King and I - Fan review
Thanks to Diana for her review!

I'll give you what you want most first....your Paolo review.

Paolo truly has a remarkably strong stage presence, it's almost
uncanny. I was unable to obtain choice seating and yet I was
still able to make out his expressions and gestures clearly
without over-dramatization on his part. One of the songs Paolo
performed, "We Kiss In A Shadow", can be an absolutely beautiful
song but I have heard some performers sing it in an almost
staccato manner so that, for me, it looses most of its romantic
feel. I am all for allowing a certain amount of artistic
liscence when performing musical pieces so I was very delighted
when Paolo chose a tempo that brought a romantic eloquence to
the song. It truly stirred the soul and touched the heart. His
second song was also delivered with such intensity of feeling
you truly were caught up in the plight of the two young lovers
on the stage. I am about to dole out a criticism...yes, Diana is
posting a criticsm.....Paolo needed more stage time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carolee Carmello was absolutely splendid as Anna, the English
school teacher who arrives in Siam to teach the King's children.
She exuded just the right amount of courage, independence,
vulnerability, and wit to make the character believable.

Gerard Canonico who played Anna's son Louis was an amazing young
actor with wonderful stage presence. This young man is going to
go far in the world of theater if he has his heart set on it!

Kevin Gray, playing the King, received way too many negative
reviews for what I saw. I will agree that I was hard pressed to
get Yule Brenner out of my mind for this part but just because
he was not Yule Brenner does not mean he did not do justice to
the part.

Hoon Lee who played the Kralahome (advisor to the King) did a
wonderful job. Do the British really appear so STIFF to other
cultures? Sorry, there's a scene this refers to but I don't know
how to explain it! UGH, I really must be tired.

Margaret Ann Gates played Tuptim. What a glorious voice. She is
a beauty too. Let's not forget talented. She and Paolo paired
off wonderfully.

.....I've run out of steam, sorry folks....

I'll post some more tomorrow because there are other cast
members that do deserve to be mentioned but when I run out of
steam ...

As promised:

I do want to add to what I had to say regarding Margaret Ann
Gates (Tuptim)...her singing was absolutely enchanting. I was
getting really tired last night and did not give her talent full
credit. Her portrayal of her character was very sincere and
heart-felt. Her longing for her love and her desire to be
released from the King's household were almost palpable.

Sandia Ang was a very respectable, proud, and yet warm Lady
Thiang. I was very impressed with her take on this role. Her
solo of "Something Wonderful" was meant to convince Anna to
forgive the King for his arrant behavior...I think she managed
to convince the entire audience!

Erik Lin-Greenberg portrayed Prince Chulalongkorn (the King's
oldest son) with the perfect mix of arrogant boldness and timid
uncertainty.

There are so many absolutely exceptional cast members I cannot
mention here so I am going to have to lump some together now....

The children......They all did wonderfully!!! Each child should
be pleased with their performance. It was clear that each of the
King's children had their own personality; from the bashful to
the playful, from the tender to the tempermental. The children
knew they all had individual characters to play and they played
them well!

The performers in "Small House of Uncle Thomas" Ballet....
Such a wonderful performance...in a way it is a shame it is
engulfed within another larger production. It truly is wonderful
in and of itself. I congratulate EVERYONE involved with the
production of this little Ballet...they deserve much credit for
their hard work and efforts.

I can not say enough about the quality of the cast that was put
together for this show. Every member of the cast...that includes
the torch bearers, the fan dancers, the numerous
wives,...everyone, joined together to put together a show that
was absolutely spectacular. What is even more amazing is that
they were also able to do this on that horrible Friday night. As
it turns out several members of the cast were missing that
night. There was an entire van (don't know the exact number of
individuals) of cast members stuck in traffic that night! So
hats off to all those who put on a spectacular show for me on
the Friday of the Horrific Thunderstorm!

PS>>>>

Can't forget everyone else who works so hard behind the scenes
to put together such a wonderful performance. The sets were
fabulous as were the costumes. Both rich and dramatic making
sure to provide a truly opulent feel worthy of a court.
I'm not exactly an expert as to what goes on behind the scenes
so for everyone else working so hard back there...THANKS!!!!!

Diana