She comes out on a magical memory boat in the thrilling opening sequence of Lincoln Center's new production of The King and I. Kelli O'Hara was of course born to play Anna Leonowens, as our preeminent leading lady of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Her Magnolia Hawkes in the '94 revival of Showboat was a performance for the Showboat ages, gliding the upper deck of the Cotton Blossom, "making believe" she and Gay Ravenal, are in love at first glance. She was made for Nellie Forbush as well. Bartlett Sher is directing her again, back at the Vivian Beaumont, after their triumphant South Pacific. Hey, let's give her the Tony she has so long deserved (she's been nominated five times). This is a King and I lush with sumptuous effect and living in innocence and grandeur. Michael Yeargen's sets and Catherine Zuber's costumes are as good as they could be, majestic yet intimate. The royal palace pillars giving way to a glide through heaven as the King declares, "Shall We Dance," with the inimitable Jerome Robbins choreography. And "The March of the Royal Siamese Children" is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. One cuter than the next: costumes, mothers, decorum, sweet innocence--musical theater fans will get what they paid for--laughing through their tears. "Getting to Know You," so full of those adorable little kids tugging at me again, Ms. O'Hara sits teaching them and telling them, making me cry. I had heard early on that they were casting Ken Watanabe as the King and thought interesting did not feel particularly promising. Though I felt the same way about Lou Diamond Philips in 1996 and he was delightful, amazing really. Ken Watanabe maybe not so much. Don't get me wrong, he is doing a fine job. His is a commanding presence, and his King is a good mix of exasperated, questioning, masculinity in process. But Watanabe is legitimately, like the King, not a good English speaker. That does not serve him well, or us for "Tis a Puzzlement." During a number that relies on him telling us everything he knows and feels, we can't understand his words. If Ken Watanabe wasn't the best choice for the King, Ruthie Ann Miles was indeed the best choice for First Wife. Coming off her thrilling performance as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love (the David Byrne/Fatboy Slim mini opera at the Public), Miles gives another inspired performance. Miles' performance of the title song there was as rousing and penetrating as anyone could hope. Here, she takes "Something Wonderful," and sends it soaring. You have not heard it sung with these shadows and dimensions before. I have always felt that the ballet, the show within the show, was the weakest part of The King and I, but not here. Staged with tender mastery and fitting well into the grandeur of the production, it’s better this time. I accepted all the, "Run Eliza, run...run from Simon's" as just the right amount for the first time. This was a very good King and I. Unless they could have reanimated Yul Brynner to play beside Kelli O'Hara, it could have hardly been much better.
Ron Gallen
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