Play review

NOW PLAYING—Daniel Guzman, left, and Deborah Gibson star in "The King and I," a Cabrillo Music Theatre production that's continuing through Oct. 26 at the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks. "The King and I" was the first of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical plays to be based on a true story. Cabrillo Music Theatre has assembled a stellar cast in presenting this opulent show at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The performance is as beautiful to see as it is to hear.

The plot is based on the trueto-life memoirs of Anna Leonowens, an English widow who was brought to Siam in 1862 to teach the king's 67 children. Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted the story from Margaret Landon's 1939 novel, "Anna and the King of Siam," which itself was based on Leonowens's work.

Like many of Rodgers and Hammerstein's shows, "The King and I" deals with social issues— in this case, slavery, male dominance, free will and the conflict between Eastern and Western cultures. The show broke ground by establishing a platonic relationship between the two leads.

The role of Anna is played by Deborah Gibson, a former pop princess of the 1980s who has since returned to her Broadway roots and compiled an impressive run of classic stage performances.

Utilizing a meticulously cultivated British accent, Gibson is excellent in her portrayal of Anna. During the cast's traditional "talkback" session with the audience last Saturday afternoon, Gibson spoke of the difficulties she faced in containing her bubbly personality in portraying the prim and proper schoolteacher.

The highlight of her performance was not one of the melodic hit songs from the show ("Hello Young Lovers" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune") but the feisty soliloquy "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You," in which she battles her own emotions about the mercurial king. (Trivia fans should enjoy this "fun fact": Anna's famous solo "Getting to Know You" was adapted from a deleted song from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" called "Suddenly Lovely.")

As King Mongkut, Daniel Guzman faced playing against the example of the late Yul Brynner, who defined this role as no performer has defined any other role in Broadway history. The tension between the king and Anna is the central theme in the musical, caused by each character's struggle to resist the other's way of thinking. The king is ferociously barbaric but with an almost childlike sense of curiosity and wonder about the Western world.

Guzman, however, chose to make his character less stern and more vulnerable. His ruthlessness is evident only in the scene in which he threatens the defiant Burmese slave Tuptim. Guzman is to be applauded for his effort to reinterpret the character, but for this reviewer it somewhat defused the key conflict in the show.

Since the original stars of the 1951 production, Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence, were actors more than singers, Rodgers and Hammerstein reserved the more sweeping and majestic songs for the supporting characters of Tuptim, her suitor Lun Tha (Joseph Andreas), and the king's "head wife," Lady Thiang (Annie Nepomuceno). All three are blessed with superb voices; Nepomuceno's enchanting rendition of "Something Wonderful" was easily the most shining moment in the show.

The magnificent set of the Siamese palace was constructed by the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera some 40 years ago. Cabrillo Music Theatre now owns the set and leases it to other companies during the year.

Plaudits go to Irene Cho for her detailed re-creation of Jerome Robbins' original choreography for the ballet "Small House of Uncle Thomas," the only musical piece in the show that reflects its exotic setting. Darryl Archibald led the 21piece orchestra in one of the most melodic scores in Broadway history, which the group learned in only two rehearsals before accompanying the cast for the first time. Wardrobe supervisor Christine Gibson should also be noted for the exquisite Siamese costumes and sumptuous gowns.

For director Lewis Wilkenfeld, "The King and I" is a personal favorite. In the talkback session, Wilkenfeld expressed his delight in working with the entire cast, but especially with the 19 youngsters portraying the children of the king.

After more than half a century, "The King and I" barely shows its age. It remains a pillar of the musical theater. If you have neveseen it before, "get to know it" before it closes this weekend.

"The King and I" continues through Sun, Oct. 26. For ticket information, call the Civic Arts Plaza box office at (805) 449ARTS (2787).