Spring 1951. You’re at a performance of The King and I, the latest musical from Rodgers & Hammerstein. It features Gertrude Lawrence, one of the theater’s most dynamic stars, leading a Broadway musical for the first time in nearly a decade with a role custom tailored for her. She plays Anna Lenowens, a British woman in 1860s Thailand, then known as Siam, hired by King Mongkut to teach his wives and children. Anna’s fierce independence puts her at odds with the commanding (and charismatic) King. Lawrence enchants the audience with showcase after showcase: the sprightly and inspirational “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” the wistful ode to her deceased husband (“Hello Young Lovers”), the charming production number with the children and wives (“Getting to Know You”), and the frustration-fueled soliloquy (“Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?”). But as charming as Lawrence is, you’re perhaps even more taken in by the striking, though unfamiliar, Yul Brynner as the King. With a shaved head and open shirt, he is controlling, impish, frustrating, and irresistible. His and Anna’s relationship is strictly proper and professional…with a hint of romantic tension. In Act 2, the King hosts a banquet for British ambassadors to prove that Siam is civilized and does not need to become an English protectorate. The plan is successful, and as Anna and the King celebrate in the empty throne room, Anna describes the English manner of courtship. She sings an invitation to dance to an imaginary partner, and is soon lost in reverie. The King demands she teach him the dance, and she takes him by the hands, teaching him a polka. The King points out that the European visitors did not merely hold hands while they danced and places his hands on Anna’s hips—a simple gesture that is somehow more romantically charged than anything you’ve seen onstage before. They swirl around the stage, coming as close to admitting the attraction between them as they dare, and it’s absolutely glorious. (“Shall We Dance?”)
The idea for The King and I started with Gertrude Lawrence (or at least her manager). She purchased the rights for Margaret Landon’s 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, thinking it would be a perfect vehicle for her return to Broadway musicals. Rodgers and Hammerstein were initially reluctant to take on the assignment when offered. First, they didn’t think Landon’s episodic novel had a usable dramatic structure (though these fears were assuaged by viewing its 1946 non-musical film adaptation). But mostly, they didn’t want to write a star vehicle. They preferred making stars to writing for established ones, especially those with reputations for “diva” behavior and bad pitch. Obviously, they ultimately gave in and wrote one heck of a part for Ms. Lawrence. The King, meanwhile, was written as more of a supporting role with basically one song, the sing-speaky “A Puzzlement.” But Yul Brynner was such a sensation in the role that it soon became the viewed as an equal or larger role than Anna’s. And if it wasn’t played by Brynner, it didn’t count. Gertrude Lawrence sadly died in 1952, while the original production was still running. Brynner, on the other hand, would go on to play The King for 44 years, including in the 1956 film (winning an Oscar), an odd 1973 television series, two Broadway revivals, and multiple national tours for a total of 4,625 times on stage.
As a song, “Shall We Dance?” is really incomplete without ALL of the elements of a musical—book, score, performance, costumes, scenery, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. There are really only vocals for a verse and a couple of refrains, with the orchestra playing the rest. But when you add the dialogue over those musical interludes, it becomes a three-act play, and the culmination of 3 hours of building tension. And THEN when you add a beautiful gown with a massive hoop skirt spinning around a conveniently sparely furnished thrown room, thirty seconds of polka becomes one of musical theater’s most romantic moments.
Recommended Recording: ”Shall We Dance?,” The King and I(1996 Broadway Revival Cast)
The 1996 Broadway revival of The King and I was the first major American production in a post-Yul Brynner world. Director Christopher Renshaw approached the material as a celebration of Thai culture, replacing some of the English dialogue in the court with Thai, adding new procession featuring an elephant (the country’s national symbol), and casting all Asian roles with Asian actors, which had not happened prior to that point. (Yul Brynner was a Russian with an exotic look.) Lou Diamond Philips had the unenviable task of being the first actor not named Yul to open a production of The King and I on Broadway, and he did it with hair! The fact that he was already a movie star definitely helped. The intense and magnificent Donna Murphy played Anna. The production leaned heavily into their chemistry, at least if the Forbidden Broadway parody is to be believed. But this production really did have a lasting impact on The King and I’s legacy and how it’s perceived today. A 2000 London staging of the same production starred Elaine Paige and Jason Scott Lee and also produced a lovely cast recording.
Alternate Performances
The King and I has received ~40 cast recordings, including Norwegian, Israeli, Flemish, German, Greek, and Korean casts. Julie Andrews and Ben Kinglsey led a studio recording (using the film’s arrangements). Saruman himself, Christopher Lee, led a complete recording of the score.
Yul Brynner - Yul Brynner appears on 3 cast recordings. The OBCR is a nice snapshot in time, though it doesn’t really capture what makes Gertrude Lawrence a star. (This brief snippet starts to give me an idea). As is the case with older recordings, the OBCR is heavily truncated and sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. The 1956 film is absolutely gorgeous and preserves Brynner’s performance and Jerome Robbins’ choreography (mostly seen in his wonderful “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet). Deborah Kerr played Anna. Marnie Nixon dubbed the singing, but she and Kerr worked closely together to make it a seemless performance. But the 1977 revival produced what is probably my favorite of all K&I recordings. It would have been my recommended recording, but it is fully out of print—not even uploaded to YouTube! Constance Towers is an excellent Anna, and the two have them have fantastic chemistry. (Check out their performance on a Jerry Lewis MDA telethon in 1977 and the lifetime that passes as he grabs her waist.)
1999 Animated Film - The King and I made the exeedingly rare transition from stage to animated feature, from the studio that brought us Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The music is well executed (Christiane Knoll sings Anna and Martin Vidnovic plays the King), the plot is heavily revised, and the whole thing is fascinating in a train-wreck kind of way. It must be seem to be believed, but you can also live a full productive life without accepting that this movie is real.
2015 Broadway Revival Cast - Bartlett Sher, who had triumphed with his revival of South Pacific, helmed the most recent Broadway K&I. It followed the tradition set by the 1996 revival of casting a movie star as the King (Ken Watanabe) and a beloved Broadway leading lady as Anna (Kelli O’Hara). It was well received, though not as enthusiastically as either the ‘96 K&Ior Sher’s South Pacific. The production went to London in 2018 (with O’Hara having the gumption to play a Brit in England!) and recorded a proshot (which is apparently much cheaper to do in the UK than in the US). The taping is not currently streaming anywhere (legally), but hope springs eternal.
Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?
The Rat Pack - According to IMDB, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford sang “Shall We Dance” on a televised special Frank Sinatra’s Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley. Beyond that, both Frank and Sammy have each recorded several other K&I songs.
Audra McDonald has definitely performed in concerts that featured other people singing selections from The King and I, but she hasn’t recorded any herself.
In the Wings
With this, our 4th playlist is officially underway. While you wait for No. 42 to drop, I would recommend reading about the real King Mongkut, who led an eventful life. The real Anna Lenowens is also fascinating—largely because she made up most of her personal history! Also, if you’re looking for other versions of the song, note that there is an unrelated Gershwin song called “Shall We Dance” from a movie of the same name. But thatmovie is not to be confused with the 2004 Richard Gere/J Lo movie, which took its title from the K&I song.
Catch up with all the songs to date!
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Catching up on old posts and I got to this one. This is a show I've been severely underrating for years, I think. I recently watched the movie and Mrs. Anna really is a worthy role up there with the best.
I'm also quite fond of the Sesame Street version of this song for Monsterpiece Theatre. Lou Diamond Phillips may have done it with hair, but Grover did it with fur several years earlier.
Thanks, as ever, for these!