Getting to Know You (Again)

theater

In musical theater, singing and dancing often serve as metaphors for sex and nowhere better than in that great moment from The King and I when Anna and the King of Siam embrace to "Shall We Dance?" Their ensuing polka seems like one of the 19th century's greatest orgasms.

King and I (1951) was Rodgers and Hammerstein's fifth stage collaboration. By this point, some critics felt the team, whose previous successes included Oklahoma! and Carousel, were past their best. But from the start, King and I was a huge crowd pleaser, due in part to the extraordinary Jerome Robbins' choreography (think of the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet!).

In fact, the show, with its timeless message of East-West conflict resolution, has fared well over the years. Three Broadway revivals attest to The King and I's staying power.

Now a whole new generation can be swept away by the show's charms — on stage, where it belongs. The touring production at the Academy has fine credentials. It is directed by Baayork Lee, herself a veteran of King and I's original 1951 production. (She played a child princess.) The cast features adorable Sandy Duncan (Anna) and a hunky baritone and Broadway leading man, Martin Vidnovic, as the king.

Shall we dance? But of course!

The King and I, Sept. 7-12, $25-$85, Academy of Music, Broad and Locust sts., 215-893-1999.

—David Anthony Fox