The King and I is the fifth musical by the team of composer
Richard Rodgers and dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Margaret
Landon's novel, Anna and the King of Siam (1944), which is in turn
derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King
Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical's plot relates the experiences of
Anna, a British schoolteacher hired as part of the King's drive to modernize
his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict
through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit. The
musical premiered in 1951 and ran for nearly three years and a total of 1,246
performances. Yul Brynner is perhaps the show’s most famous King. The musical
won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress, and Best Featured Actor.
Mongkut, King of
Siam, was about 57 years old in 1861. He had lived half his life as a Buddhist
monk, was an able scholar, and founded a new order of Buddhism and a temple in
Bangkok (paid for by his half-brother, King Nangklao). Through his decades of
devotion, Mongkut acquired an ascetic lifestyle and a firm grasp of Western
languages. When Nangklao died in 1850, Mongkut became king. At that time,
various European countries were striving for dominance, and American traders
sought greater influence in Southeast Asia. He ultimately succeeded in keeping
Siam an independent nation, partly by familiarizing his heirs and harem with
Western ways.
In 1861, Mongkut
wrote to his Singapore agent, Tan Kim Ching, asking him to find a British lady
to be governess to the royal children. At the time, the British community in
Singapore was small, and the choice fell on a recent arrival there, Anna
Leonowens, who was running a small nursery school in the colony. Leonowens was
the Anglo-Indian daughter of an Indian Army soldier and the widow of Thomas
Owens, a clerk and hotel keeper. She had arrived in Singapore two years
previously, claiming to be the genteel widow of an officer and explaining her
dark complexion by stating that she was Welsh by birth. Her deception was not
detected until long after her death, and had still not come to light when The
King and I was written.
Upon receiving
the King's invitation, Leonowens sent her daughter, Avis, to school in England,
to give Avis the social advantage of a prestigious British education, and
traveled to Bangkok with her five-year-old son, Louis. King Mongkut had sought
a Briton to teach his children and wives after trying local missionaries, who
used the opportunity to proselytize. Leonowens initially asked for $150 in
Singapore currency per month. Her additional request, to live in or near the
missionary community to ensure she was not deprived of Western company, aroused
suspicion in Mongkut, who cautioned in a letter, "we need not have teacher
of Christianity as they are abundant here". King Mongkut and Leonowens
came to an agreement: $100 per month and a residence near the royal palace. At
a time when most transport in Bangkok was by boat, Mongkut did not wish to have
to arrange for the teacher to get to work every day. Leonowens and Louis
temporarily lived as guests of Mongkut's prime minister, and after the first
house offered was found to be unsuitable, the family moved into a brick
residence (wooden structures decayed quickly in Bangkok's climate) within
walking distance of the palace.
In 1867,
Leonowens took a six-month leave of absence to visit her daughter Avis in
England, intending to deposit Louis at a school in Ireland and return to Siam
with Avis. However, due to unexpected delays and opportunities for further
travel, Leonowens was still abroad in late 1868, when Mongkut fell ill and
died. Leonowens did not return to Siam, although she continued to correspond
with her former pupil, the new king Chulalongkorn.
Act I
In 1862, a
strong-willed, widowed schoolteacher, Anna Leonowens, arrives in Bangkok, Siam
(later known as Thailand) at the request of the King of Siam to tutor his many
children. Anna's young son, Louis, fears the severe countenance of the King's
prime minister, the Kralahome, but Anna refuses to be intimidated ("I
Whistle a Happy Tune"). The Kralahome has come to escort them to the
palace, where they are expected to live – a violation of Anna's contract, which
calls for them to live in a separate house. She considers returning to
Singapore aboard the vessel that brought them, but goes with her son and the
Kralahome.
Several weeks
pass, during which Anna and Louis are confined to their palace rooms. The King
receives a gift from the king of Burma, a lovely slave girl named Tuptim, to be
one of his many wives. She is escorted by Lun Tha, a scholar who has come to
copy a design for a temple, and the two are secretly in love. Tuptim, left
alone, declares that the King may own her, but not her heart ("My Lord and
Master"). The King gives Anna her first audience. The schoolteacher is a
part of his plan for the modernization of Siam; he is impressed when she
already knows this. She raises the issue of her house with him, he dismisses
her protests and orders her to talk with his wives. They are interested in her,
and she tells them of her late husband, Tom ("Hello, Young Lovers").
The King presents her new pupils; Anna is to teach those of his children whose
mothers are in favor with him – several dozen – and is to teach their mothers
as well. The princes and princesses enter in procession ("March of the
Royal Siamese Children"). Anna is charmed by the children, and formality
breaks down after the ceremony as they crowd around her.
Anna has not
given up on the house, and teaches the children proverbs and songs extolling
the virtues of home life, to the King's irritation. The King has enough worries
without battling the schoolteacher, and wonders why the world has become so
complicated ("A Puzzlement"). The children and wives are hard at work
learning English ("The Royal Bangkok Academy"). The children are
surprised by a map showing how small Siam is compared with the rest of the
world ("Getting to Know You"). As the crown prince, Chulalongkorn,
disputes the map, the King enters a chaotic schoolroom. He orders the pupils to
believe the teacher but complains to Anna about her lessons about
"home". Anna stands her ground and insists on the letter of her
contract, threatening to leave Siam, much to the dismay of wives and children.
The King orders her to obey as "my servant"; she repudiates the term
and hurries away. The King dismisses school, then leaves, uncertain of his next
action. Meanwhile, Lun Tha comes upon Tuptim, and they muse about having to
hide their relationship ("We Kiss in a Shadow").
In her room, Anna
replays the confrontation in her mind, her anger building ("Shall I Tell
You What I Think of You?"). Lady Thiang, the King's head wife, tells Anna
that the King is troubled by his portrayal in the West as a barbarian, as the
British are being urged to take over Siam as a protectorate. Anna is shocked by
the accusations – the King is a polygamist, but he is no barbarian – but she is
reluctant to see him after their argument. Lady Thiang convinces her that the
King is deserving of support ("Something Wonderful"). Anna goes to
him and finds him anxious for reconciliation. The King tells her that the
British are sending an envoy to Bangkok to evaluate the situation. Anna
"guesses" – the only guise in which the King will accept advice –
that the King will receive the envoy in European style, and that the wives will
be dressed in Western fashion. Tuptim has been writing a play based on a book
that Anna has lent her, Uncle Tom's Cabin, that can be presented to the
guests. News is brought to the King that the British are arriving much earlier
than thought, and so Anna and the wives are to stay up all night to prepare.
The King assembles his family for a Buddhist prayer for the success of the
venture and also promises before Buddha that Anna will receive her own house
"as provided in agreement, etc., etc."
Act II
The wives are
dressed in their new European-style gowns, which they find confining
("Western People Funny"). In the rush to prepare, the question of
undergarments has been overlooked, and the wives have practically nothing on
underneath their gowns. When the British envoy, Sir Edward Ramsay, arrives and
gazes at them through a monocle, they are panicked by the "evil eye"
and lift their skirts over their heads as they flee. Sir Edward is diplomatic
about the incident. When the King is called away, it emerges that Sir Edward is
an old flame of Anna's, and they dance in remembrance of old times, as Edward
urges her to return to British society. The King returns and irritably reminds
them that dancing is for after dinner.
As final
preparations for the play are made, Tuptim steals a moment to meet with Lun
Tha. He tells her he has an escape plan, and she should be ready to leave after
the performance ("I Have Dreamed"). Anna encounters them, and they
confide in her ("Hello, Young Lovers", reprise). The play ("Small
House of Uncle Thomas", narrated ballet) is presented in a Siamese
ballet-inspired dance. Tuptim is the narrator, and she tells her audience of
the evil King Simon of Legree and his pursuit of the runaway slave Eliza. Eliza
is saved by Buddha, who miraculously freezes a river and conceals her in snow.
Buddha then causes the river to melt, drowning King Simon and his hunting
party. The anti-slavery message is blunt.
After the play,
Sir Edward reveals that the British threat has receded, but the King is
distracted by his displeasure at Tuptim's rebellious message. After Sir Edward
leaves, Anna and the King express their delight at how well the evening went,
and he presents her with a ring. Secret police report that Tuptim is missing.
The King realizes that Anna knows something; she parries his inquiry by asking
why he should care: Tuptim is just another woman to him. He is delighted; she
is at last understanding the Siamese perspective. Anna tries to explain to him
the Western customs of courtship and tells him what it is like for a young
woman at a formal dance ("Shall We Dance?"). He demands that she
teach him the dance. She does, and in that dance they experience and express a
love for each other that they can never speak aloud. They are interrupted by
the Kralahome. Tuptim has been captured, and a search is on for Lun Tha. The
King resolves to punish Tuptim, though she denies she and Lun Tha were lovers.
Anna tries to dissuade him, but he is determined that her influence shall not
rule, and he takes the whip himself. He turns to lash Tuptim, but under Anna's
gaze is unable to swing the whip, and hurries away. Lun Tha is found dead, and
Tuptim is dragged off, swearing to kill herself; nothing more is heard about
her. Anna asks the Kralahome to give her ring back to the King; both
schoolteacher and minister state their wish that she had never come to Siam.
Several months
pass with no contact between Anna and the King. Anna is packed and ready to
board a ship leaving Siam. Chulalongkorn arrives with a letter from the King,
who has been unable to resolve the conflicts within himself and is dying. Anna
hurries to the King's bedside and they reconcile. The King persuades her to
take back the ring and to stay and assist the next king, Chulalongkorn. The
dying man tells Anna to take dictation from the prince, and instructs the boy
to give orders as if he were King. The prince orders the end of the custom of kowtowing
that Anna hated. The King grudgingly accepts this decision. As Chulalongkorn
continues, prescribing a less arduous bow to show respect for the king, his
father dies. Anna kneels by the late King, holding his hand and kissing it, as
the wives and children bow or curtsey, a gesture of respect to old king and
new.
