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The
King and I |
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Through the eyes of the British Governess Anna Leonowens, the Apollo is currently introducing Rogers and Hammerstein's Siam to Oxford. Having been enchanted by 'The King and I' as a child, I was admittedly eager to see whether a stage performance could recreate this magic. The performance was captivating. By the means of elaborate decorations, lavish colours and minute detail Brain Thomson (the Scenic Designer) brought Siam to life. The imaginative props and designs will take your breath away. The shimmering of crowns and ornate costumes evoke the prosperity of palace life and Lighting Designer Nigel Leving's beam of golden light, sent through the audience, gave the stage a majestic ambience. It is in this atmosphere that the audience, impressed by all they see, can appreciate the experience of the heroine. Anna is young widow summoned to Siam during the 1860's to take up a position in the palace teaching the ever-growing number of royal children. Played by the prestigious Marti Webb, Anna becomes a free and liberated woman. Webb's voice is marvellously unassuming allowing her to express Anna's emotions through song without dominating the play, blending together feminine romanticism with a mature intelligence. The Siamese King Mongkut (Ronobir Lahiri) is a troubled throughout the play as he attempts to forge his kingdom in the shape of the modern western world. Acknowledging that 'no man is big enough to be alone… except the King', he finds foreign policy and his relationship with Anna a puzzlement, wanting both to protect tradition by standing alone and also wanting companionship with the western world. Anna and the King therefore infuriate each other, despite their mutual respect, allowing for many humorous word plays and scenes throughout the play. The voices of Aura Deva and Jo-jo De la Cerna, who play Tuptim and her Burmese lover Lun Tha respectively, enliven the play with passion and anticipation. Their love affair awakens Anna's imagination and whilst she relives her 'young' love, she emphasizes the mature nature of the love she shares with the King. Tuptims' conviction that she is the Kings slave and her subsequent creation of a play, within the play, based on Uncle Tom's Cabin, also highlights the need for humility and therefore a break with tradition within Siam. It is humility and love which tragically brings 'The King and I' to a close when King Mongkut admits that he is a man who thinks with his heart, who cannot be alone and therefore must break with tradition and everything which fundamentally makes him King. It was as the play ended and the characters left the stage, that the power of the orchestra really took over and allowed the audience, who until this point had been entranced by the performance, the liberty to enjoy themselves as they clapped along to various musical numbers. This play was enjoyed
on Wednesday by people of all ages, was directed with precision and
elegance, and should not be missed this autumn. Victoria Nystrom-Marshall
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