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Hello and welcome to *The Play Page!* (dun dun dunnnnnn) This is a coolie section of the site where y'all get to learn a little about all the plays I've ever been in! Whoo! Fun! Naw, you might not enjoy it, but I will have SO much fun making it! Here goes! The King and I! Note: The version of the play that my theater group is performing is the Junior version, made especially for younger actors. Therefore, some of the songs and scenes have been cut, a new character (Ying) has been added, and some of the normally 1/2 nonexistant parts have been extended. Main Characters: Anna, Louis, King Mongkut, Lady Thiang, Tuptim, Lun Tha, Prince Chulalongkorn, The Kralahome, Ying (the narrator!) My Character: Ying (teehee) Songs we sing in our play: Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, A Puzzlement, Shall We Dance?, Something Wonderful (one of my personal favs),Royal Bangkok Academy, Small House of Uncle Thomas, March of the Siamese Children. Songs from the original play that we had to cut because of length: Hello Young Lovers, We Kiss in a Shadow, I Have Dreamed, My Lord and Master, Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?, and various other ovetures, background music, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Setting: Siam, 1862 Storyline: In order to be a more modern king, King Mongkut hires Mrs. Anna Leonowens to be a schoolteacher to his childern and assist him in helping Siam become Westernized. Anna and the King do not get along well at first (he promised her a house but she is living in the Palace), but eventually they come to respect eachother. While Anna is in Siam, she falls in love with the Royal Children, who idolize her. Thus, she cannot leave whenever she becomes angry at the King (which is often!). Because the King is too proud to ask a woman for help, Anna tries to guide him the best she can, especially during the ball they hold for the British Ambassadors coming to inspect Siam. During the play, it is obvious to me at least that Anna and the King are deeply in love (although some people may disagree). This becomes extremely apparent when Lady Thiang comes to Anna with a letter from the *sob* dying King, akwardly trying to tell her how he feels. In the end, the King dies, but not before he can truly understand the changes Anna has made, through his son Chulalongkorn. Super cool stuff about the Junior version of this play: Well, first of all, there's my character, Ying. She is the narrator, but also the grown-up version of one of the King's daughters, Princess Ying Yaowalak. Tres coolie. And, (this is in the Broadway version too), we get to put on a "play within a play". In the scene where the Ambassadors come, Tuptim shows a play that she has written for entertainment. We get to do the WHOLE thing! Also (get this!), this version of the play has NEVER before been performed in public. SERIOUSLY! The only time it has been put on was in the studio where it was written and recorded. My theater company is one of the first groups EVER to perform this! Actually, I think we are the first group ever! And, since Ying is a brand new part, I am the FIRST PERSON TO EVER PUBLICALLY PLAY HER CHARACTER IN THE HISTORY OF EVERNESS!!!! Yeah, I'm a little excited...^_^ JEN'S OVERALL RATING  Yeppers. The King and I has earned the coveted "Jen's 5-Star Rating". Not many plays get this from me. But seriously, the King and I is just SOOO great! It has the perfect mix of East and West, romance and action, and speaking and song. Not to mention all the goregeous costumes, scenery, and props that I absolutely LOVE! The characters and songs are great and the storyline is fantabulous! Ah man, I could go on forever!! But, to make a long story short, I feel that the King and I is truly "Something Wonderful". |
