Arena Civic Theatre to present The King and I

Arena Civic Theatre will open Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical The King and I, at the Shea Theatre in Turners Falls on October 16. The King and I is based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Magaret Landon.  The story was derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Leonowens' book, The English Governess of the Siaimese Court, was autobiographical, although its historical accuracy is questionable. The musical boasts familiar songs such as Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, Something Wonderful and Shall We Dance? It also contains the ballet, Small House of Uncle Thomas, based upon Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

The musical originally opened on Broadway in 1951, and ran for 1,246 performances, winning the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actor (Yul Brenner), and Best Actress (Gertrude Lawrence) along with other awards. The musical was made into a popular film in 1956, for which Yul Brenner won an Oscar for Best Actor.  There were also numerous stage revivals including 1996, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as the King. 

The ACT production features Jerry Marcanio of Royalston as The King, and Emily Nagoski of Northampton as Mrs. Anna. Also appearing are Dawn Mayo (Leyden) as Lady Thiang, Matt West (Shutesbury) as Kralahome, Rob Campbell (Shelburne Falls) as Phra Alack, Cam Cote (Williamsburg) as Prince Chulalongkhorn, Atticus Moeckel-Cole (Deerfield) as Louis, and Lindsey Anderson (Greenfield) as Eliza. John Darrow (Huntington) plays Captain Orton and Alan Dallman (Amherst) plays Lt. Edward Ramsey. Featured as the secret Burmese lovers, Martha King-Devine (Sunderland) portrays Tuptim, with Abraham Oyola (Charlemont), The Shea Theater's original Valley Idol winner, as Lun Tha. The cast also boasts of 24 Royal Children, several Royal Wives, Royal Dancers and Royal Guards from Amherst, Greenfield, South Hadley, Williamsburg and all around the Pioneer Valley. The cast totals 50 performers. 

The production's Director is Catherine King (Leverett). Musical Director is Rebecca Phelps (Hatfield), with Choreographers Kathy Dunn (Greenfield) and Melanie Reneris (Turners Falls). Lynn Omasta (Hatfield) is Stage Manager, with Sondra Radosh (Amherst) as Producer. Barbara Kaspar (Easthampton) is Costume Designer and Rachel Roy (Greenfield) is Lighting Designer. King also serves as Set Designer, with Steve Woodard (Leverett) as Master Carpenter.

Performances for The King and I will be Oct 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 8:00 PM, with matinees at 2:00 PM on October 18 and 25, at The Shea Theater in Turners Falls. Tickets are $13 general admission, $11 senior citizens, and $8 for children under 12. They can be purchased at World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield, The Jones Library in Amherst, or at the door. Reservations can be made by calling the Shea at (413) 863-2281, ext. 3.