The opening notes come in at a hush, as Anna tentatively begins to speak to King Mongkut. The music stretches, delicate and barely audible, as she finally sings, "shall we dance?" and then crescendos.
It's Wednesday afternoon at Gateway Theatre. The orchestra sits in a space with costumes on racks behind them and an empty Duffin's Donuts box on a table in front of them. There are no performers or vocals during this first rehearsal.
Yet, as soon as musical director Chris King waves his conductor's baton, one is immediately taken back to that famous scene in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I.
"There's a nostalgia more than anything," says King. "Songs are memorable and when you hear music, it just brings you back to another time, more so than hearing spoken words. The music here is so beautiful, I was thrilled to do it."
The production comes to Gateway Theatre next Friday, Dec. 6 and runs until Tuesday, Dec. 31.
"It's a beloved musical that's very dear to my heart," says Gateway's artistic director Jovanni Sy. "I love the joy it brings to the community. It's timeless."
Not only did Sy bring the classic to Richmond for Gateway's annual holiday production, but he will also be shedding his artistic director skin to make his Gateway acting debut as the King of Siam.
"Since I'm a fairly new artistic director to the Gateway, I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce myself to the community as an artist and performer," he says.
Sy performed for 20 years before coming to Gateway in a management capacity. And, for this show, he's enjoying getting back to what he knows and leaving the big picture stuff to director, Chris MacGregor.
"Performing is something I love," says Sy. "It's wonderful and never leaves you."
As musical director, King helps the actors interpret the songs and shapes their technique, which means he's in charge of Sy, who, every other day of the year, is the boss. "It was funny at first, but it's been really good working with him. He's been unbelievably open about trying new things and is willing to give up his role as artistic director, which is all you can hope for really."
