Wed 1 May 2019

The critically acclaimed Olivier and Tony award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I which is co-produced by Trafalgar Theatre Productions (the producing arm of Trafalgar Entertainment), held its press night in Manchester last night (30 April) as it kicked off its 2019 UK Tour.

Jose Llane reprised his critically acclaimed Broadway performance as The King and Annalene Beechey returned to the production to perform as Anna following huge success in the West End. The audience at the packed out Manchester Opera House showed their appreciation for the lavish production with a full standing ovation.

In a glorious five star review, the Manchester Evening News said, “The King and I offers Manchester theatregoers the chance to both see something rather special – and just wallow in unashamedly traditional musical storytelling on the grandest of scales,” further stating that, “Llana and Beechey’s performances are worth the ticket price alone.”

Students from Stagecoach Performing Arts who are appearing in the production were also praised for their “confident performance, packed with precise and controlled choreography and vocals.”

Following the Manchester run, the production will then visit Dublin, Sunderland, Edinburgh, Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hull, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Bristol, Woking and Southampton. An international leg of the tour will see the production visit Japan, India and Australia.

Photo: Trafalgar Entertainment Joint CEOs Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire are pictured on the red carpet with producer, Dan Brodie.