I love the humorous lines in the musical, such as et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, everything has to be scientific, and Anna is a puzzlement for the King. Also, the costumes are beautiful. The set is amazing. The singing and dancing are excellent. I love the way Kelli O'Hara played Anna. She is American, but her portrayal as an English lady is brilliant. This West End production is a replica of The King and I musical film in 1956.
I have enjoyed the first half of the musical compared to the second half. The dancing where Tuptim was coordinating a theatre for the palace party is nice. However, I found that the whole section is a bit too long. I wish that section is shortened so that they could fit in more interactions between the King and Anna, e.g., longer dancing time, or put on a scene where a grand ballroom dancing. Also, I wish that the actors and actresses who play the Thai characters can speak more in Thai accent (as long as it is understandable by the English speaking audience) rather than westerners accent. Thai language is a beautiful language and has its unique tone. It would be more beautiful if this element is embedded in the play.
Regarding the London Palladium theatre, the stall center seats are the best seats to see the stage. It is a musical worth seeing and one of the better ones I have seen in London.
PS: I can't help visualising Chow Yun-Fatt who played the King in Anna and The King film (1999). Ken Watanabe is great, and it could be quite nice to see Chow Yun-Fatt trying out this role on stage ;)
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