A classic from the 'golden age of musicals', The King And I is at Milton Keynes Theatre this week.
As one of the 'big five' Rodgers and Hammerstein shows, there's a lot of love for this musical, writes Chris Gregg.
But nostalgia alone isn't reason enough to revive a show, it needs to say something to a modern audience and this story of a strong woman fighting for modern rights in a subservient culture serves as an excellent fable for today's ongoing struggles for equality.
Director Bartlett Sher has done a fantastic job of staging of this classic for modern audiences and this production has been a critically acclaimed hit on Broadway and a sell-out run at the London Palladium before going on tour.
It's not difficult to see why. The show is faithful to the source material audiences know and love with a slick and polished production which delivers all the well known songs including Getting To Know You and I Whistle A Happy Tune, with a live orchestra.
The staging is visually stunning with colourful costumes, beautiful choreography and some stunning sets including an enormous boat and a lovely cherry blossom scene.
The story is set in Bangkok in the 1860s when Thailand was known as Siam. British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens arrives with her son after being hired to teach the King's dozens of children from his hareem of wives.
She isn't impressed with his domestic arrangements, or the way everyone throws themselves on the floor when he walks into the room. Likewise, the King is challenged by her freedom of expression and refusal to accept that she is a servant. To give him credit, he is trying to modernise his kingdom but by modern standards he has a very long way to go.
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Anna overlooks the slavery and lack of democracy as they grow closer but will his violence and polygamy eventually be a deal breaker for her?
Leading the cast are actors who have performed in critically acclaimed performances of the show. Direct from her role as Anna in the West End, Annalene Beechey reprises her role with the clipped English of a modern day Julie Andrews alongside Darren Lee who played The King previously in the USA national tour.
The pair have a great chemistry together and Darren's awkwardness as the King struggles to adapt to modern times is very well portrayed.
The show includes a large cast of more than 50 performers including Ethan Le Phong and Jessica Gomes-Ng as the young lovers Lun Tha and Tuptim who are fantastic.
The show also includes a 'show within a show' as the royal household perform a ballet version of Uncle Tom's Cabin for visiting British diplomats. This is the highlight of the show as they recreate the American novel in the style of a beautiful Buddhist ballet.
Once you've tuned in to the style of the show with its warbling, dramatic soprano performances and lack of irony, this is a fantastic version of a theatrical classic.
This is a musical which remains very relevant and this is a faultless production of it.
