Leicester Curve’s THE KING AND I Plays the Birmingham Hippodrome, May 1-5

Leicester Curve's acclaimed production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's smash-hit musical, THE KING AND I comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from Tue 1 – Sat 5 May 2012. Ramon Tikaram will play the role of 'The King' and Josefina Gabrielle will play the role of 'Anna' alongside two teams of 32 local children.

Split into a Red and Blue team, the group of local youngsters were selected from nearly 200 hopefuls who auditioned earlier in the year at Birmingham Hippodrome; they will share the roles of the children of the King of Siam. Children were chosen from across the region including Birmingham, Leicester, Telford, Derby, Coventry, Worcester and Warwickshire.

THE KING AND I tells the heart-warming story of the British governess brought to the court of Siam to tutor the King's many children, told using one of the most beautiful scores ever written with sweeping melodies such as 'Shall We Dance', 'I Whistle A Happy Tune', 'Hello Young Lovers', 'The March of the Siamese Children' and the unforgettable 'Getting To Know You'.

This breathtaking new production from Leicester Curve, directed by Paul Kerryson, is a lavish, grand-scale spectacle with giant gold Buddhas, sumptuous costumes, a chorus of adorable children, acrobatic dancers and a ten-piece orchestra.

THE KING AND I is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicals of all time. Seen by millions of people across the world since it was first performed in 1951, when it was showered with awards and became the blockbuster Hollywood movie, its glorious soundtrack is still a bestseller today.

The cast also features Claire-Marie Hall as 'Tup-Tim', Adrian Li Donni as 'Lun-tha', Maya Sapone as 'Lady Thiang', Nicholas Goh as 'Kralahome', and Gary Wood as 'Prince Choulalonghorn'. The rest of the cast includes Craig Turbyfield, Rowan Lewis Mitchell, Aiko Kato, Makoto Iso, Charlotte Humphrey, Naomi Bailie, Farrah Hussain, Kaho Uchida, Misa Koide, Adam Denman, Matthew Cheney, Lori Haley Fox, and Yuki Ikezawa. 

THE KING AND I runs at Birmingham Hippodrome Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 May 2012. Performance times: Tue – Sat Eves 7.30pm, Wed & Thu Mats 2pm, Sat Mat 2.30pm. Tickets: £14.50 - £34.50, call 0844 338 5000 or select your seat online at www.birminghamhippodrome.com (5% booking fee applies, calls cost from 5p per min)