LAMP - Linlithgow Amateur Musical Productions

The "King and I" is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, first staged in 1951.  Its script is based on the book 'Anna and the King of Siam' by Margaret Landon.

Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok, where she has contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but falls in love with the children. She finds Siamese customs to be quite different from English ones, which brings her often in conflict with the king.

A new slave, Tuptim, a gift of a vassal king, translates "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into a Siamese ballet, expressing her unhappiness at being with the King. She attempts to escape with her lover.

Anna and the King fall in love, but her British upbringing inhibits her from joining his harem. She is just about to leave Siam when she hears of the King's imminent death, and returns to help his son, her favorite pupil, rule his people.

The film version starred Deborah Kerr as Anna and Yul Bryner as the King, a role he had originated on Broadway. It won a number of Oscars. The stage show has won many awards and accolades.