Another fantastic review, not much about the young children specifically, but a little about two of the pieces that the girls had choreography for :) (They play twin royal princesses, half of Lady Thiang's imaginary skirt, and the clouds and snow in the ballet.)
A word of praise to the children who deliver the goods with their performance in "March of the Siamese Children", "Getting to Know You", the prayer to Buddha and the death of the King scene by staying [in] character at all times.
Richard's choreography is splendid from "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet with the fantastic dancers shining in it, to the "Getting to Know You" dance, the March of the Siamese Children and the show stopping "Shall We Dance".
By Tony Annicone
THEATER MIRROR
September 29, 2011
North Shore Music Theatre's fall production is Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King & I", one of the duos best works. It is the moving true story of a young English widow and her son who travel to Siam to tutor the King's children. Anna Leonowens and her son spent 7 years in this country. In Siam, she encounters an unfamiliar world of grand beauty, but mixed with rigid Old World traditions. As the King decides how to bring his country into a new age, he and Anna begin to see beyond traditions and prejudices into what makes people special and what makes a man a true king. This story is as fresh and meaningful today as it originally was in "Anna & the King of Siam". It shows the difference of two cultures told against the backdrop of the Orient. The show also makes a strong statement about a woman's place in the male dominated society of the 1860's and by using star-crossed lovers it shows the evilness of slavery. The musical opened on Broadway on March 29, 1951 and ran for 1,246 performances. Director/choreographer Richard Stafford picks the best performers to bring this beautiful show to life and creates some terrific dances especially the Uncle Thomas Ballet sequence and musical director Craig Barna taught the cast the intricate and lush score. They win their cast a well deserved rousing standing ovation as its reward.
Owner and producer Bill Hanney spares no expense to bring this show to Beverly with gorgeous nineteenth century costumes by Paula Ninestein and fantastic sets by Erik Diaz. Richard's insightful direction and blocking of his cast, makes the comic and dramatic moments stand out. Pathos is the measuring stick of "The King & I". This audience was moved to tears many times, making this a very successful show with its acting, singing and dancing. Craig conducts his 10 piece orchestra and taught the glorious harmonies in these numbers. The vocalists excel in their solos, duets and group numbers due to Craig's expertise at vocal coaching. Richard's choreography is splendid from "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet with the fantastic dancers shining in it, to the "Getting to Know You" dance, the March of the Siamese Children and the show stopping "Shall We Dance".
The two leads of this show do an outstanding job in their huge roles. Lorenzo Lamas plays the King. He adds a human element to this usually hard and unbending character. Lorenzo plays the role with hair on his and a small goatee. His songs include "A Puzzlement" which shows how even a King needs to question himself every now and then as well as "Shall We Dance" the exuberant polka number with Mrs. Anna. Lorenzo delivers his comic lines perfectly especially the Moses scene and handles the angry moments superbly especially the whipping scene where he builds to a level of intensity before he breaks down. His death scene is magnificent, filled with the right amount of poignancy.
Kate Fisher steals the audience's heart the moment she appears onstage as Mrs. Anna. From her splendid British accent to her fabulous soprano singing voice to her unbelievable acting prowess, Kate makes you laugh and cry at all the right places. Her songs include "Whistle a Happy Tune" which she sings to bolster her son, Louis' courage in this foreign land, "Hello Young Lovers" which is a poignant song about her late husband, "Getting to Know You" which she sings with the wives and children while doing a dance with her son, Lady Thiang and the Prince near the end of it, "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You", which is a comic gem with her throwing herself around the stage in her petticoat while berating the King for his boorish behavior and "Shall We Dance" which is a powerful and fun number where she teaches the King the polka. It also shows the depth of their relationship with each other. The closing of Act 1 where Anna keeps her head below the King's head is very funny while her argument scenes with the King especially the whipping scene are very powerful. Kate also tugs at your heart strings while reading the letter from the dying King and in the death scene. Bravo to both Lorenzo and Kate on their breathtaking performances.
Lisa Yuen is terrific as Lady Thiang, the King's head wife. She gives the character the necessary backbone to convince Anna to stay in Siam and to stand up to Tuptim. Lisa's majestic voice is heard in "Something Wonderful" which is breathtaking at her delivery. The words and music of the song move Anna to return to help the King. Lisa also sings the difficult "Small House" segment and shows great compassion when she comforts the Prince before his father's death. I reviewed Lisa in Spelling Bee" at Theatre by the Sea this past June.
The two young lovers, Tuptim and Lun Tha are played by Manna Nichols and Joshua Dela Cruz who act beautifully in their roles. Manna gives Tuptim, the strength she needs to live in a foreign country as a worthless slave and concubine. Her character writes a story about the evils of slavery in America and adapts it to apply to her situation in Siam. Manna sings her contempt for the King in "My Lord and Master" where her lovely soprano voice soars up to a high A # and she narrates the ballet scene perfectly leading the others to glare at her when she verbally attacks the King. She and Joshua have two of the prettiest ballads in the show, "We Kiss in a Shadow" loved the gliss at the end of the number and "I Have Dreamed". She is a gorgeous brunette and Joshua is tall, dark and handsome. He also has an unbelievable tenor voice which soars in both these songs. Both numbers are about the star-crossed lovers unrequited love for each other. The love match is doomed but both young performers have you rooting for them to win against all odds.
The two young boys who play the Prince and Louis are Ellis Gage and Jack Favazza. Ellis delivers his lines with regal bearing the role needs and makes a grand entrance during the March of the Siamese Children scene. He has great interactions with the King, Anna, his mother and Louis. The Prince and Louis wonder why adults act the way they do after their argument in the schoolroom. Jack has a perfect British accent as Louis, sings "Whistle a Happy Tune" wonderfully with Kate and is very natural and charming in the role of Mrs. Anna's son. I last reviewed Jack as young Tarzan earlier this season at NSMT.
The menacing Kralhome is well played by Mel Sagrado Maghuyop. He shows his loyalty to the king by making Anna wait in the palace for three weeks and delivers a strong performance as his right hand man. Mel is terrific when he tells Anna she has destroyed the King and in the final death scene.
The friendly Captain Orton and Anna's old friend, Sir Edward Ramsey is well played by Ron Wisniski A word of praise to the children who deliver the goods with their performance in "March of the Siamese Children", "Getting to Know You", the prayer to Buddha and the death of the King scene by staying character at all times.
The children's choreography is by Karen Maria Pisani and music by Robert Rucinski.Richard's choreography shines in the dances and his superb ballet sequence is powerfully performed and brilliantly executed by Rumi Oyama as Eliza, Anna Laghezza as George, Rommel Pierre O'Choa as Simon of Legree, Tiffany Toh as Little Eva, Jan Javier as Topsy and Jee Teo as Uncle Thomas. The powerful ballet segment includes an ice skating and a dog chase section.
This show brings back many happy memories for me, having directed it back in 1981 and is one of my favorite shows I have directed. Kudos to everyone who make this musical the must see show of the fall season. So for a magnificent musical masterpiece, be sure to catch "The King & I'' at North Shore Music Theatre. Tell them Tony sent you.
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