Darren Lee (Hackers, Chicago, Guys and Dolls) and Helen George (Call the Midwife), who play The King of Siam and schoolteacher Anna Leonowens, respectively, in the current U.K. tour of the recent Broadway and London revival of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The King and I, will continue in those roles when the production plays a West End encore run next year.
The classic musical will play a limited engagement at London's Dominion Theatre January 20-March 2, 2024.
READ: The King and I's Darren Lee Says Current World Leaders Could Take a Lesson From the Musical
The production, which was filmed in the West End starring Tony winner Kelli O’Hara, Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe, and Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles, is again directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher.
Producer Howard Panter says, “Our last London residency of this multi award-winning production at the London Palladium broke box-office records, received critical acclaim, and enjoyed standing ovations at every show—we were overwhelmed with the rapturous response. So we are thrilled to bring Helen George and Darren Lee, who played The King in the Broadway production, to the Dominion next year and offer West End audiences the chance to experience this wonderous production once more. This really is musical theatre at its very best.“
The current tour, which launched February 4 at the Canterbury Marlowe Theatre, also features Dean John-Wilson (London Palladium The King and I) as Lun Tha, Marienella Phillips (Henry V) as Tuptim, Cezarah Bonner as Lady Thiang, Kok-Hwa Lie (Rent) as Kralahome, Caleb Lagayan (Les Misérables) as Prince Chulalongkorn, and Sam Jenkins-Shaw (The Night Watch) as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsay, with Maria Coyne (Phantom of the Opera) as the Alternate Anna.
Harry Altoft, Dexter Barry, Max Ivemey and Charlie McGuire rotate in the role of Louis, Anna’s son.
The ensemble includes Chi Chan, Jeffrey Chekai, Emily Grace-Ling, Cher Nicolette Ho, Rachel Wang-Hei Lau, Daniel Len, Candy Ma, Rachel MacDougall, Amelia Kinu Muus, Yuki Ozeki, Kitt Pakapom, Prem Rai, Ria Tanaka, Hiromi Toyooka, Jasmine Triadi, Jensen Tudtud, Qinwen Xue, and Jason Yang-Westland.
Bethany Campbell, Coco Bridger, Cody Concha, Ethan Fung, Dulcie-Bella Hackley, Caitlin Lau, Khun Cho Lwin, Angelica Quynh An Nguyen, Tenzin Noryang, Sabri Leonel Puci, Niall Rina, Francis Benedict Sarte, Mia Snowdon, Yuen Zhai, and Phoebe Zhao-Welsh play the Royal children.
The creative team also includes choreographer Christopher Gattelli, U.S. musical supervisor Ted Sperling, set designer Michael Yeargan, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Donald Holder, sound designer Scott Lehrer, orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett with dance and incidental music by Trude Rittmann, U.K. musical supervisor Stephen Ridley, and casting director Serena Hill.
Also on the team: Palladium and first international tour casting director James Orange, U.S. associate directors Samantha Saltzman and Jenn Rae Moore, U.S. associate choreographer Greg Zane, U.S. associate set designer Mikiko Suzuki Macadams, U.S. assistant costume designer Patrick Bevilacqua, U.K. associate costume designer Yvonne Milnes, U.S. associate lighting designer Karen Spahn, U.K. associate lighting designer Rob Casey, U.S. hair and make-up designer Tom Watson, U.K. associate sound designer Ken Hampton, hair, wigs, and make-up designers Campbell Young Associates, resident director Phil Bartlett, resident choreographer Yuki Ozeki, children’s casting director Debbie O’Brien, children’s casting and administrator Harry Blumenau, children’s administrator Claire Cassidy, prop supervisor Mary Halliday, wig supervisor Helen Keane for Campbell Young Associates, U.K. associate costume supervisor Rosemary Elliott-Dancs, fight director Jonathan Holby, dialect coach Izo FitzRoy, dance captain Prem Rai, assistant dance captain Cher Nicolette Ho, and fight captain Daniel Len.
The revival first opened at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont April 16, 2015, going on to win Tonys for Best Revival of a Musical, O'Hara and Miles' performances, and costume designer Zuber.
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