The King and I previews thread - Page 7

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:10pm

Well said, Best Bars. Thanks for not being judgmental about it.

[LeTigre]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:22pm

Seeing it tomorrow; looks so beautiful.

[Fantod]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:29pm

It's ridiculous to say that someone has to be familiar with any show. So what if someone isn't familiar with the King and I? That allows it to be even more special when they see it live for the first time. In fact, I would love not to be familiar with Hello, Dolly! or My Fair Lady again so that I could experience that first time joy that you get when you find something's wonderful.

[RW3]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:35pm

CarlosAlberto, I just want to correct your word choices. You used the word "casted". It has been said many times that "casted" isn't a word. Just use cast the next time. Also, the correct spelling of marquis is m-a-r-q-u-e-e.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:37pm

^ Oh honey. It was a joke.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:38pm

How about roll? Like I really want to play Tuptim. I love that roll? That was correct, no?

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 4:48pm

It's only correct if this is dinner theatre. Then you can have a roll.

[candydog2]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 5:33pm

So could somebody pleeeeease explain this boat? I mean put spoiler alerts in bold above it if you like. I just know I'm not going to get to see this in NY!

Also, on the topic of not being familiar with the King and I: It's my favourite show personally, but it is an old show. It's perhaps surprising to not have heard of it at all, I mean people see it in film listings and in passing they hear about it growing up, but to not have SEEN it or have an in depth knowledge about it is really quite reasonable.

R&H shows just aren't the shows that kids "grow up on" any more if they're into musical theatre. Nowadays they're into Wicked, Billy Elliot, Hairspray etc. Times have changed and The King and I just isn't going to grab the attention of many young people today.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 5:51pm

"It's ridiculous to say that someone has to be familiar with any show. So what if someone isn't familiar with the King and I? That allows it to be even more special when they see it live for the first time."

Thank you my sweets.

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 8:15pm

For anyone interested, this Tumblr user posted a bunch of audio clips from last night! One of the clips is the audience's reaction to the boat which amused me! Kelli sounds amazing as always!
http://theatreaficionado.tumblr.com/


Updated On: 3/13/15 at 08:15 PM

[SharoninB]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 8:31pm

Are there no Thai Americans?

I ask this because why did they not hire one of those

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 9:26pm

But seriously, what's the boat effect?

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 9:58pm

All I could make out from what he said in Shall We Dance? was "one, two, three." Oof.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 10:10pm

Oh, hogwash that its a sign of the times. Many of my students have this revival high on their list. They get to pick three shows to see and this ranked number 4. Not too shabby. And never ONCE have they tried to see Wicked on their trip.

Either you try to be well rounded or you don't.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 10:20pm

If R&H aren't popular anymore, how come SOUTH PACIFIC was such a big hit and sold out months in advance for quite a while a few years back? How come OKLAHOMA! is constantly done by school groups across the country? I know plenty of excited young people who can't wait to see THE KING AND I.

(I would mention THE SOUND OF MUSIC, too, but it involves nuns, God, and children, which is obvious fodder for middle American popularity, so...duh. And plus, it's gotten a little too much exposure today. Thanks Steve.)

Indeed, hogwash.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 10:28pm

Besides knowing some of the music, I don't know much about The King & I either. That doesn't make me a "well rounded" theater goer? I love tons and tons and tons of classics. I just never grew up with the film, have never seen a production (I only started REALLY getting into Broadway when I turned 18, before that, I only knew a few musical films and Rent, which I saw on Broadway when I was 16) and never got around to seeing the movie.

That being said, I do now own a copy of the film and am incredibly excited to see the show on April 30th.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 10:32pm

I don't sanction the comments that not knowing THE KING AND I does not make you a well-rounded theater lover. I'm glad you're going to see it, n2nbaby, and I hope you like it!

But not knowing ME AND JULIET makes you a TERRIBLE theater lover!

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 10:38pm

I really envy the people who had parents who would listen to Broadway cast recordings or take their kids to musicals as they were children. I became a theater buff because I saw Rent and then performed in my first musical in the same year. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have ever had such a passion for it.

That being said, I'm still uncultured a bit. I see as many new things as I can but a lot of the older stuff I don't know much about because I don't really enjoy listening to cast recordings without seeing the shows, don't like watching bootlegs unless I've always seen the show, etc. That's why I love when there are GREAT revivals. I barely knew about South Pacific besides a few songs and the basic plot (much like The King & I) but then I saw the PBS airing and I was stunned and it became one of my favorite musicals.

So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this in a little over a month, I'm sure I will love it and Kelli sounds amazing from the clips that have been posted . I can't believe I have STILL never seen her live.

If anyone would like to culture me with some older stuff, feel free to PM me. :P

[josiahjosiah]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 11:22pm

Maybe they should roll supertitles for Watanabe's lines? If his line readings are really intelligible and it's part of the setup, why not???

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 1:35am

Exactly--surtitles for Opera-why not gabbled Thai.
I mentioned to my 46yo niece who loves musicals and is a school music teacher--Funny Girl---what,never heard of that one--I of course was speechless.
You know what you wanna know.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 6:50am

There is also a sad fact that faces people when they're older (like me) that what was "now and forever" (are you listening, "Cats?") may fade into the twilight in the decades ahead.

Keep that in mind (right now) when you are younger. As you grow older, you may be shocked when the younger generations ask you, "What's Wicked? Or Rent? Never heard of them." Or you get a watered-down revival of Book of Mormon or The Light in the Piazza or Jersey Boys, and nobody understands why they were ever popular to begin with.

Or who is Katy Perry? Or Lady Gaga? Or Cate Blanchett? Or Denzel Washington? Were they ever really famous? Never heard of them.

It will happen. Maybe not with those exact examples, because a few (and I do mean VERY few) will stand the test of time.

Most of the pillars of the current pop culture won't. And you will find that what was so beloved, well-known, and celebrated right now (in your youth), isn't even known to people younger than you are. And when you bother to explain it to them or give them examples of "what they were like," they still don't care. It doesn't mean anything to them.

Updated On: 3/14/15 at 06:50 AM

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 7:36am

Do you mind if I worship you from afar best12bars ?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 7:50am

Interesting that Sher can rationalize Watanabe's putative unintelligibility as resonating with the character dynamic.

interesting. But completely unpersuasive.

Hopefully, there is "a hairy hound from Budapest" waiting in the wings to help Ken.

[Falling]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 9:03am

I hope this gets better. I'm going toward the end of previews so I am hopeful that by then this is remedied. It's important to understand what an actor is saying.

[Jay94]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 9:39am

But what's so great about the boat?