The Teen and I

Did you see the set?! And the costumes?! They provided a community theater visual feast. Those flowered flats were beautiful and, sadly, we were only blessed with their presence for one brief scene. The backdrop was detailed and expertly done. And if that wasn’t enough, the costumes exuded everything that The King and I needed from costumes: color, texture, shiny satins and smooth silks, Anna’s muted cottons in plain plaids providing a subtle contrast. It didn’t bother us that the King wasn’t bald (but only after we concluded that the King’s baldness is a Yul Brynner-thing and not necessarily a play-thing). So, what we saw laid out before us was terrific. Big time applause to all the hard workers backstage at the Theater Company’s (TTC) production of The King and I.

The orchestra did a fine job. No screeching violins. No blatting, misplaced horns. Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s beautiful music was fairly treated, thank heaven. And what beautiful music it is: so many delightful and memorable songs that are truly ageless in their appeal.

So, the show was good. It certainly had a high potential for disaster, but it was fine. Entertaining, even.

Now, then. As faithful readers realize, The Phantom cares little for the mundane concerns of small-minded people. So, he does not gossip, and he does not heed the gossip of others. But even he had to admit that there was much speculation, murmured giggles and devilish rumor in theater circles that preceded this particular show. Most of it was uncharitable, quibbling about the quality of the leads and the doubtful nature of the audition process. Smug caterwauling was said to occur, particularly among those who did not even audition for the show, as soon as the cast list was posted. But the record reveals, after the dust has settled, our two leads showed up. They held their own and the play was a success. So you nay-sayers, and you know who you are (or do you?), say nay no more. They were there, you were not.

That being said, let’s chat a bit about our company. Shall we start at the top? Oh, let’s. The King (formerly and affectionately known as Sweet Cheeks) (but not since the stern admonishment The Phantom received in this regard from the commentator known as Sojourner Truth) (a sobriquet to which The Phantom will return if he receives permission from the boy himself) (Sweet Cheeks, my good man, are you there?) did just fine. He was young and pretty unbelievable as a patriarch with multitudes of progeny, but this performer can’t help the fact he is chronologically challenged. Don’t we all wish we were that young again, particularly now that we know what we know now? He sang pretty well, danced pretty well and we really liked his body language, demeanor and mannerisms during the parade of children scene. He got a bit too petulant at times, and he tended to substitute volume for real emotion and the death scene was definitely trying. But he sure looked good in the costume and did fine for such a large and demanding role.

As for Anna, she also did a fine job. She is appealing to watch and did justice to all her songs. She had some really good moments with Sir Edward (who was very good himself). And she exhibited a true affection for the children. But she, too, became petulant, overloud and (dare we say) bratty in some of the scenes with the King. Importantly, we didn’t feel any sexual tension between her and the King; we saw only a one-level poutiness. This was a failing of both of the leads, however, and the blame cannot be laid solely at Anna’s feet. “Chemistry” between actors, although difficult to grasp, is most evident when it is lacking, and invisible and effortless when it exists.

But this is a familiar tune with our King, who usually fails to generate any chemistry between himself and his leading lady. He has been cast opposite some fine young actresses, but they have all seemed to struggle to create a believable connection to him. Perhaps this lack of chemistry is just a symptom of his age and the breadth of his life experience. Time may tell.

We were pleasantly surprised by Lady Thiang. As a young adult, this actress has been seen before in campy and brash character roles. Somehow, The Phantom can only remember her playing ladies of questionable virtue. Admittedly, this may say more about The Phantom than the actress. But Lady Thiang is a character that demands quiet composure and a clear understanding of what it means to have a mature love for a difficult partner, and the part was beautifully executed by this talented young actress. Her soulful rendition of “Something Wonderful” had a GAC-inspired scoop that forced The Phantom’s old voice teacher into premature retirement. Nevertheless, she owned it and sang it unapologetically, and the audience was appropriately moved.

A new face showed up for the role of Tuptim and she did very well. Tuptim was pretty, vulnerable and believable. However, we were not as impressed with her lover, Lun Tha, as his singing left a little, no, a lot, to be desired. But we liked Tuptim plenty. Umm, hmm, Tuptim plenty good.

And speaking of plenty, the wives were certainly plentiful. The Phantom was startled, and not in a good way, when one of the wives was shrieking. That wasn’t funny. Don’t do that again. But the wives were good during the “Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet as the Greek chorus, and they weren’t too distracting at other times. This is sometimes hard to achieve when one feels “stuck” in the chorus and wants to do more than simply blend. Just remember that there are times when it is critical that your actions as a chorus member not be distracting to the scene. Sometimes, the not doing of a “bit” is more difficult than the creation of the “bit” in the first place.

Happily, for the first time this century, The Phantom was not tortured by the ballet sequence in a TTC production. This one was so stylized that it didn’t emphasize the dancers’ lack of professional training. We were somewhat surprised at the casting choice for Little Eva and Topsy. A Monday morning quarterback might have switched dancers here. Still, we have to applaud the artistic “look” of the whole scene. It was a pleasure to watch.

The children, and there were bunches of them, were adorable. They were nicely directed, and we were very pleased and surprised that there were no crazed swarms of screaming kids like those that seem to make regular appearances in TTC productions. We loved the young Louis. He was perfectly cast with our Anna and one can’t watch this boy and not smile.

Despite Anna’s occasional tendency to race through her lines, the show ran a bit too long, as is the usual complaint with The Phantom these days. Perhaps all these shows aren’t running too long, but The Phantom, in his dotage, is running too short. Hmmm, that’s something to think about.

Other than that, it was great.

The Phantom

P.S. The Phantom would like to wish all his phans, their phamilies and phriends a very happy holiday season. May you get everything you put on your list. Have a new year filled with health, peace and love. God bless us all, everyone.