Last year I saw a marvellous production of South Pacific, starring Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes. The two are stars of the highest calibre and I immensely enjoyed their performances in said musical. Furthermore, the show felt as relevant and as fresh as it must have done upon opening 65 years ago. No mean feat!
This year Rhodes and McCune have been paired up to revitalise another Rogers and Hammerstein classic: The King and I. Weirdly though, the resulting production is somehow less than the sum of its parts. The cast do an excellent job, the costumes and set are outlandishly impressive, every element of production is top notch...but...but...the show is just lacking. I think it is the book that lets it down. The King and I just does not grab me and make me care. The book lacks subtlety, so that is the most glaring flaw. There is not much depth to the characters either, and that is what troubles me the most. I like to think that a fine actor can make any character interesting, but the script certainly places limitations.
McCune does her best to flesh out Anna Leonowens as a fully realised individual. It is an uphill battle, though, as there are not many opportunities to show the warmer, lighter side of her character that could have endeared her to the audience (but didn't). Similarly, Rhodes' characterisation of the king makes him out to be exotic, quixotic and interesting - which is fun - but falls short of ever being sympathetic. Without any close associations with the lead roles, the audience has to work hard to stay engaged. Entertainment should now be hard.
The show's score features many beautiful tunes, but the content of these songs just never packs the same punch as we know Rogers and Hammerstein to be capable of. It makes me want to cry. One aspect of the music that proves troublesome is that it is semi-operatic, which by nature makes for a tough transition from scene to song. These transitions are dealt with as well as can be, but for an audience used to contemporary singing voice qualities it is a bridge too far (if that means what I think it means).
Overall, this is a sumptuous production, but one in which the many positive attributes do not quite come together cohesively. The story never reached my heart.
See this show for a pleasant journey from one gorgeous musical number to another...but if you're looking for deep meaningful connections this is not the right show for you (you'd be better off watching Anna and the King and reading Uncle Tom's Cabin).
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