Rodgers and Hammerstein s the King and I : The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical

Rodgers and Hammerstein s the King and I : The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
ISBN: 9781495056093
Publication Date: 22 January 2017

It is 1862 in Siam when an English widow, Anna Leonowens, arrives with her young son at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. The King is largely considered to be a barbarian by those in the West, and he seeks Anna s assistance in changing his image, if not his ways.

With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and, eventually, respect one another in a truly unique love story. Along with the dazzling score, the incomparable Jerome Robbins ballet The Small House of Uncle Thomas is one of the all-time marvels of the musical stage.

About the Author

Richard Rodgers (composer 1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American musical theater. Their first musical, Oklahoma!, was also the first of a new genre, the musical play, blending Rodgers' sophisticated style of musical comedy with Hammerstein's innovations in opera. Oklahoma! was followed by Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, among others. Collectively the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals earned thirty-four Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award.