Contents2 WELCOME

3 PREPARING FOR THE PERFORMANCE

4 SYNOPSIS OF THE MUSICAL

6 GENDER AND RACE IN THE KING AND I

8 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TIMELINE

12 FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION

14 REFLECTING ON THE PERFORMANCE

Online Resources MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS

COMPOSER AND LIBRETTIST BIOGRAPHIES

OPERA TERMINOLOGY

PERFORMANCE ETIQUETTE

BEHIND THE SCENES AT LYRIC

Lyric Unlimited is Lyric Opera of Chicago’s department dedicated

to education, community engagement, and new artistic

initiatives.

Major support provided by the Nancy W. Knowles Student and

Family Performances Fund. Performances for Students are

supported by an Anonymous Donor, Baird, the John W. and

Rosemary K. Brown Family Foundation, Bulley & Andrews LLC, The

Jacob and Rosalie Cohn Foundation, the Dan J. Epstein Family

Foundation, the General Mills Foundation, John Hart and Carol

Prins, the Dr. Scholl Foundation, the Segal Family Foundation,

the Bill and Orli Staley Foundation, the Donna Van Eekeren

Foundation, Mrs. Roy I. Warshawsky, and Michael Welsh and Linda

Brummer.

Lyric Unlimited was launched with major catalyst funding from The

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and receives major support from

the Caerus Foundation, Inc.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s

Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert/Théâtre du Châtelet, Todd Rosenberg /Lyric Opera of Chicago

2015/16

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Lyric Opera premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I generously made possible by The Negaunee Foundation, two Anonymous Donors,

Robert S. and Susan E. Morrison, and Northern Trust. The King and I production created by the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, on June 13, 2014. General

Director Jeanluc Choplin.

Music by Richard Rodgers Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Based on “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon

Original Orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett

Original Dance Arrangements by Trude Rittmann

Original Choreography by Jerome Robbins

The King and I

The King and IA Selected Cultural and Historical Timeline

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Dear Educator,

Welcome to the latest edition of Lyric Unlimited’s Backstage Pass! This is your ticket to the world of opera and your insider’s guide to Lyric’s production of The King and I. Thank you for joining us and for sharing this experience with your students.

We have designed Backstage Pass! to prepare young people to better understand this classic musical and enjoy the performance more. These resources are designed to enhance your curriculum and can, ideally, be seamlessly incorporated into your regular, daily learning objectives.

Please review the materials in this guide and online and consider how they can be used in your classroom. We recommend setting aside small blocks of time to share this content with your students over several days or weeks before and after the performance. The more students know about the musical, the more rewarding the experience.

It is our sincere hope that you enjoy the performance, and we look forward to seeing you and your students at the show!

2 Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert/Théâtre du Châtelet

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These activities are designed to help you quickly and easily develop effective lesson plans built around clear objectives. Objectives are written in “I Can” statements using student-friendly language, and all activities can be used to address state and national learning standards.

• I can tell the story of the musical I am about to see.

• I can recognize major musical themes from the musical.

• I can use the essential vocabulary associated with the production of modern opera and musical theater.

I can tell the story of the musical I am about to see.• Refer to the “Synopsis of the Musical” section of this guide.

• Ask students to read the synopsis, then discuss the time period, setting, characters, and story with the class.

• Have students write narrative predictions or create artwork reflecting what they think the set and costumes will look like.

• Ask students to wear headbands with the names of the characters. Next, provide brief descriptions of each character and encourage students to determine how their character should stand, speak, and behave. Read the synopsis aloud while students act out the story.

• Working in small groups, have students choose celebrities they would cast in each role if they were making a modern movie of the musical. Encourage groups to present their choices to the class and make an argument for why each celebrity would be a good fit.

I can recognize major musical themes from the musical.• Refer to the “Musical Highlights” section of the online teacher resources.

• Play the musical examples in class and use the commentaries provided online to familiarize your students with the music, its significance, and its context within the musical.

• Play these selections many times over multiple classes so students become familiar with the music.

I can use the essential vocabulary associated with the production of modern opera and musical theater.• Refer to the “Opera Terminology” section of the online teacher

resources.

• Encourage students to research and define these terms, then compose sentences using them appropriately.

• Give each student a card with either a term or a definition. Have students find the partner who matches their card.

Activities:

Objectives:

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Preparing for the Performance

Photo: Jenn Gaudreau

By Cate Mascari

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The King and IMusic by Richard RodgersBook and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Based on Margaret Landon’s novel Anna and the King of Siam

Broadway premiere: March 29, 1951

CHARACTERS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Louis Leonowens, Anna’s eight-year-old son ............................................Child

Anna Leonowens, a widowed British school teacher .........................Soprano

The Kralahome, Prime Minister of Siam ......................................................Actor

The King, ruler of Siam............................................................................. Baritone

Lun Tha, messenger from Burma, in love with Tuptim .............................. Tenor

Tuptim, slave girl from Burma, in love with Lun Tha .............................Soprano

Lady Thiang, the King’s first wife ................................................Mezzo-soprano

Prince Chulalongkorn, ten-year-old heir to the throne ............................Child

Sir Edward Ramsay, British diplomat and Anna’s old love interest ........Actor

Supporting characters: princes, princesses, dancers, wives, priests, slaves,

etcetera, etcetera, etcetera

SETTINGIn and around the King’s palace, Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand), early 1860s.

ACT IAnna Leonowens has been employed by the King of Siam to teach his many wives and children about Western ideas and to speak English. Anna and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok but are apprehensive about what to expect. Not easily frightened, Anna plans to face the challenges ahead with a positive attitude (I Whistle a Happy Tune). Anna learns from the Kralahome that they

will be required to live in the palace and not in their own house as promised. She temporarily agrees to accept the terms but insists on speaking to the King immediately about their agreement.

In the King’s court, a gift from the King of Burma arrives: the slave girl Tuptim. Tuptim acknowledges the King is her new master but hides that she and Lun Tha, the man who has escorted her to Bangkok, are in love (My Lord and Master). Anna is granted her first audience with the King and is frustrated that he hasn’t followed through on his promise of a house for her and her son. She is about to storm out, but the royal wives arrive and become enchanted by her. They are eager to learn about the West and when she fell in love with her late husband, Tom (Hello, Young Lovers). The King then introduces Anna to her new students with a royal procession of his many children (The March of the Siamese Children).

Anna begins to teach the children, the wives, and even sometimes the King himself about the Western world. The King is fascinated, yet troubled, by what he learns (A Puzzlement). While viewing a large map, the children are shocked to learn how small Siam is compared to the rest of the world. Anna points out that England is even smaller and explains how she’s grown to love Siam and its people over time (Getting to Know You). The King is displeased by what the children are learning and has grown impatient with Anna’s insistence on having her own house. They argue in front of the children, and he dismisses the class in anger. Meanwhile, Tuptim and Lun Tha meet secretly and dream of a future together in freedom (We Kiss in a Shadow).

Back in her room, Anna is infuriated by the King’s stubbornness (Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?). Lady Thiang, the King’s first wife, is sympathetic and counsels patience, for she sees how much the King and Anna need each other. Although the King can be difficult, Lady Thiang sees the good in him (Something Wonderful).

The King is troubled that a British diplomat, Sir Edward Ramsay, is on his way to Bangkok to assess the effectiveness and civility of his reign. Anna cleverly suggests that the best way to make a positive impression on Sir Edward is to host a European dinner, with everyone dressed in Western fashion. For entertainment, Tuptim has devised a play based on the book Uncle Tom’s

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A Synopsis of the Musical

A Synopsis of the Musical

Cabin, which she received from Anna. The King prays for the evening to be a success and promises to award Anna the agreed-upon house.

ACT IIBefore the dinner begins, the wives are feeling awkward in their European dresses. Sir Edward arrives and reminisces with Anna about their courtship long ago. As the rest of the guests arrive, Tuptim and Lun Tha discuss their escape (I Have Dreamed). Anna learns of their plan and tries to intervene. The play (Ballet: Small House of Uncle Thomas) has a strong anti-slavery message that disturbs the King, but Sir Edward’s compliments and generous endorsement of his regime give the King great satisfaction.

Judging the evening as a success, the King and Anna congratulate each other, and he presents her with a gift: a ring. They are interrupted by a report that Tuptim is missing. Anna quickly distracts the King by telling him what courtship is like in the Western world, and she teaches him how to polka (Shall We Dance?). During the dance, the growing chemistry between them becomes apparent. They are interrupted a second time:

the Kralahome has caught Tuptim trying to escape and Lun Tha has been killed. As the King prepares to punish Tuptim with a whip, Anna tries to stop him by asserting that such barbaric acts undermine all that he has been trying to achieve. Realizing this conflict within, he drops the whip and flees the room. Anna returns the ring to the Kralahome, and they agree it was a mistake for her to come to Siam.

Several months pass with no communication between Anna and the King. As Anna prepares to depart forever, she receives a note from the King expressing his gratitude to her—and informing her that he is dying. She rushes back to the palace to find the King on his deathbed, surrounded by his wives and children. Reminded of their love and respect for each other, they reconcile their differences and Anna agrees to stay on as teacher. The dying King commands her to take notes from his eldest son, Prince Chulalongkorn, who will be the new King. The Prince, who has learned well from Anna, proclaims that there will be no more prostrating before the king.Instead, they will bow in the Western manner. As his father dies, all bow to show their respect.

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5Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert/Théâtre du Châtelet

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Asking Questions Gender and Race in The King and I

When Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote The King and I, they made an effort to accurately portray the clashes of culture, race, and gender at the heart of the story. They’d never been ones to shy away from controversial themes in their work. Their ground-breaking Oklahoma! had changed the public’s ideas about what musical theater could be. Carousel dealt with domestic abuse and had a protagonist who died in Act One. South Pacific came under fire for its frank treatment of racism. The King and I continued in that vein.

Despite the regard and chemistry that develops between Anna and the King—and notwithstanding the secondary love story between Tuptim and Lun Tha—The King and I is not a traditional romantic comedy. Instead, it’s a battle between East and West, men and women. It deals with racism, sexism, colonialism, slavery, polygamy, and religion. Throughout the script, Rogers and Hammerstein make digs at Western condescension toward Thai culture, and at times they fall prey to that same condescension. In recent years, The King and I has been criticized as being a relic of a time when Orientalism—the Western romanticizing of Asian cultures—was more accepted than it is today. Contemporary directors have attempted to create productions that are more respectful of King Mongkut and the Thai people.

When the real-life Anna Leonowens became governess to King Mongkut of Siam’s children, the British Empire was burgeoning. By 1900, Queen Victoria would reign over 410 million people. If you had asked an Englishman (or woman) of that era why this massive expansion of British control was a positive thing, you may have received a lecture on what some referred to as the “White Man’s Burden”: the obligation to enlighten and civilize the “savage” peoples of the world. “Extraordinary how one gets attached to people who need one,” Sir Edward says to Anna in Act Two. The myth of colonialism asserted that sovereign nations and indigenous peoples that had existed for thousands of years nonetheless needed the colonizers’ civilizing influence.

Siam—now Thailand—was not a British colony, but it was surrounded on all sides by colonized nations. During the 1860s, the real King Mongkut of

Siam faced a delicate situation. He wanted to compete and trade on the world stage with Western powers, yet he didn’t want to lose his people’s identity and culture—and he certainly didn’t want Siam to become yet another British colony. As the King sings in “A Puzzlement,” “If allies are strong with power to protect me, might they not protect me out of all I own?” King Mongkut saw education as key to achieving his goals. He enlisted Anna Leonowens, a widow and self-made woman, to educate his royal household or, to quote Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s King, to “bring to Siam what is good in Western culture.”

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By Maia Morgan

Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert/Théâtre du Châtelet, Todd Rosenberg /Lyric Opera of Chicago

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In the first act, Captain Orton cautions Anna: “I wonder if you know what you’re facing, ma’am—an Englishwoman here in the East.” Anna gasps at her first glimpse of the bare-chested, knife-wielding Siamese guards. Captain Orton doesn’t believe Anna, a single woman, is capable of taking care of herself in this foreign land. Both Captain Orton and Anna bring with them a set of assumptions—about men, women, and English and Thai people. Throughout the story, sexism and racism intersect in ways that make them difficult to tease apart. Take for example, Anna’s repeated demand that the King give her a house of her own and his continued denial of her request. Is her demand for a home a statement of her independence or a refusal to assimilate into Thai culture? Is the king’s denial a slight against Anna as a woman or a symbolic attempt to bring two cultures together under one roof?

One of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s keenest jabs at white hypocrisy is Tuptim’s staging of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. During the time frame of the play, the United States, itself a former British colony, was struggling with the issue of slavery. Incorporating Uncle Tom’s Cabin points directly to this tension and to the fact that the democracy Anna upholds was built on the backs of colonized and enslaved peoples.

In his autobiography Musical Stages, Rodgers wrote, “Oscar and I were determined to depict the Orientals in the story as characters, not caricatures.” Yet in the years since The King and I premiered, it has received

criticism for its treatment of race. The Thai government has long taken issue with what they feel is a skewed portrayal of a respected historic figure. The real Mongkut, as arts writer Benjamin Ivry points out, was “an intellectual polyglot trained in mathematics and astronomy who spent almost 30 years as a Buddhist monk before assuming leadership of his country.” In the musical, despite the King’s commitment to progress and his political savvy, he remains a child in Anna’s eyes. She holds fast to her belief that her culture is the more sophisticated, telling Louis at the end of the play, “In some ways [the King] was just as young as you.”

In the words of composer Mohammed Fairouz, “The pedestals upon which we place our most cherished [musical] scores should not prevent us from seeing these works for what they are—wrinkles, flaws, and all. We should ask questions about the political and ethical messages they send.” Modern directors have taken a variety of tactics to address the political messages of The King and I. They have cast Asian actors in the Thai roles, strived to make set and costumes more historically accurate, re-imagined the staging, incorporated Buddhist prayer ceremonies, and translated parts of the script into Thai.

The King and I, flaws and all, is considered a classic part of American musical history. As you experience this production at Lyric Opera, we hope you make your own decision about the messages it sends, and consider what it has to teach us about our history and ourselves.

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Photo:

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tiviti

es q Select a scene from The King and I. Write a short analysis of the scene. What does it have to say about race and/or gender?

qWorks of art, theater, music, and literature are products of their time and often reveal the biases of their creators. Write a persuasive essay in which you argue that such a work of art still has merit for contemporary audiences. Alternatively, you can take the point of view that such works are no longer relevant and should no longer be performed or displayed.

Asking Questions Gender and Race in The King and I

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The King and IA Selected Cultural and Historical Timeline

1851 1852 1861 1862 1868

King Mongkut is crowned the monarch of Siam (modern-day Thailand). Mongkut will be recognized for his embracing of scientific innovations and his openness to relationships with Western nations. As in The King and I, the king will offer to send elephants to the U.S.—but to President Buchanan, not Lincoln.

King Mongkut dies while Anna Leonowens is on a leave of absence in England. Leonowens will not return to Thailand, though she will continue her correspondence with the king’s son, Chulalongkorn, who is crowned king after his father’s death.

King Mongkut writes to his agent in Singapore seeking a British governess for his royal children and wives. Anna Leonowens, a widow and the founder of a school for the children of British officers, takes the position.

Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In the words of Langston Hughes, the book is “a moral battle cry for freedom.” Upon meeting her ten years later, Abraham Lincoln will dub Stowe “the little woman who wrote the book that started [the Civil] war.”

President Lincoln proclaims the abolition of slavery in the U.S.

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In the U.S., Lincoln is inaugurated the 16th president.

Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the Union, joining South Carolina, which seceded the previous year; they form the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as president. Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina follow. Confederates fire on Fort Sumter, and the U.S. Civil War begins.

By Maia Morgan

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The King and IA Selected Cultural and Historical Timeline

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

1869 1895 1902 1905 1917

Oscar Hammerstein II quits law school to pursue theater.

Leonowens moves to the U.S. and opens a school for girls on Staten Island. She begins writing the articles that will become the basis of her memoirs, The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870) and Romance of the Harem (1873). Although the books will bring her fame, they will draw criticism for their portrayal of King Mongkut and for embellishing the truth. For example, while Leonowens claimed to be Welsh, she was actually born in India of mixed British and Indian heritage. Leonowens will claim that her conversations with Prince Chulalongkorn about human freedom, in which she relayed to him the story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, became the inspiration for his abolition of slavery 40 years later.

Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II is born in New York. He is named after both grandfathers—Horace Greeley, antislavery newspaper publisher, and Oscar Hammerstein, an opera promoter—as well as after the minister who married his parents. His father manages one of the most famous vaudeville theaters of the time.

Richard Charles Rodgers is born in Queens, New York. He will begin playing the piano at age six and spend his early teenage summers at a camp in Maine where he will compose his first songs.

The Slave Abolition Act ends slavery in Siam.

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Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

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The King and IA Selected Cultural and Historical Timeline

1920 1932 1935 1943 1944

Polygamy is outlawed in Thailand.

Yul Brynner is born Yuliy Borisovich Briner in Vladivostok, Russia. Brynner will become the quintessential King, playing the monarch 4,625 times on stage, including in the original 1951 production. He will win both a Tony and an Oscar for his portrayal. The cigarettes Brynner will start smoking at age 12 will lead to his premature death of lung cancer at 65. Prior to his death, he will become an outspoken critic of smoking.

Margaret Landon’s novel Anna and the King of Siam, based on Leonowen’s memoirs, is published.

Thailand becomes the first country in Asia to grant women the right to vote, twelve years after the U.S. and only four years after Great Britain do the same. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first professional

collaboration, Oklahoma!, opens on Broadway on March 31. Groundbreaking in its use of song and dance to convey plot and character, it will be a box-office smash and the beginning of a 17-year partnership.

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Yul Brynner in The King and I.

The King and IA Selected Cultural and Historical Timeline

ac

tiviti

es qWhich of the events on the timeline do you feel has most impacted your own life?

Why?

qChoose a work of literature or art, and make your own cultural/historical timeline of events that may be relevant to the work you selected.

qFind three historical events to add to this timeline. Explain your choices and their connection with The King and I.1920 1932 1935 1943 1944

1948 1949 1951 1956

20th Century Fox releases a film version of The King and I. It will win five Oscars, and the soundtrack will reach number one on the UK charts. Thai film censors will ban the film as well as a remake in 1999 for what they see as its insulting portrayal of King Mongkut.

On July 20th, the Siamese constituent assembly votes to change the country’s name to Muang Thai or Thailand, which means “land of the free.”

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific premieres on Broadway. The duo continue to forge new territory, this time confronting racism head on with its portrayal of characters who struggle to come to terms with their internalized prejudice.

The King and I premieres on Broadway. It will run nearly three years to become the fourth longest-running Broadway musical in history and will have many tours and revivals.

Travel Poster from the 1940s.

1951 Broadway production of The King and I.

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For Further Investigation

Want more Anna and the King? Check out these titles:

Landon, Margaret. Anna and the King of Siam. John Day Company, 1944.

Morgan, Susan. Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the “King and I” Governess. University of California Press, 2008.

A CLASSIC SET IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE:Forster, E.M. A Passage to India. Harcourt Brace, 1924.

A CLASSIC SET IN THE ANTEBELLUM U.S.:Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 1852.

THAI FOLKLORE AND MUSIC:“Music of Thailand.” Spotlight on Music. Macmillan/McGraw-Hill/teachers. www.spotlightonmusic.macmillanmh.com.

Miranti. “Traditional Thai Music: The Art of Sound.” Thaiways Magazine, Vol. 26 No. 5. www.thaiwaysmagazine.com.

Toth, Marian Davies. Tales from Thailand. Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1989.

R&H AND THE KING AND I:Oscar Hammerstein II: Out of my Dreams. PBS, 2012.Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of American Music. 1985.The King and I. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1956.

ReferencesFairouz, Mohammed. “Pedestals Don’t Excuse Backwards Politics.” On Being with Krista Tippett. February 16, 2016. onbeing.org. Web. March 1, 2016.

Ivry, Benjamin. “‘The King’ and Us.” Forward. April 13, 2015. forward.org. Web. February 10, 2016.

Lunden, Jeff. “Getting To Know The Real Story Was Key To Broadway’s King And I Revival.” Weekend Edition Saturday. May 2, 2015. Web. npr.org. February 26, 2016.

Rodgers, Richard. Musical Stages: An Autobiography. Random House, 1975.

Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert/Théâtre du Châtelet

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These activities are designed to help you quickly and easily develop effective lesson plans built around clear objectives. Objectives are written in “I Can” statements using student-friendly language, and all activities can be used to address state and national learning standards.

• I can describe the experience of attending a Lyric performance.

• I can explain to others what aspect of the performance impacted me the most.

• I can write a critical review of the performance.

Reflecting on the Performance

Activities:

Objectives:

I can describe the experience of attending a Lyric performance.Ask students to write a paragraph reflecting on:

• their favorite part of the performance

• something new they learned about opera from the experience

• what part of the experience differed from their expectations

I can explain to others what aspect of the performance impacted me the most.1. Make a list with the class of parts of the experience that interested them:

sets, costumes, dramatic themes, music, audience etiquette, building architecture, etc.

2. Divide the class into groups according to the listed categories and ask each group to come up with a creative way, other than a lecture presentation, to reflect on their experiences with content in that category.

I can write a critical review of the performance. 1. First, ask students to create two lists:

1) a list of facts about the performance: who sang which roles, what the costumes looked like, the setting, etc.

2) a list of opinions they felt about the performance: how well the singers sang, if they liked the costumes, and whether or not they felt the setting was appropriate for the story. Be sure students address what they saw and heard at the performance.

2. Next, guide students to use their lists to write a brief description of the performance (facts) and what they thought about it (opinions).

3. Then, encourage students to write about what they liked best about the performance and if they would recommend the opera to other people.

4. Have students organize these components into one coherent critical review.

5. To extend this activity, ask students to come up with five new adjectives to describe what they saw and heard at the performance. Encourage students to revise their first draft to include this more descriptive language where appropriate.

6. Share the reviews with the school media team and Lyric Unlimited.

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Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert/Théâtre du Châtelet

By Cate Mascari