was cast. He didn't cast Mary operatically because she didn't need to be. Emile is an operatic style role, so he cast that accordingly. Tuptim and Thiang will be the only opera-style singers he will cast IMO, someone who's done Madame Butterfly, perhaps. His Lun Tha will be an unknown Broadway-style Asian actor/singer too I would think.

This production will entirely rest on the shoulders of Kelli O'Hara if she's cast... And I would think this role will most likely win her the Tony. Jessie Mueller is my bet for this year. Updated On: 4/9/14 at 01:24 PM

[newintown]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 1:26pm

Casting a gorgeous voice as the King would be like casting Audrey Hepburn as Mammy Yoakum.

[dreaming]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 1:28pm

The actresses who play Madama Butterfly are not, quite often, Asian (Kristine Opelais is currently playing the role).

Hue He, who will take the role later in the run at the Met, is more suited to the role of Tuptim (she's young).

I see nothing wrong with casting a singer as the King. This gentleman has too much presence to be Lun Tha and would make a great King, even if I think he's a little young.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 1:48pm

"The actresses who play Madama Butterfly are not, quite often, Asian (Kristine Opelais is currently playing the role)."

This was an accepted practice for a very long time in the opera world but you'll find more and more vocal critics of it and more companies making an effort to at least cast an Asian singer as Butterfly, if not in other roles.

[dreaming]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 1:55pm

In opera, there are specific vocal necessities-Opelais is brilliant vocally in the role of Mme. Butterfly (I'll probably catch her live at some point). There is an Asian stepping into the role later. However, they needed someone vocally appropriate for the role. Opera is very different in its demands and the voice has to be capable of singing the part and typically the singer has the role in their repertoire. (It's a huge difference from theater that way-singers establish themselves in roles.)

Anyway, back on topic, there are some Met performers who could fit the bill very nicely. (They would put me in a seat more than O'Hara's casting.)

Updated On: 4/9/14 at 01:55 PM