I braved the cold to see Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I at The Washington Pavilion and it was worth it. The folks at the Pavilion were very adamant that the show would go on no matter what. There were a few empty seats, but overall there was a great turnout.

For those of you who may not know, The King and I, is about an English teacher, Anna, being hired by the King of Siam to teach his children and some of his wives English. In the process, they learn about each other's cultures and traditions. They test each other's beliefs and morals. Eventually finding some common ground.

It had been a long time since I had seen The King and I. I remember watching the movie when I was very young. Seeing it again now, it was interesting to see some of the parallels about the women in the story trying to find their place in a male dominated society back then and how we have come along way, but women are still having some of these same struggles.

The three main woman are Anna, Lady Thiang, the Head Wife, and Tuptim, a young woman who was given to the King as a gift. All three women have very different yet interesting relationships with the King.

My favorite part of the show was probably the Ballet within the storyline. Tuptim writes her own version of Uncle Tom's Cabin called The Small House of Uncle Thomas. It was really amazing to watch. The dancers act out the scenes so well. The costumes and props help to tell the story of Eliza escaping slavery. Very well done.

As with all the shows that The Washington Pavilion bring to town, the talent was amazing. Some of the musical notes these performers could hit was amazing! Anytime children are part of the cast, I'm so impressed. They make me feel so inadequate. They're so professional and poised. Great additions to the cast.

I mentioned costumes before, but seriously, these costumes were beautiful. Anna's period costumes with the hoop skirts were gorgeous. I also loved the traditional costumes that the wives wore. Such vibrant colors helped tell the story and show the cultural differences.

There are still two more showings of The King and I at The Washington Pavilion. Tickets are still available for January 30th and 31st at 7:30 PM! For more information and tickets click here. 

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