THE KING AND I is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best-loved
musicals. It was a landmark musical of its time, pushing boundaries
with themes of slavery and racial misunderstanding. It made a huge
star out of its male lead, Yul Brynner, who played the role of the King
in several revivals both in London and New York. The most recent
London revival of the show deliberately cast a very well known
actress (Elaine Paige) as Anna to put the focus back on the 'I' of
The King And I.
The show has became a favourite with community theatre. Perhaps
this is partly due to its well-known hummable songs, including I
Whistle A Happy Tune, Shall We Dance, Getting To Know You and
We Kiss In A Shadow. It has been filmed twice, most famously in
1956 and starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, with Marni Nixon
dubbing her singing voice. The second movie was an animated
feature that turned the role of the Kralahome into a villain determined
to stop Anna's influence over the King. This version re-instated the
song Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You that was ultimately cut
from the previous film, and also included the song I Have Dreamed
in place of We Kiss In A Shadow.
The story is based around the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, an
English schoolteacher who came to teach the royal children of Siam,
now Thailand, and
was a positive influence on the young Prince.