Stage West's 'King and I' Is an Enchanted Evening, But Just Too Long

Stage West's production of Richard

Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's "King and I" is a

captivating battle of the sexes. Set in 1860s

Bangkok, Anna, played by Lynn Yarbrough, is an

erudite English woman who sails with her young

son to exotic Siam to teach the many children of

King Mongkut, played by Peter Clapsis.

The strong-willed Anna is quick to spar with the

arrogant and sometimes baffoonish monarch, who

sees his many wives as property and Anna as his

servant. Our proper English lady, on the other

hand, believes her employment contract puts her

on equal ground with the all-mighty ruler. She

even demands he hold up his end of the deal by

providing her with the "brick house" he promised.

But the king thinks a woman has no right to

demand anything. After all, this poor widow and

her son are living in the center of the universe

- aka his majesty's palace. What more could they

ask for?

I want to begin my review by saying last

Saturday's performance was the first show I

attended at Stage West. I was impressed by the

talents and professionalism of the cast,

orchestra and crew and look forward to attending

future performances of this community theater.

Though I have never acted or sang on stage, I

have played in pit orchestras and know first hand

the long hours of hard work it takes to put on a

production. Hernando County is fortunate to have

such a dedicated group of people.

Although last Saturday's performance got off on a

timid start - a few lines seemed to be either

stepped on by another actor or fumbled - the

momentum and confidence picked up by the third

scene and Yabrough's rendition of "Hello Young

Lovers," my favorite song in this musical, was

gentle and inspiring.

There was much to clap and laugh about. The lines

were funny and music was a treat.

Many praises go to Clapsis, who stepped into the

role when the actor originally cast for the king

had to drop out. He deftly peeled away the king's

gruff exterior to reveal in the final scenes a

heart as big as his ego.

Young actors Victoria Primosch and Mitchell

Gonzalez were wonderful as ill-fated young lovers

Tuptim and Lun Tha. Their duet, "I Have Dreamed,"

was one of the high points of the show.

The many child actors were delightful and the

19th century hoop dresses were stunning.

This writer, however, must agree with a previous

reviewer that the show could have been trimmed

and paced more quickly.

Even without a technical difficulty that delayed

the second act by five or 10 minutes, the

performance still would have clocked in at over

three hours.

Hopefully, the director, conductor, cast and crew

will take these suggestions to heart and tighten

up this beautiful show for the last two weeks of

its run.

Community news editor Timothy P. Howsare can be

reached at 352-544-5284 or

thowsare@hernandotoday.com.

If You Go

"The King and I" plays weekends through Sunday,

March 22.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office from

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

and Saturday, and one hour prior to each show.

Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m., and

the Sunday matinee performance begins at 2 p.m.

Stage West Community Playhouse is located at 8390

Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill. Tickets are $18

with reserved seating. Call the box office at

352-683-5113.