Ms. Murphy was spectacular in this revival - SPECTACULAR! Ms. Murphy is the rare true talent, old school - Unique, unforgettable and immensely talented - WHY she hasn't been more utilized on the Broadway stage is beyond me .. I for one am anxious to see HER "DOLLY!" Levi ~ Brava
Have you seen Constance Towers? She was soul moving and transformed from a prim school teacher into the most lovely of feminine creatures that one could see would have once been greatly loved, and may yet be again.
The show is closing on June 26th according to Theatre Mania. I hope to see the production when it goes on tour. Maybe PBS will broadcast the show for Live at Lincoln Center.
I can't believe it's been 20 years since this beautiful looking revival of the King & I was staged. It makes me want to travel back to when Ms. Gothel (pun intended for all you Disney fans) danced with Lou Diamond Phillips.
What a shame the stage productions can never have as big of a stage as the movie version did. That was so great, how Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner got to fly around that huge room.
Didn't think of it that way before. I felt a bit the same way when I saw the Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella last year. When that is when Ella had her second act banquet costume
Awww this is the cast Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina on Glee) was part of...love how she refers to Lou as Daddy Lou because of it. I wonder if she's the one next to the brother on the left @ 2:03? :)
1/2 The Philippines had at one point a rigorous racial caste system that recognized eight or ten different ethnicities as Filipino. LDP's mother was Spanish Filipino. I never said he "wasn't really Asian", I said he was "far from simply Asian", and that is true. He's a mix of many different ethnicities. And while I'd never take away his pride in his many heritages, it's not racist to say that an actual historical Thai person is different than an actor who is, at most, 1/4 Austronesian.
It was certainly wrong for Kevin Gray to play the role, but Lou Diamond Phillips is Filipino and very proudly states that when asked about his ethnic background. He is an actual Asian.
I didn't say that being Spanish Filipino is what makes him "far from simply Asian." He's also Irish, Cherokee, Hawai'ian, and a bunch of other stuff. And saying that Filipinos are Asian and that's that is like saying Americans are White and that's that. Ethnicity and race in the Philippines is far more complex than that. And I'm not trying to deny you or anyone their heritage, at all, or else I would have said "He's only half Asian."
He is indeed Filipino, but primarily the Hispanic kind, not the Asian kind. His mom is descended from the Spanish settlers. There is apparently some Chinese and Hawaiian in him as well, plus Irish and Cherokee from his father. The Philippines are pretty ethnically complicated, though. Still, while his personal DNA is a fantastic blend, he's still pretty far from simply "Asian", and if he's the closest they've come in casting an Asian as the King in a major production, that's still pretty bad.
IF Germans were a routinely marginalized group in American entertainment and IF Neeson and Feinnes were only partly white and almost exclusively played non-white roles, and IF the German in question was one of only a tiny handful of white lead roles in a particular art form, you might have a point. And I never said he was the wrong kind of Asian or that the role must be ethnically specific. You're arguing against a point I never made. And I'm not denying his lineage at all.
I do think Bartlett Sher's more recent Lincoln Center production which came to London with Kelli O'Hare too was actually a better production compared to Christopher Renshaw's 1996 production. I saw that production with Faith Prince who took over as Anna and she was wonderful. Where this older production had the edge though was in the casting of Lou Diamond Philips who was truly a revelation and brought something quite different to the standard interpretation of the King as portrayed by Ken Watanabe in the Lincoln Center production. Mr Watanabe is a highly accomplished Japanese actor, and he and Kelli O'Hare had a great onstage chemistry, however he was often inaudible both in New York and London.
as vast as it is ...these dresses are surprisingly light ! - underneath that satin skirt is a thing called a crinolin a bell shaped structure made out of hoops of plastic boning these bones are very light very strong and a little flexible ....this means there is actually very little fabric from the skirts near her legs so they do not get tangled ...all that plus the relatively smooth surface of the stage its quite easy !
iloveitalykun I think Donna Murphy would be happy to read your comment. I read an interview and throughout the process she had a very difficult time dancing in it. Here she makes it look effortless. I also read the original Anna, Gertrude Lawrence suffered from bruised shins due to them banging up against them 8 shows a week.
2/2 So when I'm lamenting the whitewashing of Asian roles in film and theater, I don't feel guilty about including LDP, who is part Asian, yes, but still mostly white. He's as Asian as Dean Cain. He's a fine actor, and he played the part well, but it's still indicative of a reluctance to cast Asian actors that is a real problem. I apologize for my lack of clarity on the "not the Asian kind" comment. I merely meant to indicate that Filipino does not necessarily mean Asian.
Also, YOU and your denial of actors' Asian lineage is part of the problem. No one bats an eyelash when English Ralph Fiennes and Northern Irish Liam Neeson play Germans, but when one kind of Asian (or should I specify, "1/4 Austronesian?") plays another kind of Asian, suddenly it's not good enough and the role must be ethnically specific.
Funny thing is that I wouldn't have even argued with you if you'd simply said "he's only half Asian," which is true. But then you had to go and do your uninformed "ethnic breakdown" of Filipinos. There's no such thing as "the Asian kind" of Filipino because we're ALL Asian. If we were to go by your standards, then only Chinese/Japanese/Korean immigrants with Filipino nationality would be Asian; ethnic Filipinos, ironically, would be left out.
Lou Diamond and Donna...the BEST stage duo for The King and I!!!! They seem to channel Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr in their voices too.
Ms. Murphy was spectacular in this revival - SPECTACULAR! Ms. Murphy is the rare true talent, old school - Unique, unforgettable and immensely talented - WHY she hasn't been more utilized on the Broadway stage is beyond me .. I for one am anxious to see HER "DOLLY!" Levi ~ Brava
omg ... I think I like Donna Murphy's version better than every other version I've ever heard!
Have you seen Constance Towers? She was soul moving and transformed from a prim school teacher into the most lovely of feminine creatures that one could see would have once been greatly loved, and may yet be again.
I saw Donna Murphy in Wonderful Town. She was GREAT!!! I wish I'd seen this show too!
Such a beautiful gown!
KING AND I is coming back 2015 at Lincoln Center Theatre with Kelli O'Hara as Anna!!! She better win a Tony for this performance!!!
She won.
The show is closing on June 26th according to Theatre Mania. I hope to see the production when it goes on tour. Maybe PBS will broadcast the show for Live at Lincoln Center.
I've seen Ms. Murphy in Spider Man 2 and voice Mother Gothel in Tangled and I liked Kelli O'Hara in South Pacific and Peter Pan Live.
Michael I. Haber f
One of the greatest performances ever.
I have a cousin that was in that production. Jonathan Giordano (Swing and understudied Anna's son and the King's older son). He's now a banker.
Wow cool
Rather interesting Michael. And yet I don't know which Anna I would have liked to see, Donna or Kelli O Hara
Amazing couple 😜😜😜and what a fabulous dress 👗
I may have missed my chance to see Yul Brynner, but I love Lou Diamond Phillips. I wouldn't mind seeing him in "The King and I".
I would love to see that
I can't believe it's been 20 years since this beautiful looking revival of the King & I was staged. It makes me want to travel back to when Ms. Gothel (pun intended for all you Disney fans) danced with Lou Diamond Phillips.
Lou is so handsome!
GREAT LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS.
Love Lou Diamond Phillips! Thanks for sharing!
What a shame the stage productions can never have as big of a stage as the movie version did. That was so great, how Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner got to fly around that huge room.
LDP did a nice job. I saw Bruyner on Broadway in 1978. Magical
Seeing the original 1956 movie makes me want to travel back to when Yul Bruyner first had the pleasure of playing the King onstage.
They were on Rosie O’Donnell and had a couple of the children do “shall we dance” it was so cute I wish someone could upload it
She looks sort of like Belle :)
Didn't think of it that way before. I felt a bit the same way when I saw the Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella last year. When that is when Ella had her second act banquet costume
Awww this is the cast Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina on Glee) was part of...love how she refers to Lou as Daddy Lou because of it. I wonder if she's the one next to the brother on the left @ 2:03? :)
1/2 The Philippines had at one point a rigorous racial caste system that recognized eight or ten different ethnicities as Filipino. LDP's mother was Spanish Filipino. I never said he "wasn't really Asian", I said he was "far from simply Asian", and that is true. He's a mix of many different ethnicities. And while I'd never take away his pride in his many heritages, it's not racist to say that an actual historical Thai person is different than an actor who is, at most, 1/4 Austronesian.
It was certainly wrong for Kevin Gray to play the role, but Lou Diamond Phillips is Filipino and very proudly states that when asked about his ethnic background. He is an actual Asian.
The original is from the very early 1950's. Mr. Brynner himself played in several revivals over the years before he died.
I didn't say that being Spanish Filipino is what makes him "far from simply Asian." He's also Irish, Cherokee, Hawai'ian, and a bunch of other stuff. And saying that Filipinos are Asian and that's that is like saying Americans are White and that's that. Ethnicity and race in the Philippines is far more complex than that. And I'm not trying to deny you or anyone their heritage, at all, or else I would have said "He's only half Asian."
I hear the dress actually got top billing and final bow in this show.
Look! It's Mrs. Astor!
i still can't believe that little Jenna ushkowitz is in this!!!
He is indeed Filipino, but primarily the Hispanic kind, not the Asian kind. His mom is descended from the Spanish settlers. There is apparently some Chinese and Hawaiian in him as well, plus Irish and Cherokee from his father. The Philippines are pretty ethnically complicated, though. Still, while his personal DNA is a fantastic blend, he's still pretty far from simply "Asian", and if he's the closest they've come in casting an Asian as the King in a major production, that's still pretty bad.
IF Germans were a routinely marginalized group in American entertainment and IF Neeson and Feinnes were only partly white and almost exclusively played non-white roles, and IF the German in question was one of only a tiny handful of white lead roles in a particular art form, you might have a point. And I never said he was the wrong kind of Asian or that the role must be ethnically specific. You're arguing against a point I never made. And I'm not denying his lineage at all.
it's...mother gothel :O
Yes it is but Anna is a more loving widowed mother. I'm hoping Donna Murphy gets casted as Velma Von Tussle in NBC's Hairspray Live.
I dunno, nobody does sexual tension better than Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr...
That dress is amazing though
I do think Bartlett Sher's more recent Lincoln Center production which came to London with Kelli O'Hare too was actually a better production compared to Christopher Renshaw's 1996 production. I saw that production with Faith Prince who took over as Anna and she was wonderful. Where this older production had the edge though was in the casting of Lou Diamond Philips who was truly a revelation and brought something quite different to the standard interpretation of the King as portrayed by Ken Watanabe in the Lincoln Center production. Mr Watanabe is a highly accomplished Japanese actor, and he and Kelli O'Hare had a great onstage chemistry, however he was often inaudible both in New York and London.
tell me how the F you freakin dance in that dress? it's freaking HUGE!!! I have watch the king and i before but i still don't understand.
where is the origional?
She was?
I saw this at the Paper Mill with Kevin Gray. Are people allergic to casting an actual Asian?
How the hell does she dance in that freakin' big dress?
as vast as it is ...these dresses are surprisingly light ! - underneath that satin skirt is a thing called a crinolin a bell shaped structure made out of hoops of plastic boning these bones are very light very strong and a little flexible ....this means there is actually very little fabric from the skirts near her legs so they do not get tangled ...all that plus the relatively smooth surface of the stage its quite easy !
iloveitalykun I think Donna Murphy would be happy to read your comment. I read an interview and throughout the process she had a very difficult time dancing in it. Here she makes it look effortless. I also read the original Anna, Gertrude Lawrence suffered from bruised shins due to them banging up against them 8 shows a week.
Wx
2/2 So when I'm lamenting the whitewashing of Asian roles in film and theater, I don't feel guilty about including LDP, who is part Asian, yes, but still mostly white. He's as Asian as Dean Cain. He's a fine actor, and he played the part well, but it's still indicative of a reluctance to cast Asian actors that is a real problem. I apologize for my lack of clarity on the "not the Asian kind" comment. I merely meant to indicate that Filipino does not necessarily mean Asian.
Also, YOU and your denial of actors' Asian lineage is part of the problem. No one bats an eyelash when English Ralph Fiennes and Northern Irish Liam Neeson play Germans, but when one kind of Asian (or should I specify, "1/4 Austronesian?") plays another kind of Asian, suddenly it's not good enough and the role must be ethnically specific.
Funny thing is that I wouldn't have even argued with you if you'd simply said "he's only half Asian," which is true. But then you had to go and do your uninformed "ethnic breakdown" of Filipinos. There's no such thing as "the Asian kind" of Filipino because we're ALL Asian. If we were to go by your standards, then only Chinese/Japanese/Korean immigrants with Filipino nationality would be Asian; ethnic Filipinos, ironically, would be left out.
I saw this production. LDP was hot - this # was extremely erotic
FINALLY AN ASIAN DOING IT
I hope the film remake in development gives us actual Asian representation
Well, that's a boring number... And i love Donna...
no