Theater News

Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe to Star in The King and I

The Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic will be presented by Lincoln Center Theater.

Kelli O'Hara will star in Lincoln Center Theater's upcoming Broadway revival of The King and I at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
Kelli O'Hara will star in Lincoln Center Theater's upcoming Broadway revival of The King and I at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
(© David Gordon)

Five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara (The Bridges of Madison County) and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) are set to star in Lincoln Center Theater's forthcoming Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I. Previews at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre will begin March 12, with opening night set for April 16.

Bartlett Sher, who collaborated with O'Hara on Bridges and The Light in the Piazza, will direct the production, which will feature the musical's original Jerome Robbins choreography and musical staging by Christopher Gattelli. The design team includes Sher's frequent collaborators Michael Yeargan (scenic design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Scott Lehrer (sound design), and Ted Sperling (musical director). The production will make use of Robert Russell Bennett's original orchestrations.

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. After premiering on Broadway in 1951 with a cast led by Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner, it was last seen in a 1996 revival that starred Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips.

Lincoln Center Theater's past productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals Carousel and South Pacific both won Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical. Additional casting for The King and I will be announced in the coming months.

Click here for more information on The King and I.

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