Theater News

Broadway's The King and I to Transfer to London

Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe will make their West End debut reprising the roles they played in the 2015 revival at Lincoln Center.

Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara will be making their West End debuts next year when The King and I transfers to London.
Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara will be making their West End debut next year when The King and I transfers to London.
(© Paul Kolnik)

The 2015 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of The King and I will be transferring to London for a limited engagement at London Palladium June 21-August 4, 2018, with opening night set for July 3.

Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe will be reprising their roles as Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam, respectively. Both actors will be making their West End debut with this production. Director Bartlett Sher will reunite with his creative team behind the acclaimed production at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Inspired by Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam, The King and I features music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Set in 1860s Bangkok, the story follows the relationship of British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam, who employs her as a tutor for his many wives and children.