Why did we ever do away with hoop skirts and ballrooms? Whoever made that decision didn’t ask me. But this week, Broadway in Atlanta takes us back to such a time with the lavish tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic, The King and I.
Making a stop at Atlanta’s own Fabulous Fox Theatre this week as part of its nationwide tour, the Lincoln Center Theater’s musical revival won four 2015 Tony Awards, including the much-awaited Best Actress for Broadway favorite Kelli O’Hara. The classic score continues to enchant audiences, with well-known favorites like “Getting to Know You,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” and my personal swoon favorites, “Something Wonderful” and “I Have Dreamed.”
Below, let’s take a first look at the beautiful musical!
About this production:
Director Bartlett Sher is reunited with the award-winning creative team from South Pacific and The Light in the Piazza. The King and I features sets by Michael Yeargan; costumes by Catherine Zuber; lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Scott Lehrer and choreography by Christopher Gattelli based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins.
Set in 1860’s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.
If this doesn’t convince you to return to the days of elaborate fabrics and the poofiest (and totally extra, let’s be honest) of skirts, I don’t know what will.
The King and I runs right here in Atlanta at our Fabulous Fox Theatre through October 1. Click here for tickets.