![]() Is a puzzlement? Wherever the idea actually came from, one thing is certain: The King and I was written around, and for, the character of Anna Leonowens. They had secured a composer, an exceedingly well-known one who had provided the score for one of Gertrude's big London hits.” Sheridan Morley called the question in his biography of Lawrence when he wrote “Gertie suggested Cole Porter, who seemed less than enthusiastic.” And there is a first edition copy of Anna and the King of Siam here in our office with a note inside from the well-known agent Helen Strauss saying, “Bennett Cerf tells me he talked to you about as a possibility for a musical. A that “Gertrude and Fanny had made tentative plans. ![]() Lawrence's husband, Richard Aldrich, wrote in Mrs. They suggested it to their husbands for a musical play.” Hugh Ford in Getting To Know Him, his biography of Oscar Hammerstein II, says the idea was Fanny Holzman's, “the shrewd theatrical attorney” who represented Gertrude Lawrence. In his autobiography Musical Stages, Richard Rodgers stated: “For the first time in our career, a project was submitted by someone who wanted to play the leading role, Gertrude Lawrence.” Rodgers & Hammerstein historian David Ewen wrote: “Rodgers & Hammerstein's respective wives read Margaret Landon's novel soon after its publication in 1944. There is some question as to exactly how The King and I came to be written. Almost 70 years later, it reigns supreme, its kingdom extending from Broadway and London to Hollywood and beyond, from high school auditoriums and summer stock tents to regional theatres and opera houses. On March 29, 1951, Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I opened at the St. In anticipation of this shared event, we’re sharing some theatre history! Ted Chapin, President and Chief Creative Officer of The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, looks back on the development of this groundbreaking musical theatre gem. To watch, visit this link on Friday at 8pm ET, or at any time in the subsequent 48 hours. Hosted by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Playbill and BroadwayHD, in association with Trafalgar Entertainment, the acclaimed West End production can be streamed in North America for free on BroadwayHD. R&H Movie Night returns this Friday, May 8th at 8PM ET with a live viewing party of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, starring Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara (Anna Leonowens), Ken Watanabe (The King), Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang), Dean John-Wilson (Lun Tha) and Na-Young Jeon (Tuptim). ![]()
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