iTunes Exclusive Episode The King And I

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It is iTunes exclusive number 88.
As we march towards triple digits in these things.
Welcome, no matter how you're listening, we're glad you're here.
I'm the executive producer and ringmaster of this particular circus.
But I am not alone for this particular episode because man, that would get boring.
Joining me across the desk as he tends to do from time to time is a man who has actually heard me utter the phrase
that set that I set that I at least once in his life.
He is chatable.
On several occasions.
That is true.
And that was before this past week.
That is true.
Also joining me for this particular episode is the official fact checker of this show.
And a man, that'll go to a musical on you.
Make no mistake.
You may know him as fun.
Don go.
But his mama named him.
Don Ford.
I'm going to call him.
I've been to a few musicals.
Like this one.
That one.
etc.
etc.
You got it.
And case you haven't picked up on the context clues.
We are here to review a production of the King of Eye.
That is currently playing in the Dallas Fort Worth area at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
He traveling sheer.
The Rogers and Hammerstein Classic, which we found out when we saw this.
Uh, Rogers actually said they felt this was their finest work.
You won't hear me debate because it's my favorite one of theirs.
I know a lot of people are like Santa music, but this has always been mine.
I was never a big sounding.
My wife huge sounding music person.
Me?
Not so much.
But first before we even get started.
We got to think Francisco for inviting us to this thing.
Such a great dude.
Yeah.
As taking care of us on more than one occasion.
And I'm always going to think to win.
I'm always going to think the people at the Dallas some are musicals and everybody.
And there's 75 season this year.
And also everybody at musical for park.
We can't think everybody for Francisco.
Thanks for inviting us to this thing.
Okay.
So if you've been living in a cave, allow me to give you the basics you need to know about the king enough.
I wasn't till that.
Really?
I never saw it.
I told you that.
See in the movie when I was a kid.
Never saw it.
Oh no.
Early 1860s in Bangkok, Siam, which is now of course Thailand.
It is based on a true story.
Where a lady by the name of Anna Lia Noans.
Besides, she's going to go teach the king's children because he has a bajillion of them.
Of different ages.
She's going to be their school teacher and teach them about Western culture.
If she's from England, correct.
She meets the king.
He's one of these guys that's kind of caught between the old world and the new world.
He wants his people to be educated in the ways of Western culture.
But he also still wants them deeply rooted in the culture of their own country.
Which is a strange place to be, and especially in the time that it's set in.
Both of these two very bullheaded, very strong willed, which you see right off the bat.
And what goes through is how the nature of their association develops over a year's time.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, let's start with the production itself.
Because really for me, I really kind of dug what they did here.
Now, this particular musical is over half a century old.
Uh-huh.
This particular production that Audit Rogers and Hammerstein wrote.
Yeah.
Next year, I think the film turned 60.
What I really dug here, it was like there was a conscious decision made that said,
We're not going to use a lot of newfangled technology.
We're going to keep this grounded in the original style of...
There's not going to be a lot of flashing lights.
There's not going to be a lot of over the top production.
It's everything's going to look like it was made by hand.
Uh-huh.
We're going to have transitions done with simple curtains,
and we're going to be lugging stuff backstage.
I dug that because it gave it that old school field chat.
I agree with you that they kept things simple,
but still stylized, and still looked amazed.
Yeah, and it sold the look of it convincingly.
And another thing that I really, really liked,
and I pointed this out to you, when they pulled the curtain up,
the logo for the King and I was like a big tapestry that covered the entire stage.
And the logo for the King and I was in a spotlight in the red sun.
And what that reminded me of is those old movies that would open with just a still image,
and the logo would show up somewhere.
And it's fairly reminiscent of how the film begins.
Yeah, done.
I agree with you, 100%.
I'm very simplistic for the time I thought.
Very good on that.
But if you look at my written review at the clubhousepodcast.com,
that is our website.
I was blown away by this set.
I read your writing.
I know.
This sets in a lighting on this thing.
It was incredible.
It was simple.
But very elegant looking.
It looked like you were in that period at that time.
I was blown away by the sets.
And it hardly able to move in very fast between like the scenes and stuff.
I can't say enough on that.
The lighting?
No, no, no, no, no.
At one point right after the intermission,
they start with the other scene with these big pillars.
And I go chill.
Look at that.
Yeah, I would have thought you'd do that.
I was just bored.
I can't sound not say enough on how this play looked.
I mean, smoothest glass.
Oh, tracers.
Yeah.
Incredible.
Which brings us, let's tell you what the technical part of it first.
The biggest struggle for me whenever I go to a musical is that vocal to orchestra mix.
The orchestra always tends to,
and this, this orchestra was very powerful.
There wasn't that adjustment phase where you had to go from,
okay, the orchestra let's bring them down,
bring the vocals up.
The mix was actually really good here.
There were some technical issues with just what appeared
to just be the King's microphone, right?
Which, I don't know if that was a phasing problem,
or there was just a loose wire or what was going on.
Like two seconds, twice.
But he went through it like a champ.
Chat.
That was the only thing I could,
I could, I could point out that was even remotely flawed
was just his technical glitch in it.
I felt so bad for him because it kept happening to him
and only him.
Done.
Same thing.
I thought the mix was great between the music and the singing.
But of course, when you're hearing a musical
at musical affair park,
that's an incredible place to hear something like this.
That's, that's why they have it there.
I thought the sound was incredible.
I could not say anything bad about it.
I thought it was up to two little glitches,
but who cares?
Which brings us into the performances.
And I played by Rachel York.
This woman's bio is so long, show deep.
Half a page.
Yeah, it takes up almost an entire column in the playbo.
I mean, you talk about someone that's so well known
when she first appears on the stage,
people are applauding.
And I mean that literally.
In the middle of delivering dialogue,
people were clapping.
And she came walking out.
What I liked about her performance
was she gave it a tinge of Julie Andrews,
which gave that character for me
a deeper level of empathy.
Uh-huh.
It was, you know,
when they do,
why do I just lose it?
All right.
Getting to know you.
All I saw was Julie Andrews.
And that's not a bad thing.
She knew what to bring.
See that.
You're welcome in her neck.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Teacher, teacher, king for a day.
Oh, it's going to keep moving, kids.
Okay.
Uh-huh.
Because that's how I roll.
It impresses me that an actress can embody
the spirit of both Deborah Carr
who did the stage portrayal of,
or are the screen portrayal that everybody's so accustomed to.
But because that wasn't Deborah Carr singing.
With the great younger king.
It was Marty Nixon that was the singing voice of Deborah Carr.
You know I'm a big, you'll burner fan.
Oh yeah.
You realize how many times he's played this part.
Mm-hmm.
He was still playing this role up until
around or right before he passed away.
He played this part about 4,600 times.
Because he's a, you'll burner.
I remember he came through with this production
at Fair Park in 85,
and he was still doing it.
Was that like, what's his name with Camelot?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Pretty much.
But I think he and Michael York have kind of
swapped out over the course of before he,
before Richard got too old to do it.
Michael York kind of took that mantle over.
But it's so, it's so, so,
commonly associated with the old burner.
You can't mention your burner and not think of this role.
Oh yeah.
I mean, even more so than Pharaoh and the Tink of Mammots.
It's magnificent.
Or Westworld when he played the background then.
Which they're trying to make a TV series out of.
But, but how miss, how miss you were
was able to, to nail the,
the the mannerisms of Deborah Carr.
But,
emulate,
uh,
Marty Nixon's voice.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
And sing.
So let's get, let's do the scene first.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm going to go with Anna.
Yeah.
Totally.
I mean, she.
He.
He.
I mean, he.
He.
Yeah.
I mean.
He.
I mean, she.
He.
He.
He.
He.
I mean, she.
He.
He.
He.
He.
Yeah.
I mean.
1800s during the day where you guys you try to drive in one of those now
You big hoop skirts and then I also want to talk about you fight out for us Robba come back to us
I will neither confirm or deny that I've done that
But let's talk about her chemistry with Alan Ariano who played the king. I thought their chemistry was spot on from the get-go
Totally they they clashed like two female peoples and with with manners with a lot of people having that you'll
Renter image in their head. Let's just say it. He's not bald
That didn't bother me like I told you a brand who were very high bar
This guy got within striking distance. I thought his portrayal and I know that you had a little bit of a
Of a deal here sir. I went but I thought his portrayal was dead on. I was cool with me a hundred percent too
I wouldn't so much say that it was it was a hang-up for me. It's just that when you when you have the guy
That plays the king in this thing looks so much like the guy that played the oh
Shoot what is that character's name?
He's the prime minister. Yeah, what was it the call-a-home or whatever?
Ray Rochelle played it in this like the crawl home. Yeah, that they it's almost like they had their looks reversed
Like our crawl home looks like you'll printer see I and I did get that and I didn't get that when he came out on stage to to
Whenever he
Came over on the royal barge to greet on on her son and he came out with that voice
And with his hands on his hips and he had to really close cropped here
He didn't have much hair with the bare chest. We know what the open shirt. I'm like
Okay, he's not the king, but he sure does look like he's trying to be your printer and then when you see
Mr. Ariano playing playing the king of siam he looks like the crawl home from
The the 1956 film, but for me. I never saw it so it's me. It's like
Oh, and I'm not saying it was a bad thing. It's just it's just a bunch of opinions
Yeah, it just means I'm not saying that it was a bad choice
Because I kind of think it was a smart move because yeah
It would have been really easy to put that guy in that role and then it's just going to be a you'll printer first
And they did he hit the barn after yes, he did. Yeah, he played the role perfectly
Because if I'm glad they didn't take the easy way out and cast that guy that looked like your printer
And sounded like your printer because again, it would have been like oh, well, we're just watching the old printer show
And I was blown away as bioseccing it. He was great. Yeah, he's fantastic. Yeah, absolutely
If I have one shining star, please do play that. Let's get to that now. Absolutely. Yeah, the prints
Then play this son the eldest son is gonna be there to the throne for some reason
He didn't have a huge major major curtain. Yeah, yeah, I made your prayer. I thought he hit he did great on that
I thought for the little not there's always gonna be the two main characters, but I've all all the rest
The
Oh
Leave it at that music zone
Some life always is yeah major curtain. I was impressed with his role and they also the one who played his mother to for the little shining stars
Who are not the major roles. I thought I I wasn't impressed by what he did chat
Stand up performance. Oh God
But sides did big two. No, loon taunt up to him
Union young strong and
Devon Eyelah, I hope I didn't butcher those names the young couple. Oh, absolutely young lovers my god
That they were mine as well and and they've played this role for a while if you read the play
But they played this like what was it 11 years ago? Yeah, yeah, they started playing these roles 11 years ago
Do they look like they've been playing that role 11 years? No, look at that
But I was there like five exactly her range missong's range
Put she destroyed it. Oh my god. I mean, it it shook the rafters of that building
I'm like she's gonna hit that no cuz I know the note that was come on like she's going for it and she killed that that engineers in the background
Do we really need to mic this girl? Oh, yeah
Every time she's saying I was wiping tears out of my this girl is straight at your role. She absolutely destroyed it in this
I mean, she was my standout. She has an operatic range that would that would make you know
Maria callus in this and what and what's the one musical that I am waiting to see?
Wicked no, no, no, no, we talked about it when we walked out the other night
That I own the CDs for what I've never seen live
That I think she would destroy as well. Oh, oh, oh, oh, man, a butterfly. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, oh, Miss I got this I got you're gonna get there eventually
I would love to see her play
In Miss I got she's well, she was an understudy. Yeah, she had all the park and keep in mind. You're still here
And he's you know Hall of Fair Park. I mean, you can't go wrong with that. You have that you know all that rumor
I mean God and she just absolutely
Just knocked me out
She is my standout heading the shoulders
Both of those she and Devon have been in Miss I gone, so you might get that opportunity. Hey, you know a big fan
I mean, I was blown away by this there's one thing I have to bring up this is long
Just to warn everybody with the intermission. This was about three hours
We got in the car and I was like, oh dear. Yeah, this is late
You know, it's not exactly
But that's that's my what if I have one little gripe on this. It's just I never seen this before but I from talking to you the movie is long the book's long all that stuff
It does it is a long performance, but hit it drag
Not really, but just and that's the important part of it. I think what Donna saying is it's a double-edged sword
This one moves nicely. Yeah, but if you got to get up really early in the morning
I might want to catch one catch it on a week
Yeah, yeah, there's a Sunday afternoon screening. So
Formants you
Well, but it's almost it's almost a necessary evil because you kind of have to convey the passage of time in this thing
Because it's not like this happens over the course of a week
You know, this happens over the course of several several months, but don't get me wrong
I mean, I wasn't at all. It's just it just you could tell it was long
That's not only problem, but I still loved it. I was in the every minute and seeing that this for the first time like this
I was blown away without a doubt and seeing is how I've I've grown up watching this thing
I like how you and I are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum here
When they got to the small house of Uncle Thomas and
How which is which is a play that they put on for a British ambassador
Based on Uncle Tom's cabin right which
For the time that this was written
a lot different of a time in our history and
Respect the fact that they stuck with the material they had to I mean, they they have to because it's it's kind of taken a jab at the king
Because he's a slave owner, you know all these palace
Attendance ain't exactly there by choice right you know one of them's given to him as a gift for God's sake
Tell you now I'm finally getting this and right now. Yeah, yeah, and making sense and for for
Tuptem who was set gift to be the spearhead to to put that play together to perform for the British ambassador
That was just her way of kind of sticking it to the king of science and this is what you're doing
Look at the damage it can do and
Beautifully performed and you know outfits
Through them through the whole thing, but especially during that plate and I'm done a props and everything the outfits were incredible
I was blown away by those when I was doing the written
I actually had the film playing
You know behind me and I'm watching that scene and
Just being blown out of the back of my bedroom because it's the exact I mean the costumes were identical the choreography was identical
They
Somebody did their homework somebody really did their homework and that's what makes it so great. Yeah
All right, gentlemen, let's get into the final analysis before we do we got to thank Francesco one more time for
Everybody at music Hall fair parked out some of musicals even Joanne again
Everybody, thank you so much for inviting us. There's some of our best friends the way we do the final analysis on this show
We don't do stars or thumbs-up thumbs-down letter grades
Number scale our audience the empire is better than that
It's a two-pronged question. We should we change a little bit for stage productions
Question number one is till would you see this again if the answer is no then we're done there the answer is yes
Well, we ask for stage productions is how much money on a ticket level
Seating wise would you be willing to pay to see this again? Don't let's start with you. Would you see this again? Oh without a doubt
All right first time I was blown away
I can decide better for the first time or where would you where would you want to sit for her repeat performance basically
Where we sat on this in that the in the floor
And we were stay are we stage right now? I just say I always get confused
You know, I want to say balcony and I would say the back of the the bottom of the main floor, but in the middle of the main floor
That's where we sat because it to be able to see everything like that
Yeah, we were just a little bit stage right up to do who cares
It didn't bug me at all because still you're back for enough to see all these props the costumes to lighting with the
With the props and everything was in the sets. We're just incredible chat. Would you see this again? Absolutely
How far you can go to do it again? Right about where we sat just a little more to the center
I will agree with the both of you. I would love to see this again
I would like to be a little bit more center, but I had no problem with the seats
We had oh no, not at all. It wasn't like where we've seen other productions where where we sat
Certain things were blocked and we couldn't see we had a really good view of the entire production for more
It in that music call. There's not really a bad seat in there really isn't all not at all the King and I playing in Dallas through April the 5th
Which is Easter? Yes, Easter
At music call at fair park
Again, this is a traveling company. So if you don't live in the Dallas Fort Worth area
See it when it comes to a city near you and the beauty of it is that they use local kids as the kids
Yeah, the rest of the kids are all local kids, so it's got it and the kids did really well
Oh, yeah, I didn't feel like this was just like a kindergarten class
They marched up in the stages sit down. They knew the parts. They knew the choreography
And they worked very well. They came out one at a time and just yeah, yeah
It was like 11 local kids got cast in this. I thought that was awesome
All right, gentlemen
The King and I go check it out which means it is time for us to do a whole thing
That we like to call the plugs
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When you were watching this
Did your wife who is a British just said had she seen it before?
Yes, okay, it's been a while
So go check it out
So until the next time we talk for Don for chat for the empire. I'm Robin clubhouse is closed
Brittany Palmer some of those outfits make it happen
You
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