(Saffran wrote her thoughts after a recent performance.)
At Lincoln Center–we saw last night. Superb cast except for Tuptim who was singing flat at first. Kelli is wonderful as is Ken and everyone else. Great costumes and only a drab dull crumbling gray palace wall in the set was out of place. We know from Julia Dent Grant's descriptions that old world royalty was splendid beyond belief. Also, apparently the king was educated and the original book makes an intentional error about this. He was only backward about women and absolute control. Anna never was present when the king died unlike the play and book. Years later, when the Crown Prince became king, he went to visit Anna in London and asked why she wrote such terrible things about his father. She had no answer for that.
Visit Lincoln Center: http://www.lct.org/shows/king-and-i/