Rodgers & Hammerstein classic now on stage
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre welcomes audiences to experience the grandeur of 19th-century Siam with the famous musical The King and I, now on stage through May 19. Based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, the show by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Lady Thiang (Nathalie Cruz) sings “Something Wonderful.” (Photo provided by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)
It is 1862 in Siam when British widow Anna Leonowens and her young son Louis travel to the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by King Mongkut to tutor his many children and wives. The King is often viewed as a “barbarian” by those in the West, and he seeks Anna’s assistance in changing his image, if not his ways, in a modern world. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and respect one another and their cultures in a truly unique love story.
The King and I is filled with powerful emotions, beautiful costumes, and unforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein songs including “Getting To Know You,” “Something Wonderful,” “I Whistle A Happy Tune,” and the iconic “Shall We Dance.”
Brian Jose, director, is prioritizing authentic details in the Beef & Boards production – including acknowledging that the real Anna Leonowens was of Anglo-Indian descent.
“That slight shift makes all the difference,” Jose said. “Instead of a story that can easily be seen as a white savior/colonialism story, we get a more complex story about a woman who has had to suppress her culture in order to advance in society to provide for her children as a single mother.”
Jose added, “In a time when political wars have eliminated a middle ground and religious wars have fueled so much destruction and hatred, a show about exploring our differences and attempts to understand each other seems like just what we need.”
Anna (Hannah Louise Fernandes) and the King (Jae Woo) perform “Shall We Dance.” Photo provided by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com
Making their Beef & Boards debuts are Hannah Louise Fernandes as Anna and Jae Woo as the King of Siam. Also new to the Beef & Boards stage are Bryan Chan as Lun Tha, Alice Jihyun Kim as Tuptim, and Nathalie Cruz as Lady Thiang. Ian Cruz (Footloose) plays Kralahome, and Eddie Curry (Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, Footloose, The Addams Family), plays Sir Edward Ramsay.
King Mongkut (Jae Woo) sings “A Puzzlement” as he tries to figure out how to be an effective leader in a changing world. (Photo provided by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)
The King and I is on stage for 50 performances through May 19 in the intimate space of Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Tickets range from $55 to $82 and include Chef Larry Stoops’ dinner buffet and select beverages.
To see the complete performance schedule and to purchase tickets online, visit BeefAndBoards.com. Tickets are also available by calling the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Box Office at (317) 872-9664. Discounts are available to groups of 20 or more. Call the Group Sales department at (317) 872-0503, or email groups@beefandboards.com for details.
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, Indiana’s only year-round professional dinner theatre, has been serving up exceptional entertainment since 1973.