LIMITED ENGAGEMENT AT THE PANTAGES THEATRE

TWO WEEKS ONLY  –   APRIL 5-17, 2005

 

STEFANIE POWERS stars in the new national touring production of The King & I, which will play a limited 2-week engagement at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood from April 5-17.  Tickets for the engagement are scheduled to go on sale to the general public on Sunday, February 27, 2005.

 

Set in the1860’s in the exotic capital city of Bangkok, The King & I is the timeless love story between a powerful and stubborn king and a determined governess named Anna.  Based on the real life adventures of the English widow Anna Leonowens, and the best-selling 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, The King & I is a fascinating tale about a clash of customs.   Over time Anna earns the admiration of the royal family, and eventually she wins the respect of the king himself.   Despite their many differences, Anna and The King of Siam fall in love.  The King & I features opulent settings, a beautiful story of honor and forgiveness, and is filled with memorable songs such as “Hello Young Lovers,” “I Whistle A Happy Tune,” “Shall We Dance?” and “Getting To Know You.”

 

Stefanie Powers, whose charming and thoughtful real-life personality may most closely resemble stunning renaissance woman Jennifer Hart, the character she portrayed on the hit television series, “Hart to Hart,” has combined a natural curiosity and passion for knowledge, world travel, and diverse cultures into both an award-winning acting career and an equally active life of heartfelt philanthropic work.  Miss Powers will be recreating the role of Anna that she recently played in a UK revival of The King &I.  Her numerous stage credits include Oliver, Annie Get Your Gun, My Fair Lady and the London production of Matador.  She also starred as the legendary Margo Channing in the revival of Applause – The Musical All About Eve, during its US Tour.  Stefanie reunited with “Hart to Hart” co-star Robert Wagner in the play Love Letters in London’s West End, followed by tours of the play in the U.S. and Canada. Her other acting credits include 28 feature films, three television series, and numerous television films and mini-series, among them “Mistral’s Daughter,” “At

 

 

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Mother’s Request” and “Beryl Markham:  A Shadow on the Sun,” which she also produced.  She recently released her debut CD, STEFANIE POWERS—ON THE SAME PAGE on the Jambo Music label, a collaboration with the renowned pianist/vocalist Page Cavanaugh on which they interpret a dozen selections from the classic American Songbook era.

 

After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most consistently fruitful and successful partnership in the American musical theatre. OKLAHOMA!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, was also the first of a new genre, the musical play, blending Rodgers’ sophisticated style of musical comedy (which he had perfected in a twenty-five year partnership with lyricist Lorenz Hart) with Hammerstein’s innovations in operetta (conceived in collaboration with such composers as Sigmund Romberg, Vincent Youmans, Rudolf Friml and Jerome Kern.) OKLAHOMA! was followed by CAROUSEL (1945), the movie STATE FAIR (1945; remade 1962; Broadway premiere, 1996); ALLEGRO (1947), SOUTH PACIFIC (1949), THE KING AND I (1951), ME AND JULIET (1953), PIPE DREAM (1955), the TV musical CINDERELLA (1957; remade 1965, 1997); FLOWER DRUM SONG (1958) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1959). Collectively, Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals earned 35 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards.  The original 1951 production of The King & I received five Tony Awards including Best Musical and the1956 movie adaptation won five Academy Awards. 

 

Baayork Lee’s  artistic ventures span five continents around the globe.  On Broadway she created the role of Connie in A Chorus Line, serving as Assistant Choreographer to Michael Bennett.  Her directing credits include: Porgy And Bess at the Tome Opera in Italy (which then toured for seven years!), Barnum for Cy Coleman in Sydney, Australia and in the summer of 2002 she directed the European Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.  She has directed a number of productions over the past 12 years for the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center, including Goya with Placido Domingo. 

 

Choreography is by Susan Kikuchi. Kikuchi was a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1978-1984 and has served as Director of both the Martha Graham Ensemble and the Martha Graham School.  She has re-staged many Graham works often in collaboration with her mother, Yuriko, for the Joffrey Ballet and Boston Conservatory. (Yuriko was Jerome Robbins’ assistant on the original Broadway production of The King & I and was the choreographer for the recent revival on Broadway.) On the Broadway stage, Ms. Kikuchi was Supervisor of Jerome Robbins’ choreography (“The Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet) and Dance Captain for The King & I at the Neil Simon Theater.  She was also soloist and Dance Captain in The King & I with Yul Brynner.  Other Broadway credits include Pacific Overtures, Flower Drum Song, South Pacific and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.

 

Musical direction will be provided by Kevin Farrell, Scenic Design by Kenneth Foy, Costume Design by Roger Kirk, Lighting Design by John McLain and Sound Design by Abe Jacob.

 

Beginning Sunday, February 27^th, tickets, which range in price from $42.50 – $67.50, will be available for purchase online at www.BroadwayLA.org, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, or in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office.  Located at 6233 Hollywood Blvd, ½ block east of Vine Street, the box office is open daily from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, or until 30 minutes after curtain goes up on the day of a performance.  Performances of The King & I are Tuesdays – Fridays at 8:00 PM, Saturdays at 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM and Sundays at 1:00 PM & 6:30 PM. 

 

The King & I is the seventh show of the Broadway/L.A. 2004-2005 Season.

 

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LISTINGS INFORMATION FOR:

 

 

 

                        Starring:                                 STEFANIE POWERS

 

Dates:                                     Tuesday, April 5 – Sunday, April 17, 2005

 

Theatre:                                 Pantages Theatre

                                                6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles

 

Performance Schedule:       Tuesday – Friday at 8:00 PM

                                                Saturday at 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM

                                                Sunday at 1:00 PM & 6:30 PM 

 

Prices:                                    Orchestra & Mezzanine                            $67.50

                                                Front Balcony                                            $57.50

                                                Rear Balcony                                            $42.50

 

Tickets (on sale 1/23):           Pantages Theatre Box Office

                                                All Ticketmaster Outlets

                                                Charge by Phone:  213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878

                                                Online:  www.BroadwayLA.org

 

 

For more information on this and all Broadway/L.A. presentations, please visit our website:

www.BroadwayLA.org