Road production reminds us why of ‘The King and I’ is a classic

Jose Llana said the production of “The King and I” may be the most beautiful show he’s ever seen.

Within a minute or two after the opening curtain, you have to realize you’d have a hard time arguing with him.

Llana plays the King in the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein classic, which continues through Sunday at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa. Besides being visually sumptuous, from that gargantuan opening scene in which Anna arrives by ship in Siam to the grand interior of the King’s castle, and the countless gorgeous costumes, the production demonstrates why this show remains popular nearly 70 years after its premiere.

There are perhaps no Rodgers and Hammerstein shows that have more songs that have entered into out collective unconscious: “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” “We Kiss in the Shadow,” “Shall We Dance?” “Something Wonderful” and “I Have Dreamed” all stand as classics of musical theater, and stand as on their own as some of the best popular songs of the 20th century. “I Have Dreamed” is one of the most beautiful songs Rodgers and Hammerstein ever wrote, which means it’s one of the best songs that anybody ever wrote.

Those songs get fresh but faithful treatment by this cast that includes Llana, Laura Michelle Kelly as Anna, Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang and Anthony Chan as the Prince.

Llana’s performance as the King is particularly impressive, adding an extra touch of strength and dignity that’s missing in some other interpretations, without losing comic elements of the character. Kelly is the elegant embodiment of the classic Anna as performed most famously by Deborah Kerr.

The central story of the show revolves around Anna and the King trying to adapt to each other and to the changing world of the mid 19th-century, and about their romance that doesn’t quite happen because of cultural differences and other circumstances. The performances by Llana and Kelly add a touch of heartbreak in the story’s resolution that goes beyond the subtle emotion of Hammerstein’s words.

The production comes from the universally praised 2015 Lincoln Center revival that won four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. Bartlett Sher’s direction pays homage to the vintage material but emboldens it, and the costumes by Catherine Zuber and the phenomenal sets by Michael Yeargen, plus a pit orchestra that could scarcely be better, make the experience of the show a complete sensory feast.

“The King and I” slows to a crawl early in the second act with an overlong Jerome Robbins ballet built around one character’s telling of the story of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” In this staging, the ballet is lovely, but the scene intrudes clumsily into the action. It has nothing to do with anything else in the show and you while away 15 minutes or so just waiting to get back to the beautiful songs and Rodgers and Hammerstien and the beautiful story of “The King and I.”

Details: Through May 7, Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $58-$128.50 plus service charge. 813-229-7827, strazcenter.org.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Road production reminds us why of ‘The King and I’ is a classic."