Now that we’re in Cedar City, my daughter Megan and I thought we’d get involved with local community theater. We both got parts in a production of “The King and I,” which was put on by Cedar Valley Community Theater.
I did “The King and I” when I was in high school, back in Hawaii. This seemed to make a lot more sense, since we had a big pool of Asian and Polynesian actors. With the exception of a single child actor of Japanese ancestry, every person in this show was white. I have to kind of question the choice of this type of show in such a homogeneous. It’s a bit like the production of “Hairspray” Megan and I were in where the part of Motormouth Maybelle was played by a white chick. Weird.
Regardless, I enjoyed the show, and I got to do some fun prop work. So … bonus.
Maps of the World
“The King and I” focuses on Anna Leonowens, a schoolteacher brought to the Kingdom of Siam in an effort to help educate the royal children. During a key scene in the schoolroom, Anna replaces the outdated and Siam-centric map with one that puts the tiny Asian country in perspective.
For the first map, I actually did a screenshot of the scene from the 1956 movie, and basically recreated that design. For the second map, I found an 1960s-era world map and adapted it with bright colors. The maps are acrylic on canvas, designed to roll up.
Sword of Simon Legree
A key part of “The King and I” is the play within a play, in which Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery tract “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is retold as “Small House of Uncle Thomas.” In the ballet, Megan played Simon Legree, the evil slave hunter. I volunteered to create the sword for her to wield in the role.
The sword is layers of lauan plywood, with sequinned embellishments and streamers. It’s now hanging on the wall in Megan’s bedroom.
Captain Orton’s Ship
There’s nothing like having the director ask you the weekend before opening, “Can you build me a ship?”
That’s exactly what happened with “The King and I.” I’m not sure what her original plan was, but at the last minute she decided she needed a huge set piece for the ship. It needed to be on a rolling platform, and it needed to be large enough for the choreography in “I Whistle a Happy Tune.”
So I bought a bunch of lumber and banged it together. We covered it with some fabric we happened to have laying around. There wasn’t time or budget for additional embellishments (like a mast or rigging), but at least it gave the impression of a ship.
Overall, “The King and I” was a great experience. It’s always fun to do a musical with one of my kids. The time you spend during rehearsals, and backstage during performances, is some of the best.
Here are a few additional photos from the production:
