Happy New-ish Year, listeners, and hello, young lovers! After a few weeks away, shall we tell you what we think of one of the most romantic, epic musicals of all time — Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I"? The 2018 West End production starring Queen Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe is something wonderful — and we adore it so much we decided to start a season on musicals we love, to start off 2019 (and Valentine's) with a happy tune. The Broadway Babies will go over the backstage drama that surrounded this musical from the beginning, how iconic Ruthie Ann Miles' Lady Thiang is, the racial tensions both in and out of the show, etc. etc. etc. Now, come...shall we dance?

Film: Amazon Video | BroadwayHD

Cast recording: iTunes | Spotify

Music: 

• "Getting to Know You," performed by Kelli O'Hara
• "A Puzzlement," by Ken Watanabe
• "Hello, Young Lovers," by Kelli O'Hara
• "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You," by Kelli O'Hara
• "Something Wonderful," by Ruthie Ann Miles
• "Shall We Dance," by Kelli O'Hara, Ken Watanabe, conducted by Ted Sperling
• "Finale Ultimo," conducted by Ted Sperling

Music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; copyright owned by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization.

Album distributed by Universal Music Classics, a division of UMG Recordings Inc.

Show Notes:

• A discussion of race in The King and I when it was staged in Australia in 2014, referring to both the movie and the 1991 production that moved to Broadway.
• A portrait of the OG Anna in the OG ballgown, Gertrude MFin' Lawrence
• The King and I animated trailer … with tigers and dragons and Julie Andrews-lite Anna, oh my!
• Lincoln Center Theatre’s LincTix discount program for 21-35-year-olds, where tickets are like half off!
• Get ready for "Disobedience," (2017) starring Anna and Lady Thiang. It's a 'ship.

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast