The King and I

 WOW! I am SO glad I saw this show. After seeing the production in Paris, I wasn't sure if it was the show itself or that particular production that was tired. It was the latter. The costuming, acting, singing, orchestrations, sets....it was ALL amazing! Seeing Kelli O'hara perform in her Tony award winning performance was magic. I was also excited because a girl I went to school with (Minami) was on as a swing. My other friend, Ashley who plays Tuptim, was out....sad!

Seeing Ruthie Ann Miles play Lady Thiang was probably one of the best moments of theater for me in my life. No lie! I've never connected with that character and when you see the movie or another production, you may write her off. Ruth's potrayal was so deep and developed. My friend Diane nudged me and said that I NEED to play this role. It has now become a dream role for me.

Kelli was delightful and it's amazing to hear her sing the songs. It's effortless. The King was played by Jose Llana, who I thought had a lot of great moments, but the two of them didn't really have sexual tension. I would see the show again in a heartbeat! The orchestra was nearly 30 pieces large!

We sat in the front row on house right. I could hear the french horns using their spit valve! There were many times where the actors were past my seat so I was seeing the back of someone's head, but I got my seat for $30! You cannot beat that!