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Broadway's The King and I, Starring Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe, to Record Cast Album

Decca Broadway/Universal Music Classics is set to release the CD.

Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara star in the new Lincoln Center Theater revival of The King and I.
Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara star in the new Lincoln Center Theater revival of The King and I.
(photo courtesy of the production)

The new Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, starring five-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe, will receive a cast recording on the Decca Broadway/Universal Music Classics label, representatives for the production confirmed to TheaterMania. The album will be released in June.

O'Hara and Watanabe lead the 51-member cast of the classic musical as Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam. They are joined by Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang), Ashley Park (Tuptim), Conrad Ricamora (Lun Tha), Edward Baker-Duly (Sir Edward Ramsey), Jon Viktor Corpuz (Prince Chulalongkorn), Murphy Guyer (Captain Orton), Jake Lucas (Louis), Paul Nakauchi (Kralahome), and Marc Oka (Phra Alack).

The ensemble is made up of Aaron Albano, Adriana Braganza, Amaya Braganza, Billy Bustamante, LaMae Caparas, Hsin-Ping Chang, Andrew Cheng, Lynn Masako Cheng, Olivia Chun, Ali Ewoldt, Ethan Halford Holder, Cole Horibe, MaryAnn Hu, James Ignacio, Christie Kim, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sumie Maeda, Paul HeeSang Miller, Rommel Pierre O’Choa, Kristen Faith Oei, Autumn Ogawa, Yuki Ozeki, Stephanie Jae Park, Diane Phelan, Sam Poon, William Poon, Brian Rivera, Bennyroyce Royon, Lainie Sakakura, Ann Sanders, Ian Saraceni, Atsuhisa Shinomiya, Michiko Takemasa, Kei Tsuruharatani, Christopher Vo, Rocco Wu, and Timothy Yang.

Inspired by Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam, The King and I features music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Set in 1860s Bangkok, the story follows the relationship of British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam, who employs her as a tutor for his many wives and children. After premiering on Broadway in 1951 with a cast led by Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner, it was last seen in a 1996 revival that starred Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips.

Directed by Bartlett Sher, the revival features choreography by Christopher Gattelli, based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins, as well as sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lights by Donald Holder, and sound by Scott Lehrer. Music director Ted Sperling conducts a 29-piece orchestra playing the original 1951 orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett with dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann.

Previews began Thursday, March 12, in advance of an April 16 opening at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

For tickets and more information, click here.

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