"The King and I"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Anna Leonowens is a widowed British schoolteacher brought to Siam to tutor the King’s many children. When she arrives, though she enjoys an instant connection to the students, she struggles with cultural differences and with the headstrong King. Through her kindness and persistence, Anna eventually connects with the King, helping to fuel mutual feelings of social understanding and cultural acceptance and openness.

With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and including real musical theatre classics like "Hello Young Lovers", "Shall We Dance", "Getting To Know You", "I Whistle A Happy Tune", "Something Wonderful", "March Of The Siamese Children" and "I Have Dreamed".

I remember, when I was young, sitting watching musicals like this on Sunday afternoons with my mum and dad, and this show takes me right back to those times. "The King And I" is one of those musicals that, unfortunately, doesn't come around that often, and that is what makes productions such as this such a special, nay magical occasion. And this show is literally sprinkled with magic.

Playing the role of Anna is Maria Coyne and Broadway star Darren Lee plays The King Of Siam. Such wonderful chemistry between the pair, and watching them both was like being a kid again, eyes wide, mouth open, sat on the settee and loving every second; and let's face it, it's not every day that you get to see a Broadway star on the stage in front of you! Powerful, intelligent and intellectually curious, the ruler of Siam will not tolerate disrespect from anyone.

Facing a commanding adversary in the King, Anna confidently stands up for what she believes is right. With unwavering persistence, she gains the King’s respect and ultimately helps to save his kingdom. Both actors are exceptional in their roles.

Anna's son, Louis, is played by four child actors throughout the tour. Tonight the very confident and mature Charlie McGuire trod the boards.

Cezarah Bonner played Lady Thiang, the King's head wife, and like all the leads, has one of those voices that is made for Rodgers and Hammerstein's scores; beautifully operatic. Lady Thiang is more independent than the King realizes, and she forges a special connection with Anna forging another great connection on stage.

Lady Thiang and the King's oldest son, and main heir to the throne is Prince Chulalongkorn, spoilt to the core until his interest in Anna's teaching knocked the spoilt brat out of him, creating a more worldly wise young Prince. Caleb Lagayan plays the Prince, and also shows off a very strong set of vocals.

Tuptim, who is a present from the King of Burma to the King of Siam, is played by Marienella Phillips. Tuptim is in love with the young scholar Lun Tha and near the end, escapes on a boat with her lover, but The King has other ideas and all does not end well for one of them!

Lun Tha is a young Burmese scholar who brings Tuptim to the King on behalf of the Prince of Burma. Though the lovers attempt to keep their romance a secret, Lady Thiang observes their budding relationship, which she knows is a fatal mistake. Played by Dean John-Wilson, who also has a voice made for musical theatre.

Kok-Hwa Lie plays the King's right-hand man, a sort of “Prime Minister,” Kralahome who looks out for the King at all times, protecting him from whatever might get in his way. He also conspires with Lady Thiang when they both know what the King needs to hear.

For some reason I thought that there may be more Royal Children in the production, but then again the stage is bigger than the TV set my mum and dad had when I was a youngster. Even so, there were some real cuties there, and imagine at their age having a show of this calibre on their theatrical CV.

Directed by Bartlett Sher, there is magic interwoven in every bit of this show, and even though the show didn't finish until about 10.30, the time flew by.

Musical Director is Christopher Mundy, and what a joy it must have been for him to get his hands and baton on such a rich, lush score filled with such wonderful songs.

Set Design is by Michael Yeargan, and again the word "lush" seems right to use because that is the first word that comes to mind. Loved the forest scenes with the weeping willow style foliage. Absolutely no expense spared with this set design.

Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli. The "Small House of Uncle Thomas" section of the musical is one section where the choreography is ridiculously good. The Oriental choreography is hypnotic, especially with some of those positions the dancers had to hold, especially on just one leg. The storytelling through dance for this part is so well presented. And the "Shall We Dance" section was so enjoyable to watch.

Costume designer Irene Sharaff used almost two miles of fabric to create the costumes for the show. Colourful and comfortable for the male characters but how those women could move around with those crinolin hooped skirts must take choreography of it's own.

Fantastic wigs and make up teamed up with the wonderful costumes makes this show a visual treat for any theatre fan.

As stated earlier, this is one of the classic musicals which doesn't come around very often, so take this opportunity to see what makes a classic musical a classic.

Love, love, love this production, proving that this really is Something Wonderful.

"The King And I" will be reigning supreme at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 21 October.