West End star Annalene Beechey returns to Dublin to play Anna in The King and I. John Byrne talks to her about her Gorey connections and the enduring allure of Rodgers & Hammerstein's sumptuous musical.
The big shows just keep on coming. It’s been a hectic time at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre so far this year and, hot on the heels of a superb production of West Side Story, comes another classic musical, the multi-Tony Award-winning production of The King and I.
The fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein is based on Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam, which is derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s.
The musical premiered on March 29, 1951 and ran on Broadway for nearly three years, making it the fourth-longest-running musical in history at the time. It's had many tours and revivals, as well as a much-loved film version.
Released in 1956, the movie - starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr in the lead roles - was nominated for nine Oscars, winning five.
This latest, lavish production is brought to the stage by an internationally renowned creative team under Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher and features a world-class company of talented performers and a full-scale orchestra.
Broadway star and film actor Darren Lee plays The King of Siam, while Annalene Beechey - who grew up in Gorey - reprises the role of Anna, which she played at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre when the show last visited, in 2019.
I catch up with Annalene while she’s preparing for a show in Southampton, and she regales me with tales of how she struggles to get on and offstage dressed in the kind of massive dresses that women wore back in the 1860s. It begged the question: How did Anna even get to Siam back then?
Annalene laughs, saying: "I have no idea! In the beginning of the show – it's quite funny – you see a lot of her luggage. And my wardrobe assistant, who looks after me backstage, was saying, 'I want to know where those hooped skirts are, because nothing on that boat is big enough to fit those hooped skirts.’
They have these massive trundles that they have to put my skirts in, and the don’t fit in anything else."
John Byrne: You’re obviously no stranger to this role . . .
Annalene Beechey: No. I’ve been involved with it now since about 2018, I think. Since it was in London. It was a summer season in London. And then I came out on tour with it, and we came to Dublin, which was a wonderful experience. It was good to do the show there at Bord Gáis.
And then we were cut shot because of covid. When we were in Liverpool. And now we’re back!
And the really striking thing about The King and I is that it’s based on a true story. It’s pretty bonkers when you think about it . . .
It is incredible. The world is a much smaller place for us now. We know a lot about countries and cultures now because of the internet, and because we can get to these places so much more easily.
But for her, this was very much an unknown entity. There was no information about this place before she got there. And she stepped off the boat with her son, saying ‘Okay. Let’s give this a try.’ Because she was backed into a corner. She didn’t have many options so this was what she had to do to support herself and her son.
Even in today’s world I would consider what she’s done to be very, very brave. Then? Bordering on insanity in many ways! The thing is, herself and the King are very different characters, but have in common is that they’re doing what they need to do for the people they care about.
He’s a very practical man, the King . . .
With the weight of the world on his shoulders. And he’s trying to be extremely progressive by bringing this woman in to help him understand and teach his children the ways of the western world. So it’s very courageous on his part, and very progressive to do what he did.
So they have this thread in common, which does bind them. More than they probably expected.
It’s a great story - but, for me, ultimately, it’s about the music and those wonderful songs. The show is 72 years old now . . .
And it stands the test of time. It really does. The songs that are in there – if you don’t know the show very well, and you just sit down to be entertained and watch it, you’ll be going, ‘Oh, that song’s from this?’
It’s just one after another of these wonderful songs. And a beautiful score – a really special score. It's such a privilege to sing it every night. To sing these songs and share them with an audience is quite special and I do sometimes feel a weight of expectation with some of the songs. It is very special to be able to sing these songs.
And you’ve got the legendary Marni Nixon (who sang on the original King and I soundtrack) leaning on your shoulder too . . .
Marnie Nixon - what an incredible woman! She voiced so many of the Hollywood stars. A ghost singer as they put it. She was an extraordinary talent.
They would send her some of the scene work with the actresses so she could imitate some of their vowel pronunciations and the nuances of their speech and then try and put what she picked up into the vocals she was doing. An extraordinary skill. And an unsung hero in many ways.
Having grown up in Gorey, does coming to playin Ireland have a bit of an extra buzz for you?
Absolutely! I can’t wait. I’m so excited and I can’t wait. My mum and dad are excited, as is my sister and brother. I can’t wait to bring it there. You know, there’s something about bringing a show to your home . . .
When I was little and I was kid, we were going up to Dublin to see shows that were touring and playing The Olympia, and then The Point when it opened. I remember going to see Cats at The Point, I think I saw Evita at The Olympia . . .
When you go into these theatres as a child and you sit there watching these musicals, watching it all happen in front of you, and then – many years later – you get to be that person on the stage, it’s really special. And I don’t take it for granted in any way.
The King and I runs at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from June 27-July 01. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
