The King and I at Porchlight Music Theatre | Theater review

Though dappled with moments whose dicey racial politics may leave you aghast (a sequence in which bamboozled Siamese characters stage Uncle Tom’s Cabin as a Buddhist myth springs to mind), King—about widowed British schoolteacher Anna’s sojourn to Siam—still makes for sterling entertainment. The key: The piece is not a romance, and its best numbers (“Shall We Dance,” “Getting to Know You”) are resultantly buoyant and diverse.

Stearns’s graceful production tackles the musical like a highly intricate revue: Two piano players (the evening’s sole musicians) sit onstage, and a single stark set (with a gorgeous, creased gold backdrop) stays put throughout. This unadorned approach foregrounds the actors, who deftly take the reins. Erik Kaiko and Jillian Anne Jocson give wrenching supporting turns as ill-fated lovers Lun Tha and Tuptim. Brianna Borger previously played Anna in an Asian touring production, and her experience with the role renders her a vision of maternal comfort: She’s polished but tender, and simply great throughout.

The decision to slightly caricature the King (Wayne Hu, who moves in sharp angles with chest comically puffed out) seems an apt response to the stereotypes inherent in the role. But Hu’s King is a blowhard and buffoon to the bitter end. Intriguingly, this rather relentless portrayal reminds us that, despite our P.C. protestations, we really may want Anna to “civilize” the King. Still, this mini insight never feels as rich as an evening with a fully rendered narrative arc.