Jo Turbitt thinks the latest restaging of the classic musical is 'a perfect Christmas treat'.
With all the ‘etcetera’, ‘so ons’, kids and grandeur of the film, this production is wonderful. The quality of the show and the excellence of the performers make this a superb way to spend three hours and to celebrate the festive season. It’s a classic told in a classic way: the staging, choreography and direction support the timeless story. Led by Josefina Gabrielle and Ramon Tikaram, this company took hold of the songs with a gracious respectful nod to the music of two of musical theatre's most beloved geniuses.
Rodgers & Hammerstein's script and score make a welcome return to the stage. Personally, it was a sign of how much musicals have changed in melodic score and subject matter, but the values of entertaining and making you glow from the inside out after you've watched them is still the same. Leaving the theatre, I was thinking back to the innocence of the Hollywood musicals and the operatic scores of those produced in the 30s, 40s and 50s compared to the tongue in cheek, often sexy, often dark stories with their funky, pop scores of the "new" musicals of today. It seems that producers are looking back and asking the public to look back with them, and I'm glad of it! The history of musical theatre is a mass of melodic treasure, involving some of the most intriguing intelligent creative talented people...ever. The young musical theatre generation emerging today need educated in the history of the art form: it didn't all start with Lloyd Webber!
Gabrielle as Anna and Tikaram as the King were both awesome, playing their parts with gorgeous gentle gusto and deftly-mastered comedic timing. Often this mastery brought the script up-to-date in a "21st Century- Julie Andrews" way which was incredibly refreshing in the current musical theatre climate. I was in awe of Gabrielle’s brilliant reactions: so subtle yet so enthralling. If she hasn't played Mary Poppins, she needs to! Tikaram played King softer than Yule Brenner but still with the big bite to begin with, who's heart is softened by the friendship of Anna. The relationship between the two was bigger than the two golden Buddha statues onstage; the way they fizzed off each other was luscious. While the two leads were wonderful, I can't let this review go by without a big round of applause to Claire-Marie Hall (Tup-Tim) and Adrian Li Donni (Lun Tha) who sung their melodies with beautiful, succulent ‘wow’.
The show has eastern theatrical traditions woven into West End grandeur. Like a perfect cocktail, the two flavours combine resulting in a stylistic, unique show. Puppetry and dance were layered throughout the more orchestral sections of the show; the idioms of eastern dance peppering the choreography, the use of shadow puppetry at the beginning adding a flavour of the opening of a Bond Film to the overture. I would have liked hints of puppetry throughout the show, but understand that this may have added too much to the already bountiful, yet beautifully simplistic production.
A wonderful family show, perfect for a Christmas treat or a way to kick start 2012.
The King and I performs at the Festival until January 7 before touring the UK.
RSS