On Saturday March 14th at 7pm FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) will screen the 2015 Broadway production of Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I. As usually, it will be shown in the Heald Auditorium, upstairs at the Ludlow Town Hall. Water will be provided by the United Church of Ludlow and Popcorn by the Berkshire Bank.

"The King and I" musical was adapted from Margaret Landon's 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam, which is based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Before Rogers and Hammerstein turned it into a musical, the book become the basis for a 1946 Hollywood film starring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne. Harrison was Rogers and Hammerstein's first choice for the musical as well, but Harrison was not available, so they settled on tv actor and director Yul Brenner.

At its heart "The King and I" is about the clash of cultures. It centers on Anna, a genteel British widow, comes to Siam with her young son, Louis to teach the many children of that country's many-wived King. Troubles flare up between the King and the Anna, but also a mutual admiration and attraction as well. This leads to a complicated relationship between the two characters that propels the musical's narrative along.

We will be screening the 2015 Broadway revival starring and Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe. This production won a Tony for Best Revival. The screening will run two hours and thirty-nine minutes.

Like many Rogers and Hammerstein productions, "The King and I" is a sumptuous musical filled with pomp and spectacle. Please join us on Saturday March 14th at the Ludlow Town Hall to experience this wonderful production.