WEEKEND REVIEW : Theater : ‘The King and I’: Taming the Tamable in Long Beach

An eye-catching, full-bodied revival of “The King and I” premiered Saturday at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach with Lee Meriwether carrying the show in a well-turned, heartfelt performance as Anna, the British school teacher who tames the king of Siam.

Unfortunately, the king is easily tamable as portrayed by an underwhelming George Chakiris. And so the uneven match at the center of this big, tuneful Rodgers-and-Hammerstein classic does not have the passionate intensity that would rescue an otherwise finely mounted production from the theatrical limbo of “good but not great.”

Meriwether sings well, despite what seemed a touch of laryngitis on opening night, and she always sings in character. She not only projects the British texture of the role with unflagging charm--an amalgam of sorts between Greer Garson and Julie Andrews--her performance is comfortably lifelike and not at all saccharine. It is a fluid blend of shadings that brings out Anna’s take-charge nature.

She gets top-notch support from Sarah Tattersall, a superbly polished singer and actress, as the king’s devoted head wife. A pair of thwarted young lovers, richly sung by Yumi Iwama and Benjamin Bryant, and a strong chorus fill out the show--all backed by the crisp sound of a lively orchestra.

But happy as you may be to discover that Meriwether and Chakiris are not a case of “Barnaby Jones” meets “West Side Story,” their matchup still remains an oddity. Though she is perfectly cast, Chakiris is perfectly miscast.

He’s not a bad actor. He just doesn’t have the weight to play the imperious lord and master of Siam, whose every whim is revered as law. Yul Bryner proved that you need not be large to be regal, but you must be dominating to create dramatic tension between the king and Anna. Chakiris conveys a bantam presence, temperamentally as well as physically. It’s clear from the beginning that he’s a pushover.

The highlight of “The King and I” is always the bewitching second-act number, “The Small House of Uncle Thomas,” a balletic play-within-a-play that embodies the show’s main themes with fairy-tale delicacy and humor. The company shines here, musically and choreographically.

Memorable moments also include Meriwether singing “Hello, Young Lovers,” Tattersall’s solo “Something Wonderful,” and the duets by Iwama and Bryant, especially “We Kiss in a Shadow.”

Less memorable, however, is the show’s signature piece, “Shall We Dance.” It ought not to be played as a mere polka, the way it comes off here, but as a mini-drama to underscore what has transpired between the king and Anna and how their relationship has altered.

Running to almost three hours--length comes with the territory--this grand, old-fashioned musical gets all the production values it deserves. Kudos to director Glenn Casale, who has marshaled the teeming cast into a cohesive artistic force.

* “The King and I,” Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd . , Long Beach. Wed.-Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. May 16-20, 8 p.m. May 21, 2 p.m. only. Ends May 21. $15-$42. (800) 659-9899. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.

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Lee Meriwether: Anna Leonowens Vincent Zamora: The Interpreter/Simon Jae Woo Lee: The Kralahome George Chakiris: The king Benjamin Bryant: Lun Tha Yumi Iwama: Tuptim Sarah Tattersall: Lady Thjang A Long Beach Civic Light Opera production of a musical based on “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon. Music by Richard Rodgers. Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Producing artistic director: Luke Yankee. Associate producer: Don Hill. Directed by Glenn Casale. Musical direction: Dennis Castellano. Choreographer: Patricia Weber. Scenic design: XuZheng He. Scenic consultant: Bradley Kaye. Costume design: Garland Riddle. Lighting design: Tom Ruzika. Sound design: John Gottlieb and Philip G. Allen. Makeup/Hair design: Elena Breckenridge. Property design: Deborah J. Dennis. Technical director: Bill Yates. Production stage manager: Susan Slagle.