Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre welcomes audiences to experience the grandeur of 19th-century Siam with the famous musical The King and I, now on stage through May 19. Based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, the show by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is located at 9301 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, 46268.
It is 1862 in Siam when British widow Anna Leonowens and her young son Louis travel to the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by King Mongkut to tutor his many children and wives. The King is often viewed as a “barbarian” by those in the West, and he seeks Anna’s assistance in changing his image, if not his ways, in a modern world. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and respect one another and their cultures in a truly unique love story.
The King and I is filled with powerful emotions, beautiful costumes, and unforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein songs including “Getting To Know You,” “Something Wonderful,” “I Whistle A Happy Tune,” and the iconic “Shall We Dance.”
Brian Jose, director, is prioritizing authentic details in the Beef & Boards production – including acknowledging that the real Anna Leonowens was of Anglo-Indian descent. “That slight shift makes all the difference,” Jose pointed out. “Instead of a story that can easily be seen as a white savior/colonialism story, we get a more complex story about a woman who has had to suppress her culture in order to advance in society to provide for her children as a single mother.”
Jose added, “In a time when political wars have eliminated a middle ground and religious wars have fueled so much destruction and hatred, a show about exploring our differences and attempts to understand each other seems like just what we need.”
Making their Beef & Boards debuts are Hannah Louise Fernandes* as Anna Leonowens and Jae Woo* as the King Mongkut. Also new to the Beef & Boards stage are Bryan Chan as Lun Tha, Alice Jihyun Kim as Tuptim, and Nathalie Cruz as Lady Thiang. Ian Cruz (Footloose) plays Kralahome, and Eddie Curry* (Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, Footloose, The Addams Family), plays Sir Edward Ramsay.The cast features DJ Dancler as Louis Leonowens, Nicholas Yenson* as Phra Alack, Doeyun Micah Schwantes-An as Prince Chulalongkorn, Hannah Jew* as Eliza, Koji Ono as Simon of Legree, Sam Tiek as Royal Court member, and Imani Dancler as Princess Ying Yaowalak. Madeline Falco, Musa Hitomi*, Rina Maejima, Patima Watcharintrawut are the Royal Wives. Willa Cortez and Tallulah Salimeno are the Royal Princesses DoeRynn Rosalind Schwantes-An (performing various dates); Calvin Lai, Gemma Lai, Jahan Mirasol (performing April 6-21); Nikki Marie Lantin, August Owens, Phoebe Owens (performing April 23-May 5); Xenon Esteller, Stella Tiek, Amelia Villaluna (performing May 7-19) are the Royal Children. Maya Mays is the understudy for Anna Leonowens.
(*denotes member of Actors Equity Association)
The creative, design and production team includes Director Brian Jose, Choreographer Jennifer Ladner, Music Director Kristy Templet, Lighting Designer Ryan Koharchik, Sound Designer Daniel Hesselbrock and Stage Manager Douglas Lamb.
The King and I is on stage for 50 performances through May 19 in the intimate space of Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Tickets range from $55 to $82 and include Chef Larry Stoops’ dinner buffet and select beverages.
To see the complete performance schedule and to purchase tickets online, visit beefandboards.com. Tickets are also available by calling the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Box Office at 317.872.9664. Discounts are available to groups of 20 or more. Call the Group Sales department at 317.872.0503, or email groups@beefandboards.com for details.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; Buffet closes at 7:30 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.
April: 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27, 30
May: 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18
Sunday (early) Evenings
Doors open at 4:45 p.m.; Buffet closes at 6:30 p.m.; Show at 7 p.m.
April: 7, 14, 21, 28
May: 5, 12
Matinees
Doors open at 10:45 a.m.; Buffet closes at 12:30 p.m.; Show at 1 p.m.
April: 7, 10, 11, 14, 17, 21, 24, 27, 28
May: 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18, 19
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2. Lia was recently profiled on Asian American Life. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. www.liachang.com www.liachangphotography.com
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 