Overview
Synopsis
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I is a moving, radiant story of East meets West. It is the early 1860s when newly widowed Anna Leonowens and her son, Louis, set sail from their native England for Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand). Anna, still grieving, has set her sights on a new adventure and taken a position as the schoolteacher for the royal offspring of the King of Siam. The King is determined to usher Siam into the modern world, and he thinks Western education can be a part of that – yet, Anna is horrified at first by many of the traditions that he holds dear. Anna and the King struggle to find common ground. The King is largely considered to be a barbarian by rulers of the West, and he takes Anna on as an advisor, asking her to help change his image – if not his actual practice. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King teach each other about understanding, respect, and love that can transcend the greatest of differences. Beneath the fraught, fiercely opinionated, conflict-ridden surface of Anna and the King’s relationship lies one of the most unique love stories in the musical theatre canon.
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Context
The idea for The King and I was born in 1950 when British actress Gertrude Lawrence’s manager, Fanny Holtzmann, was looking for a new project for Lawrence. She was sent Margaret Landon’s novel, Anna and the King of Siam, a semi-fictionalized account of the time that Anglo-Indian school teacher Anna Leonowens spent in Bangkok, Siam (modern-day Thailand), giving the children and wives of King Mongkut a Western education during the 1860s. (Landon’s novel itself was based on two Anna
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Act One
The curtain rises on the deck of the Chow Phya, a ship sailing from Singapore to Bangkok, Siam, in the early 1860s. The ship’s captain, Captain Orton, tells young Louis Leonowens that they are just about approaching their destination. Louis’s mother, Anna, a school teacher hired by the King of Siam to teach his children and royal wives, joins them, and Orton warns her about what she has gotten herself into. Louis sees that the Siamese prime minister is naked and is suddenly
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Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in The King and I.
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Songs
Act One
- Overture – Orchestra
- Opening Act I (Arrival in Bangkok) - Orchestra
- I Whistle a Happy Tune – Anna and Louis
- Vignettes and Dance - Orchestra
- My Lord and Master – Tuptim
- Hello, Young Lovers – Anna
- March of the Royal Siamese Children – Orchestra, *Royal Children
- A Puzzlement – King
- The Royal Bangkok Academy – Anna, Wives and Children
- *Getting to Know You – Anna, Wives and Children
- We Kiss in a Shadow – Tuptim and Lun Tha
- A Puzzlement (reprise) – Louis and Prince Chulalongkorn
- Shall I Tell You What I Think of You? – Anna
- Something Wonderful – Lady Thiang
- Buddhist Prayer/Act I finale – King and Company
Act Two
- Entr'acte – Orchestra
- Western People Funny – Lady Thiang and Wives
- *Dance of Anna and Sir Edward - Orchestra, *Anna, *Sir Edward
- I Have Dreamed – Tuptim and Lun Tha
- Hello, Young Lovers (reprise) – Anna
- *The Small House of Uncle Thomas (Ballet) – Tuptim and *Dancers
- Song of the King – King and Anna
- *Shall We Dance? – Anna and the King
- *Processional - Orchestra
- Reprise: Something Wonderful (Letter Reading) - Orchestra
- I Whistle a Happy Tune (reprise) – Anna
- Finale Ultimo - Orchestra
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Key Terms
A period of artistic flourishing, often referring to 1940s-60s Broadway or English Renaissance theatre. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
The “Golden Age Musical” refers to Broadway shows written roughly between the 1940s and 1960s, a period known for integrating songs, story, and character development. These musicals often balanced romance, comedy, and social themes with memorable melodies and large ensembles. Classics from this era continue to shape the foundation of modern musical theatre.
A production created to showcase the talents of a specific star performer, often tailored to their strengths.
