The King And I – Story Of The Real Anna

“The King and I ” is one of the most beloved musicals. The gorgeous music, lavish sets, phenomenal costumes, and fascinating storyline combine to make The King and I a musical that has had decades of popularity on Broadway and as a significant movie musical. The most recent Broadway revival, stage to perfection by Lincoln Center and pictured above, was a critical and popular smash. It won the Tony Award for Best Revival Of A Musical. This is the revival that is coming to the Broadway in Chicago series.

In this unique, brand-new multimedia presentation, we will look at the true story behind “The King and I.”  There actually was a British schoolteacher named Anna Owens who went to Siam (as it was then called) in the mid-1800s to teach the children of the King. As you will see, the Broadway and Hollywood musical versions take great liberties with the actual story. While we love the music, costumes, songs, and sets, “The King and I” is banned and despised throughout Thailand today! We will look into all that and much more, including clips from all the movie versions of the story. This is a presentation you will not want to miss!

We will trace the Broadway productions featuring the glorious revival which appeared at Broadway in Chicago.

Bonus!!!! Click here to read about real-life Anna!