The musical marks the third Rodgers and Hammerstein favorite to be produced at the Paris venue in recent years, after The Sound of Music (2010) and Carousel (2012).

Lee Blakeley will helm this new production, with a creative team composed of Jean-Marc Puissant (sets), Sue Blane (costumes), Peggy Hickley (choreography) and Rick Fisher (lighting design).

French film star Lambert Wilson will head the cast as The King opposite opera star Susan Graham as Anna (Christine Buffle will play the part at certain performances). Completing the cast are Je Ni Kim (Tuptim), Damian Thantrey (Lun Tha), Lisa Milne (Lady Thiang), Joe Sheridan (Captain Orton), Jean-Baptiste Phou (The Interpreter), Akihiro Nishida (The Kralahome), Benoit Nguyen Tat (Phra Alac), Robert Dauney (Sir Edward Ramsey), James Clack or Raphaël Willenbrock (Louis Leonowens) and Noam Guetta or Koji Hironaka (Prince Chulalongkorn).

The Orchestre Pasdeloup will be conducted by James Holmes.

Based on Margaret Landon's 1944 novel "Anna and the King of Siam," The King and I features such songs as "We Kiss in a Shadow," "I Have Dreamed," "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Getting to Know You," "Shall We Dance? and "Hello, Young Lovers." For more information visit chatelet-theatre.com.

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Stéphane Ly-Cuong is a Paris-based freelance writer and director ([email protected]).