Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe. Photo by Paul Kolnik
By Lia Chang
The 2015 Broadway Cast Recording of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I starring six-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara (THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, SOUTH PACIFIC) as Anna Leonowens and newly minted Tony Award nominee (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical) and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (THE LAST SAMURAI, INCEPTION) as the King of Siam on the Decca Broadway/Universal Music Classics label, is now available for pre-order on Amazon. The digital release date is June 2, and it will be in stores on June 9. Check out broadway.com’s exclusive Behind-the-scenes video of the cast recording here and here for preview tracks.
Here Lies Love stars Ruthie Ann Miles, who has been nominated for a Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Conrad Ricamora are featured as Lady Thiang and Lun Tha, respectively. The principal cast also includes Ashley Park (Mamma Mia!) as Tuptim, Edward Baker-Duly (Peter and the Starcatcher) as Sir Edward Ramsey, Jon Viktor Corpuz (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Prince Chulalongkorn, Murphy Guyer (South Pacific) as Captain Orton, Jake Lucas (Newsies) as Louis, Paul Nakauchi (Chu Chem) as Kralahome and Marc Oka (Anything Goes) as Phra Alack. The production, helmed by Bartlett Sher, began preview performances Thursday, March 12, 2015, and opened on Thursday, April 16, 2015, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street).
The 2015 Broadway Cast Recording of THE KING AND I was produced by David Caddick, David Lai, and Ted Sperling and recorded at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music on April 19 and 20 in New York City.
Photo by Paul Kolnik
In addition to nods for Watanabe, O’Hara and Miles, the critically acclaimed musical received a total of nine Tony Award Nominations including Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Michael Yeargan), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Catherine Zuber), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Donald Holder), Best Direction of a Musical (Bartlett Sher) and Best Choreography (Christopher Gattelli). The show has received the 2015 Drama League Award for Best Revival of a Musical; 2015 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, Ruthie Ann Miles (Best Featured Actress in a Musical), Best Costume Design (Catherine Zuber), and the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Revival of a Musical. It has been nominated for two 2015 Drama Desk Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Musical; and two 2015 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, including Best Female Dancer (XiaoChuan Xie) and Best Choreographer (Christopher Gattelli).
Ruthie Ann Miles and Kelli O’Hara. Photo by Paul Kolnik
One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s finest works, THE KING AND I boasts a score which features such beloved classics as “Getting To Know You,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance,” “I Have Dreamed,” and “Something Wonderful”. Set in 1860’s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children.
Cole Horibe and XIAOCHUAN XIE. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Jon Viktor Corpuz. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Featured in the ensemble of the 51-member cast are Aaron Albano, Adriana Braganza, Amaya Braganza, Billy Bustamante, LaMae Caparas, Hsin-Ping Chang, Andrew Cheng, Lynn Masako Cheng, Olivia Chun, Ali Ewoldt, Ethan Halford Holder, Cole Horibe, MaryAnn Hu, James Ignacio, Christie Kim, Q GyuJin Lim, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sumie Maeda, Paul HeeSang Miller, Rommel Pierre O’Choa, Kristen Faith Oei, Autumn Ogawa, Yuki Ozeki, Stephanie Jae Park, Diane Phelan, Sam Poon, William Poon, Brian Rivera, Bennyroyce Royon, Lainie Sakakura, Ann Sanders, Ian Saraceni, Atsuhisa Shinomiya, Michiko Takemasa, Kei Tsuruharatani, Christopher Vo, Rocco Wu, and Timothy Yang.
Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Producing Artistic Director Andre Bishop) just announced an extended run of the KING & I indefinitely at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street). In addition, the Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC will launch a national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production in November 2016 in Providence, RI. The National Tour will play multi-week and single week engagements throughout the 2016-17 touring season and beyond. Casting and additional engagements for the tour will be announced in the future.
The company of THE KING AND I. Photo by Paul Kolnik
This open-ended run of The King and I is performed Tuesday evenings at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Beginning July 9, all Thursday evening performances will begin at 7pm. Tickets, priced from $87 to $162, are now available at the Lincoln Center Theater box office (150 West 65 Street), at telecharge.com, or by visiting KingandIBroadway.com. A limited number of tickets priced at $32 are available at every performance through LincTix, LCT’s program for 21 to 35 year olds. For information and to enroll, visit LincTix.org.
The company of THE KING AND I. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” She is profiled in Jade Magazine.
