The thrill begins early when the Overture skips through the ears to the back of memory and you realise you are singing the words.  THE KING AND I is iconic musical theatre and this filmed The Lincoln Center Theater production, THE KING AND I: FROM THE PALLADIUM brings the Rogers and Hammerstein classic to a new audience.  With a contemporary respectfulness in casting, superb music and great staging and costume this is a film to revel in with a choc top.  The production is being shown globally for one night only on 29 November.

The ship rolls onto the stage after the grand drape rises and the excitement of the boy before us tingles as Bangkok is black shadows on a red sunset behind.   A dire warning from the Captain and a whistle of a happy tune and we are off on our own adventure with this wonderful capture of a classic work stunningly reinvented  by Director and Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher.  It is 1860s Siam and the widowed Anna has accepted an unorthodox posting to teach the children and wives of the King.

Played by Tony Winner, Kelli O’Hara, Anna is a tender-hearted, romantic figure as she speaks of the future to son, Louis.  That is,  until we get the grit of a woman of consequence from her first meeting with the King when she sasses him. She has a wry way with him which generates the relationship that is required for the show to work.  O’Hara’s singing is impeccable with a genuine softness in songs like ‘Hello Young Lovers‘ , lyrical, free and easy in ‘Getting to Know You‘ and bold and dynamic when Anna breaks out.  Her physical control of the huge costumes is breathtakingly good, the way she folds the children into her skirt or glides across the stage with deceptive ease.

Ken Watanabe cuts a powerful figure as the King and the staging gives him extra presence as acolytes fill the stage and fall to their knees.  He makes this role his own though, with a complex characterisation around the loving father and the conflicted ruler, the private and the public man.  When we meet him first, it is the politician and monarch who is presented.  A man with ancestral burdens who is worried about the geopolitical forces that surround his country.  He’s so comic in places as well.  “A woman wrote a book?”, with a light, even screwball, touch.  The head high scene is very funny.

As Lady Thiang, Ruthie Ann Miles comes very close to stealing the show.  She won a Tony for this performance on Broadway and reprises it spectacularly here.  Such a wise and empathetic creation, her solo ‘Something Wonderful’ is heartbreaking but it is her sensitive and subtle acting work which makes every moment she appears a compelling scene.  Miles gives her steel and softness yet brings to the surface Lady Thiang’s tradition and fear for the king.

The scenes between Anna and Lady Chiang are warm and female and the rest of the cast are just as delightful to watch.   The children of Siam are outrageously cute, especially the twins and the littlest one who has great fun in her heart.  When they crowd around Anna, smiles are just out of control.

The sets are huge and, when required, tower over and dwarf the individual cast but the dramatic ensemble dancing fills the space with dynamic movement. Pillars fly in and the wall of the city is ever-present.  The polished wood deck is as sumptuous as the silken curtains in rich blues and envious golds and the costumes are to die for.  Shot with terrific attention to detail, the cinema audience has access to every detail.

The muted colours of the first scene, greys and washed out greens and browns and reds give way to the brighter colours of the court.  The King’s first outfit of gold and cream is luxurious and opulent where no detail of the braid or embroidery is missed. The lilac ball gown with paired opera gloves and lace and sparkled drops is delectable to feast the eyes upon.

As is the play within, one of the highlights of any KING AND I production.  Here, it is staged with luxurious costumes and inspired ballet images of Thai shapings in muted colours overwhelmed with gold.   But it has to be ‘Shall We Dance’ that is the most eagerly awaited scene and it does not disappoint.  Unashamedly theatrical, blindingly energetic, the charismatic leads whirl around the pillars which swirl around them and it is joyous and thrilling.

THE KING AND I: FROM THE PALLADIUM is a magnificent production.  A pleasure to watch and listen to, it will screen in cinemas around Australia for one night only on 29 November.  There will be a showing near you, don’t miss the pure delight of this superlative capture of a splendid production.

Search at the central ticketing  site. Or see more information about THE KING AND I: FROM THE PALLADIUM on social media: Official Facebook page; Official Twitter.