Graham Montgomery News

During the week of July 17-24, the 40 finalists can expect an unforgettable interactive experience of professional vocal training, performance coaching, workshops, daily social activities and educational masterclasses with a star-studded team of mentors led by five-time Grammy Award nominee and Songbook Foundation Founder Michael Feinstein.

Forty of the nation's top high school vocalists have been selected to participate in the 2020 Songbook Academy® summer intensive, a week of personal instruction and mentoring from arts and entertainment professionals presented each year by the Great American Songbook Foundation.

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC have announced that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I.

Bartlett Sher's staging of The King and I brings the show to vivid life, reminding us of its still relevant messages while always remaining a marvelous entertainment.

According to audience reports on both the BroadwayWorld Message Board and on Twitter, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife attended THE KING AND I at the Kennedy Center last night, August 18.

Oh how delightful it was to hear a spectacular overture before a Broadway musical. When is the last time you heard one? We heard snippets of great music to come such as 'Something Wonderful', Whistle a Happy Tune', 'Shall We Dance' and 'Hello Young Lovers' all played by the talented orchestra (the massive 15 pieces) under the baton of Gerard Steichen.

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC announce that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I.

Leaning toward spectacle and theatricality, Bartlett Sher's production of THE KING AND I took me by surprise with its emotional power.

When the King of Siam (Jose Llana) sends for a governess to mentor his royal children, you would expect her arrival to be in grand fashion. And it was. At the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, when the curtain parts, the striking opening scene for The King and I unveils a boat anchoring dockside amidst a colorful sunset in Bangkok. As Anna Leonowens (Laura Michelle Kelly), a Welsh widow and her handsome son Louis (Graham Montgomery), prepare to disembark, Louis expresses some trepidation about the new life they are about to start in an unfamiliar land. His mother answers him with, I Whisle a Happy Tune, setting the tone for this delightful musical and gifting the audience with the angelic vocal talents of Miss Kelly.

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC announced that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I. The multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway hit will run at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County for a limited time starting May 9 through May 14, 2017.

The National Tour of the Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I brings its parade of adorable children, a pair of star-crossed lovers, an imperial ruler, and a strong-willed, warm-hearted educator to the Boston Opera House through April 23rd. One of the grande dames of the 1950s, THE KING AND I retains its exalted place in the R & H pantheon, thanks to the artistry of Director Bartlett Sher, a songbird by the name of Laura Michelle Kelly, and a flawed King of Siam for our times, Jose Llana.

A journey to the Far East reveals extravagant sets, ornate costumes, and symphonic melodies in The King and I's return to Pittsburgh. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic has been delighting audiences for over half a century with the jokes that remain funny, orchestrations that endure beautifully, and themes that resonate contemporarily.

The latest iteration of the production on tour is crafted with care and performed with verve. It's an 'old-fashioned' Broadway staple, and it never wears out its welcome. It unabashedly tugs at the heartstrings, tickles the funny bone and jerks the tears, just as it did when it opened 66 years ago this month. Few musicals achieve this kind of longevity, and more than a few of those are from the pens of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Next up for the National Tour of The King and I, which won a Tony Award for Best Revival in 2015, is Houston's Hobby Center, where it will play March 14-19. Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) lead the production, with Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Manna Nichols as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Anthony Chanas Prince Chulalongkorn, Graham Montgomery as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.

Next up for the National Tour of The King and I, which won a Tony Award for Best Revival in 2015, is Houston's Hobby Center, where it will play March 14-19. Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) lead the production, with Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Manna Nichols as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Anthony Chanas Prince Chulalongkorn, Graham Montgomery as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.

The King & I revival national tour is closing after tonight's performance in Minneapolis and moving on to the next city but left this writer with memories that were doubly delightful.

The National Tour of The King and I, which won a Tony Award for Best Revival in 2015, is playing at Cleveland's Palace Theatre, where it will remain through February 26.  Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead thenational tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I. Joan Almedilla will play Lady Thiang with Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Manna Nichols as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Anthony Chanas Prince Chulalongkorn, Graham Montgomery as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.

I've never been a huge fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I", currently playing at the Paramount Theatre. It's kind of dated, the songs, while many are classics, don't really move the story along, and plot points often come out of nowhere, plus it's one of those staples from the Golden Age of musicals that's just been done to death. But as much as it's not one of my favorites, this current production was so filled with heart, talent and incredible staging that even I have developed a new appreciation for it.

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC announce that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I that will play Seattle's Paramount Theatre from January 24 through February 3, 2017.

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC announce that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I that will play Seattle's Paramount Theatre from January 24 through February 3, 2017.