| THE KING AND I extends run indefinitely at LCT and announces National Tour | |
| Posted by: | Official_Press_Release 11:22 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| NOMINATED FOR 9 TONY AWARDS including BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL LINCOLN CENTER THEATER’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S “THE KING AND I” EXTENDS RUN INDEFINITELY AT THE VIVIAN BEAUMONT THEATER NATIONAL TOUR TO LAUNCH IN PROVIDENCE, R.I. IN NOVEMBER 2016 Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Producing Artistic Director, André Bishop) has extended the run of its critically acclaimed production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I, directed by Bartlett Sher, 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, which was recently nominated for 9 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, 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 at a future date. 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 are available at the Lincoln Center Theater box office, at telecharge.com, or by visiting www.thekingandIbroadway.com. THE KING AND I, which features a cast of 51, was recently nominated for 9 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical – Bartlett Sher, Best Actress in a Musical – Kelli O’Hara (Anna Leonowens), Best Actor in a Musical – Ken Watanabe (the King of Siam), Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang), and Best Choreography – Christopher Gattelli, based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins. THE KING AND I has sets by Michael Yeargan; costumes by Catherine Zuber; lights by Donald Holder (all three nominated as well for 2015 Tony Awards); sound by Scott Lehrer (2015 Drama Desk Award nomination); and casting by Telsey + Company/Abbie Brady-Dalton, CSA. The production, featuring an orchestra of 29 conducted by music director Ted Sperling, is performed with the musical’s original 1951 orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann. 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. Lincoln Center Theater is grateful to the Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Musical Theater at LCT for their leading support of this production. American Express and The Jerome L. Greene Foundation are the major sponsors of THE KING AND I. Generous support is also provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Florence and Robert Kaufman, The New York Community Trust-Mary P. Oenslager Foundation Fund, and Stephanie and Fred Shuman. | |
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| I thought it was already an open-ended run. | |
| Posted by: | keikekaze 05:24 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | THE KING AND I extends run indefinitely at LCT and announces National Tour - Official_Press_Release 11:22 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Had they ever previously announced a closing date? | |
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| re: I thought it was already an open-ended run. | |
| Posted by: | writerkev 05:39 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | I thought it was already an open-ended run. - keikekaze 05:24 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| All Lincoln Center shows (and al non-profit shows generally) begin as limited runs. They recently announced that 'King and I" would extend to the end of the year. (I tried searching for that announcement on Playbill, but their search function is so lousy I quickly gave up.) But this is new news. | |
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| re: I thought it was already an open-ended run. | |
| Posted by: | FrenchDip 05:39 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | I thought it was already an open-ended run. - keikekaze 05:24 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| The original end date was July 5 and then it was extended through the end of the year right after opening. They always intended/hoped to have an open run but it wasn't official until today. | |
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| re: I thought it was already an open-ended run. | |
| Posted by: | keikekaze 09:20 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I thought it was already an open-ended run. - FrenchDip 05:39 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| That's interesting. I had never heard of the July 5 closing date. I know that no closing date was ever listed on IBDb--I know because I looked it up, some time ago, and I think I may even have looked it up more than once. Usually IBDb will list a closing date if the show is a true limited engagement. | |
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| WHAT! No snide "just in time for voting" remarks like yesterday's "OTT" attacks? Really?? nm | |
| Posted by: | MichaelAS 12:13 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | THE KING AND I extends run indefinitely at LCT and announces National Tour - Official_Press_Release 11:22 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| nm | |
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| I could just write "ditto" | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 12:56 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | WHAT! No snide "just in time for voting" remarks like yesterday's "OTT" attacks? ... - MichaelAS 12:13 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| For each of these announcements. There are still a few new musicals and Gigi that have to announce a tour in the next week or so. Are you happy now? I guess dr. Zhivago isn't touring. | |
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| re: I could just write "ditto" | |
| Posted by: | Thom915 07:08 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | I could just write "ditto" - dramedy 12:56 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Dr. Zhivago is not touring but is nonetheless hitting the road. | |
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| Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? | |
| Posted by: | MockingbirdGirl 11:59 am EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | THE KING AND I extends run indefinitely at LCT and announces National Tour - Official_Press_Release 11:22 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| My suspicion is that filming commitments are likely to draw him away before Kelli... | |
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| Maybe... | |
| Posted by: | seeseveryshow 05:46 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? - MockingbirdGirl 11:59 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Maybe they can get Rebecca Luker or Chita Rivera to replace him. :-) :-) | |
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| Not too long I hope. | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 01:28 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? - MockingbirdGirl 11:59 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| I'd love to see it again with an actor playing the King who is not saddled with the apparently insurmountable hurdle of acting in an entirely foreign language. Watanabe had some good moments and the best of intentions, but even by the time it had opened, the language barrier was, for me, a generous viewer, a fan of his, and someone familiar with the lyrics and dialogue, to big of a problem to get past. If an American actor went to Japan, or any non-English speaking country be it France or Spain or India, and played a "westerner" in a play written entirely in Japanese, and that actor did not speak Japanese and could not master the language or even sound fully intelligible in their delivery of that language, it wouldn't matter how good the acting might be underneath, the audiences and critics would be unforgiving. A for effort doesn't count. | |
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| Shall I tell you what I think of this? ... | |
| Posted by: | WaymanWong 11:04 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Not too long I hope. - Chazwaza 01:28 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Ken Watanabe certainly carries himself regally like a king, but his largely unintelligible diction ruined it for me. But this is what happens when a Lincoln Center production is so eager about casting a star who's an Oscar nominee. What a shame this opportunity didn't go to, say, Paolo Montalban, Jason Scott Lee (who played opposite Elaine Paige) or Daniel Dae Kim (who played opposite Maria Friedman). Or Paul Nakauchi, who is terrific as the Kralahome in this production and understudies Watanabe. Plus, Lou Diamond Phillips (a Tony nominee for the 1996 revival) just did ''The King and I'' again last year in Australia. Why not bring him back to Broadway in that royal role? Hey, it worked multiple times for Yul Brynner! | |
| Link | 1996 Tony Awards: Lou Diamond Phillips and Donna Murphy |
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| Ris a pazzlemint | |
| Posted by: | sandcastle 04:02 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Not too long I hope. - Chazwaza 01:28 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Shull we dunce, bu bu BU! | |
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| re: Not too long I hope. | |
| Posted by: | scoot1er 02:38 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Not too long I hope. - Chazwaza 01:28 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| As I have said before, I saw it just before it opened and understood every word he said. Could it be you had cotton in your ears or that you just weren't listening? Perhaps, when preview started, his English was a real problem, I don't know, but I do know that by the time I saw it he said everything he was supposed to in a clear, though Japanese accented (obviously), way. | |
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| re: Not too long I hope. | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 10:12 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Not too long I hope. - scoot1er 02:38 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| FWIW, at this afternoon's matinee, I thought I would have found him difficult to understand if I did not know the script so well. I thought that "A Puzzlement" would have been almost completely unintelligible. But then it seemed to me that the lyrics are not coming through very clearly in general, from almost everyone who has much singing to do. I really wonder how many of the lyrics are being really understood by folks who do not know the score. I'd have to guess that if his ability to get across his dialogue improved during previews, it has perhaps started to move backwards now. Or maybe he has good performances and less-good performances. But given how well I know the script, it may be hard for me to judge. | |
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| re: Not too long I hope. | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 02:45 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Not too long I hope. - scoot1er 02:38 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Nope, definitely wasn't that. A more attentive audience member you couldn't have found... and I have the ears of a young man because I am one. I saw it the week of opening, in a good seat, and despite being able to actually figure out what words he was saying most of the time, I found the language barrier to be an extreme hurdle and distraction in his performance. He sounded thoroughly like a person trying to speak in English despite it not being his language, I'll give you that. But like I said, the show was written in English, for English-speaking audiences. It was written for someone to pretend they were struggling with the nuances of the language, not someone actually experiencing that through the performance. | |
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| re: Not too long I hope. | |
| Posted by: | scoot1er 08:12 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Not too long I hope. - Chazwaza 02:45 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| A subtle difference, no? But one which I bought into completely. You didn't, which is fine. As the French say, Chacun a son gout. (no accents because I don't know how to do them on this computer!) | |
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| typo | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 01:30 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Not too long I hope. - Chazwaza 01:28 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| Of course I mean "too" not "to" ... so spare me the posts about how I can't even write in English, a language I claim to be fluent in. It was a typo. | |
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| re: Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 12:27 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? - MockingbirdGirl 11:59 am EDT 05/06/15 |
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| I thought I read here that he leaves in July, but I can't find confirmation anywhere online. | |
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| re: Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? | |
| Posted by: | mikem 12:35 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? - MikeR 12:27 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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| There was a feature article in the New York Times in March about Watanabe. The article strongly implied that he would not extend (there was a comment that if the show extended past July, Sher would have to find a replacement), but I don't think anyone's gone on the record about the situation since then. | |
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| re: Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 12:55 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? - mikem 12:35 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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Excellent memory. The penultimate paragraph of that Times profile:By the end of February, when tech rehearsal had begun, Mr. Sher was still fretting, still revising. He was reminded that Mr. Watanabe’s contract runs out in July and that if the show is successful as everyone hopes, by May or June at the latest he needs to break in a replacement.Linked below. | |
| Link | http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/theater/ken-watanabe-moves-from-samurai-to-the-king-and-i.html |
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| Thanks, Mikes! :-) nmi | |
| Posted by: | MockingbirdGirl 12:36 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Anyone know how long Ken Watanabe is staying? - mikem 12:35 pm EDT 05/06/15 |
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