Today in 1951 at the St. James Theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II celebrated the opening of their fifth musical collaboration, The King and I. Tensions were high as audiences and critics arrived at the theatre. At that point, the pair had had one unsuccessful work, 1947's Allegro, and one wildly successful work, 1949's South Pacific鈥攚hich had won the esteemed Pulitzer Prize for Drama. What could audiences expect with the The King and I?
The project was the rare Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that didn't originate with the Oklahoma! and Carousel writing team. Instead, actor Gertrude Lawrence's manager Fanny Holtzmann thought her client was perfect for the role of Anna Leonowens, a widow who was invited to tutor the children and wives of King Mongkut (Rama IV) of Siam, now Thailand, in the 1860s. She found the story via Margaret Landon's fictionalized novel about Leonowens, Anna and the King of Siam. After Cole Porter turned the project down, Holtzmann went to Rodgers and Hammerstein. They accepted, with Hammerstein writing the musical's book and lyrics, and Rodgers the music.
Using the novel's 1946 film adaptation somewhat as a guide, Hammerstein adapted the book's disparate scenes into a compelling-yet-tricky story of Western modernity coming to Siam, and its leader's journey of juggling the desire to know more and the need to preserve tradition due to the threat of British colonialism. For 1951, the musical could be seen as a strikingly progressive depiction of proto-feminist gender politics. By modern standards, the musical frequently receives criticism for its colonialist, Euro- and white-centric gaze.
In 1951, these critiques took more of a backseat as the bulk of the audience鈥攁nd cast!鈥攚ere white; the actors who played Asian characters were predominantly white. Audiences responded favorably to the so-called "exotic" locale, the enormous Victorian hoop skirts, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit-filled score, which introduced such favorites as "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Hello, Young Lovers," "Getting to Know You," "Something Wonderful," "I Have Dreamed," and "Shall We Dance?". The production went on to run for three years and 1,246 performances.
Lawrence would win a Tony Award for her performance in 1952, but tragically died just a few months later, while still starring in the musical's Broadway run. Such was the loss that Lawrence became the first artist for whom Broadway marquee lights were dimmed, an esteemed tradition that continues on today.
But it was Lawrence's co-star, Yul Brynner, who became most associated with the musical. He became so indelibly linked with the role of the King of Siam, in fact, that many incorrectly assume Brynner had Asian heritage, when he was in fact Russian. He would reprise his performance in the musical's 1956 film version, and in several touring and Broadway stage revivals as late as 1985, the year he died.
Also in that original cast was a young Baayork Lee, making her Broadway debut at the tender age of five as one of the King's children. She would go on to become a Broadway favorite, with iconic performances in Promises, Promises; A Chorus Line; and many other titles; she is now an esteemed director and choreographer.
In the years since The King and I debuted, progressing attitudes have shaped the way the musical has been performed, usually in ways that give Asian artists more agency with the musical's storytelling and characters. After decades of yellowface casting being commonplace, modern revivals have cast the Siamese characters far more authentically with Asian actors, though an Asian director has yet to helm a Broadway production.
The musical has been revived three times on the Main Stem, most recently in 2015 with Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe starring. In 2018, David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori debuted their musical Soft Power, a commentary on and parody of The King and I that flips the script and imagines a Chinese musical about the United States that makes similarly broad and inaccurate depictions of American culture and people. Following runs in California and Off-Broadway, the musical came to Virginia's Signature Theatre last year.
Take a look back at the original Broadway production of The King and I in the gallery below.
