Editing The King and I (section)

=== Original productions ===
[[File:Stjamestheatre.jpg|thumb|alt=Wide angle photo showing facade of St. James Theatre|''The King and I'' opened in 1951 at the [[St. James Theatre]] (seen in 2006).]]
''The King and I'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on March 29, 1951, with a wide expectation of a hit by the press and public.  Both Hammerstein and Rodgers professed to be worried.  The composer complained that most people were not concerned about whether the show was good, but whether it was better than ''South Pacific''.  Even the weather cooperated: heavy rain in New York stopped in time to allow the mostly wealthy or connected opening night audience to arrive dry at the [[St. James Theatre]].{{sfn|Hyland|1998|p=201}}  Margaret Landon, author of the book on which the musical was based, was not invited to opening night.{{sfn|Morgan|2008|p=216}}

Brynner turned in an outstanding performance that night, nearly stealing the show.  Lawrence knew that the company was nervous because of her illnesses.  The director, John van Druten, described how her opening night performance put all worries to rest: "She came on the stage with a new and dazzling quality, as if an extra power had been granted to the brilliance of her stage light.  She was radiant and wonderful."{{sfn|Hyland|1998|p=202}} The rave reviews in the newspapers lifted Lawrence's spirits, and she expected a lengthy run as Anna, first on Broadway, then in London's West End, and finally on film.{{sfn|Morley|1981|p=193}} Lawrence won a [[Tony Award]] for her leading role, while Brynner won the award for best featured actor.  The show won the Tony for best musical, and designers Mielziner and Sharaff received awards in their categories.<ref name=TonyAwards>[https://www.tonyawards.com/winners/?q=The%20King%20and%20I "Search past winners – ''The King and I''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925031802/https://www.tonyawards.com/winners/?q=The%20King%20and%20I |date=September 25, 2021 }}, Tony Awards, American Theatre Wing, accessed January 13, 2011</ref>

De Lappe remembered the contrast between Lawrence's indifferent singing voice and the force of her performance:
{{blockquote | I used to listen to Gertrude Lawrence on the public address system every night in our dressing rooms, and she'd get onto a note and sag down off of it.  The night after I left the show to go into ''[[Paint Your Wagon (musical)|Paint Your Wagon]]'', Yul Brynner gave me house seats and I saw her from the front and I was so taken by her.  She had such a star quality, you didn't care if she sang off-key.  She more than dominated the stage.  Boy, was that a lesson to me.{{sfn|Secrest|2001|p=311}}}}

====Lawrence's death and aftermath====
Lawrence had not yet discovered that she was nearing death from [[hepatocellular carcinoma|liver cancer]], and her weakened condition was exacerbated by the demands of her role. At the age of 52, she was required to wear dresses weighing {{convert|75|lb}} while walking or dancing a total of {{convert|4|mi}} during a 3{{frac|1|2}} hour performance eight times a week. Lawrence found it hard to bear the heat in the theatre during the summer months. Her understudy, [[Constance Carpenter]], began to replace her in matinees. Later in the year Lawrence's strength returned, and she resumed her full schedule, but by Christmas she was battling [[pleurisy]] and suffering from exhaustion. She entered the hospital for a full week of tests. Just nine months before her death, the cancer still was not detected. In February 1952, [[bronchitis]] felled her for another week, and her husband Richard Aldrich asked Rodgers and Hammerstein if they would consider closing the show for Easter week to give her a chance to recover fully. They denied his request, but agreed to replace her with the original Ado Annie from ''Oklahoma!'', [[Celeste Holm]], for six weeks during the summer.{{sfn|Green|1980|p=233}} Meanwhile, Lawrence's performances were deteriorating, prompting audiences to become audibly restive. Rodgers and Hammerstein prepared a letter, never delivered, advising her that "eight times a week you are losing the respect of 1,500&nbsp;people".{{sfn|Morley|1981|pp=191–96}} On August 16, 1952, she fainted following a matinee performance and was admitted to the [[NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital]]. She slipped into a coma and died on September 6, 1952, at the age of 54. Her autopsy revealed liver cancer. On the day of her funeral, the performance of ''The King and I'' was cancelled.{{sfn|Morley|1981|pp=197–98}} The lights of Broadway and the West End were dimmed in her honor, and she was buried in the ball gown she wore during Act 2.{{sfn|Hammerstein|2010|p=207}}

Carpenter assumed the role of Anna and went on to play it for 620 performances.<ref>Daniels, Lee A. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEEDD173DF932A35752C0A965958260 "Constance Carpenter obituary"], ''The New York Times'', January 1, 1993. Retrieved January 23, 2011</ref> Other Annas during the run included Holm, [[Annamary Dickey]] and [[Patricia Morison]].{{sfn|Hischak|2007|p=149}} Although Brynner later boasted of never missing a show, he missed several, once when stagehands at the St. James Theatre accidentally struck him in the nose with a piece of scenery, another time due to appendicitis.{{sfn|Capua|2006|p=47}} Also, for three months in 1952 (and occasionally in 1953), Alfred Drake replaced Brynner.{{sfn|Green|1980|p=233}}<ref>''Playbill'', St. James Theatre, "Week beginning Monday, May 18, 1953"</ref> One young actor, [[Sal Mineo]], began as an extra, then became an understudy for a younger prince, then an understudy and later a replacement for Crown Prince Chulalongkorn.<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=53216 "Salvatore Mineo"], Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 20, 2011</ref> Mineo began a close friendship and working relationship with Brynner which would last for more than a decade.{{sfn|Capua|2006|p=39}} Another replacement was [[Terry Saunders]] as Lady Thiang.<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/terry-saunders-95660 Terry Saunders], Internet Broadway Database, accessed October 17, 2016</ref> She reprised the role in the 1956 film. The last of the production's 1,246 performances was on March 20, 1954. The run was, at the time, the fourth longest ever for a Broadway musical.<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/75222-Long-Runs-on-Broadway "Long Runs on Broadway"], ''Playbill'', December 23, 2012 (compare show names with closing dates at IBDB)</ref> A U.S. national tour began on March 22, 1954, at the Community Theatre, [[Hershey, Pennsylvania]], starring Brynner and Morison.  The tour played in 30 cities, closing on December 17, 1955, at the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia.<ref name=March22>[http://rnh.development.busites.com/show/60/The-King-and-I/artwork/bio/154/show/60/The-King-and-I/artwork/44%23shows-trivia "''The King and I'' Trivia: March 22, 1954"]{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, Rodgers and Hammerstein.com. Retrieved December 26, 2012</ref><ref>[[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|Kenrick, John]]. [http://www.musicals101.com/who14.htm "Who's Who in Musicals: Additional Bios IV: Morison, Patricia"], Musicals101.com (2002). Retrieved February 22, 2011</ref>

The original London production opened on October 8, 1953, at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]], and was warmly received by both audiences and critics;<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A10FE3B55107B93CBA9178BD95F478585F9&scp=1&sq=The+enormous+popularity+in+London+of+the+modern+American+musicals%2C+in+particular+those+written+...+%22The+King+and+I%22+h&st=p "''King and I'' wins London ovation"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 9, 1953, p. 53. Retrieved February 18, 2011. {{subscription required}}</ref> it ran for 946 performances.{{sfn|Hischak|2007|p=150}} The show was restaged by Jerome Whyte.{{sfn|Green|1980|p=233}} The cast featured [[Valerie Hobson]], in her last role, as Anna;<ref>Vallance, Tom. [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-valerie-hobson-1185255.html "Obituary: Valerie Hobson"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105204156/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-valerie-hobson-1185255.html |date=November 5, 2017 }}, ''[[The Independent]]'', November 16, 1998. Retrieved February 20, 2011</ref> [[Herbert Lom]] as the King; and [[Muriel Smith (singer)|Muriel Smith]] as Lady Thiang.{{sfn|Hischak|2007|p=150}}  [[Martin Benson (actor)|Martin Benson]] played the Kralahome,{{sfn|Green|1980|p=233}} a role he reprised in the film.{{sfn|Hischak|2007|p=150}} [[Eve Lister]] was a replacement for Hobson, and [[George Pastell]] replaced Lom during the long run.{{sfn|Green|1980|p=233}} ''The New York Times'' theatre columnist [[Brooks Atkinson]] saw the production with Lister and Pastell, and thought the cast commonplace, except for Smith, whom he praised both for her acting and her voice.  Atkinson commented, "''The King and I'' is a beautifully written musical drama on a high plane of human thinking.  It can survive in a mediocre performance."<ref>[[Brooks Atkinson|Atkinson, Brooks]]. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1955/05/17/79450419.pdf "Theatre: London Trio; ''Kismet'' Pleases Queen, ''King and I'' Is Listless, ''Wonderful Town'' Too British"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 17, 1955, p. 33. Retrieved December 27, 2012. {{subscription required}}</ref>

The musical was soon premiered in Australia, Japan, and throughout Europe.<ref>[http://www.rnh.com/show/42/G2K-The-King-and-I#history-882 "''The King and I'' History: March 22, 1954"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916113451/http://www.rnh.com/show/42/G2K-THE-KING-AND-I |date=September 16, 2012 }}, Rodgers and Hammerstein.com. Retrieved December 26, 2012</ref>