Porchlight Productions' “intimate” The King and I has the right heart and, for the most part, the right performers. Kate Garassino's Lady Thiang is a joy to hear and behold, and among the few performers who were consistently audible. Young Richard Nava found his stride, especially in Act II, as Prince Chulalonghorn. Jillian Anne Jocson is a compelling Tuptim from both the vocal and acting standpoints. The Uncle Tom’s Cabin sequence was spot on. Replete with queue, muscular Wayne Hu, delivered the wit and vocal prowess of the King, but seemed young for the role as well as for the underlying sexual tension between his character and Anna’s, played with finesse by Brianna Borger. Borger reveals her character is simultaneously confident and unsure, sentimental and modern. (Hu doesn’t quite plumb all these layers.) The big problem, though, with this often charming production is, sound. Partly that is due to the performance space. This is the second production I have seen in this space during the past month in which the sudden whirr of a motor was a challenge for the singers to overcome. The two piano players were yet another impediment. Placed upstage on either side, they often drowned out the singers. While they played Rodgers’ excellent score with aplomb, it seemed at times they were not responding to the ebb and flow of the performers. That said, all were cheering as Anna and the King began their polka/waltz and sighed as one when the King became ill.
(Pictured: BRianna Borger and Waybe Hu; Photo by Johnny Knight)
Carla Gordon
Cabaret Scenes
April 29, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org
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