New rehearsal images of THE KING AND I at Lyric Opera

New rehearsal images of THE KING AND I at Lyric Opera 1 Lyric Opera of Chicago released today new behind-the-scenes rehearsal images from its grand-scale production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, featuring Broadway stars Kate Baldwin and Paolo Montalban as Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam. The production runs April 29 through May 22 (press opening April 30) at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets start at $29 and are available now at lyricopera.org/king or at 312-827-5600.  Photos by Todd RosenbergPrincipal casting for The King and I also includes Broadway artists Ali Ewoldt (Tuptim), Alan Ariano (The Kralahome) and Rona Figueroa (Lady Thiang), along with Sam Simahk (Lun Tha) and Chicagoland artists Charlie Babbo (Louis Leonowens), Jomar Ferreras (Interpreter), John Lister (Captain Orton), David Parkes (Sir Edward Ramsay), Peter Sipla (Phra Alack) andMatthew Uzarraga (Prince Chulalongkorn). All but Lister make their Lyric debuts. The all-Chicagoland children’s ensemble for the production includes Sophie Mieko Ackerman, Alexis Aponte, Lilly Fujioka, Avonlea Hong, Leila Koss, Evangelyn Lee, Liliana Martens, Lucy Martens, Rika Nishikawa, Ana Joy Rowley-Mathews, Benedict Santos Schwegel, A’naam Singh,Zachary Uzarraga and Sophia Woo. These young performers range in age from 5 through 14.

Lyric Opera of Chicago released today new behind-the-scenes rehearsal images from its grand-scale production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, featuring Broadway stars Kate Baldwin and Paolo Montalban as Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam. The production runs April 29 through May 22 (press opening April 30) at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets start at $29 and are available now at lyricopera.org/king or at 312-827-5600.  Photos by Todd RosenbergPrincipal casting for The King and I also includes Broadway artists Ali Ewoldt (Tuptim), Alan Ariano (The Kralahome) and Rona Figueroa (Lady Thiang), along with Sam Simahk (Lun Tha) and Chicagoland artists Charlie Babbo (Louis Leonowens), Jomar Ferreras (Interpreter), John Lister (Captain Orton), David Parkes (Sir Edward Ramsay), Peter Sipla (Phra Alack) andMatthew Uzarraga (Prince Chulalongkorn). All but Lister make their Lyric debuts. The all-Chicagoland children’s ensemble for the production includes Sophie Mieko Ackerman, Alexis Aponte, Lilly Fujioka, Avonlea Hong, Leila Koss, Evangelyn Lee, Liliana Martens, Lucy Martens, Rika Nishikawa, Ana Joy Rowley-Mathews, Benedict Santos Schwegel, A’naam Singh,Zachary Uzarraga and Sophia Woo. These young performers range in age from 5 through 14.

 

The King and I is the fourth Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to be presented as part of Lyric’s American Musical Initiative. Lee Blakeley, who staged the production’s 2014 premiere at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, makes his Lyric debut teaming up with distinguished Broadway conductor David Chase, who was on the podium for Lyric’s acclaimed Carousel last season. The creative team also includes choreographer Peggy Hickey (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), costume designer Sue Blane and scenic designer Jean-Marc Puissant (both making their Lyric debuts).

 

The opening night performance of The King and I will be broadcast on 98.7WFMT and streamed on wfmt.com on Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m.

The Lyric premiere of The King and I is generously made possible by The Negaunee Foundation, two Anonymous Donors, Robert S. and Susan E. Morrison, and Northern Trust.

About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s mission is to express and promote the life-changing, transformational, revelatory power of great opera. Lyric exists to provide a broad, deep, and relevant cultural service to Chicago and the nation, and to advance the development of the art form.

Founded in 1954, Lyric is dedicated to producing and performing consistently thrilling, entertaining, and thought-provoking opera with a balanced repertoire of core classics, lesser-known masterpieces, and new works; to creating an innovative and wide-ranging program of community engagement and educational activities; and to developing exceptional emerging operatic talent.

Under the leadership of general director Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming, Lyric strives to become The Great North American Opera Company for the 21st century: a globally significant arts organization embodying the core values of excellence, relevance, and fiscal responsibility. Visit www.lyricopera.org for more information.