The King and I (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (2,250)
See it if saw 3 times over many years, the show doesn't disappoint. Great staging, directing and singing. Very moving at some parts. A big time musica
Don't see it if If you don't like a big production or Rogers and Hammerstein. It can be long at some points.
See it if big lavish production. Beautiful score and singing. Must see. Classic.
Don't see it if you don't like slow romantic plots.
See it if You love classic musicals and Kelli O'hara.
Don't see it if you don't like Kelli O'hara or find classic shows boring.
See it if You like The King and I this is the best production I've ever seen.
Don't see it if You don't like a beautiful old style musical full of gorgeous costumes, dance and staging.
See it if you want to experience a handsome, polished revival of this outstanding musical.
Don't see it if you want something new and different. If so, go to Fun Home or Hamilton.
See it if you want to see a revival at its best.
Don't see it if you can't appreciate a classic.
See it if you enjoy Rodgers and Hammerstein and classic musicals from the 50's, you enjoy lush scores and great singing, lavish costumes,
Don't see it if Rodgers and Hammerstein turn you off, you hate musicals from the '50's, you're a curmudgeon
See it if you like your musicals traditional (including being un-PC) & conventional. And if you want to hear Kelli O'Hara sing (beautifully, natch).
Don't see it if you want something more than fancy costumes and a sweeping, overly sentimental score. (Opinion disclaimer: I just don't like this musical.)
Critic Reviews (31)
"Tamper too much with the basic appeal of this show and it capsizes. Mr. Sher sheds a light that isn’t harsh or misty but clarifying. He understands very well what makes the show work, and he delivers it clean-scrubbed and naked, allowing us to see 'The King and I' plain. He understands very well what makes the show work, and he delivers it."
Read more
"While this production possessed many virtues when it debuted last spring, a lightly bantering current of sexual attraction was not among them. But what a difference a king makes...Something exciting is going on at the Vivian Beaumont, a richly reimagined classic had assumed even fuller dimensions."
Read more
"'The King and I' arrives like the ship that heaves into the Beaumont stage: a majestic vessel, bringing many wonderful things. Sher directs with palpable respect and a care to avoid orientalist humbug...You marvel at the sophistication of the theme: intercultural change and evolution. This 'King and I' speaks a universal language of love."
Read more
" An astonishing achievement..too beautiful to miss...It does expand the concept of a love story to include relationships that are impossible. In exploring them, Sher’s production is the frankest, and sexiest, I’ve ever seen. It is also the saddest. Our era allows him to show plainly what even its authors could only suggest."
Read more
"The mutual fascination and eternal struggle for understanding across the cultural divide between East and West is played out on a magnificent scale in Lincoln Center Theater's breathtaking revival. Director Sher banishes even the faintest trace of patronizing exoticism from the material, treating the 1951 classic with unimpeachable dramatic integrity and emotional authenticity that are equaled by this landmark production's exquisite musicianship and vocals. "
Read more
"If you’re quite sure of the lengths that can be achieved on Lincoln Center's stage, you’ll need to think again after witnessing Bartlett Sher’s breathtakingly appointed take on 'The King and I'...Judiciously stops short of fetishizing Eastern culture...It has boosted the overall theme of intersocietal behavior and respect...Sher’s intents seem to sway the story back to a uniquely feminist state of mind."
Read more
"”The production itself, with its operatic sweep and opulent aesthetic, is the star of its own show. ...The show’s still pertinent theme: the dissonant dynamic when Western civilization tries to assert its values on Eastern cultures. That cultural dialogue is at the heart of this absolutely stunning show. "
Read more
"'The King and I' presents three major problems: the scenic requirements, Yul Brynner’s legendary star turn, and the writer portrayed the King of Siam as a spoiled man-child. Director Bartlett Sher’s solution: cast an Asian actor in Brynner’s role while simultaneously underlining the show’s proto-feminist aspect...The results: I doubt I’ll see a better production of 'The King and I' in my lifetime."
Read more