CALL THE MIDWIFE’S
HELEN GEORGE
TO STAR AS ANNA IN MAJOR UK TOUR OF
MULTI TONY AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION
EMBARKS ON UK TOUR FROM JANUARY 2023
Music by RICHARD RODGERS
Book and Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
Directed by Tony Award Winner BARTLETT SHER
“I doubt I will ever see a better production in my lifetime”
WALL STREET JOURNAL
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM KINGANDIMUSICAL.CO.UK
Helen George, known to millions for the past decade as Trixie in the hit BBC One series Call The Midwife, will star as Anna Leonowens in a major new UK tour of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, beginning at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre on 4 February. Having trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the Birmingham School of Acting, Helen’s musical theatre credits include Company, Love Never Dies and The Woman In White.
This gloriously lavish production will be brought to the stage by an internationally renowned creative team under Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific / My Fair Lady / To Kill a Mockingbird) and will feature a world-class company of over 50 talented performers and a full-scale orchestra.
Following a critically acclaimed Broadway smash-hit run, a sold-out season at the London Palladium (which resulted in the biggest global live event cinema release of 2018) and a previous record-breaking UK and International tour, this multi-Tony Award-winning production returns to venues all over the country next year – visiting Canterbury, Wimbledon, Liverpool, Birmingham, Llandudno, High Wycombe, Bristol, Dartford, Bradford, Southend, Cardiff, Glasgow and Dublin. Further UK cities and details of a major international tour will be announced soon.
Helen George said: “Theatre is my first love, and I am so excited to be returning to the stage for this beautiful, majestic production of The King and I. I was blown away when I saw Bartlett Sher’s staging of this wonderful show, so I can’t wait to work with him and the rest of the creative team to bring this timeless story back to the stage next year. Anna is such a strong, passionate and determined character, and I’m going to relish bringing her to life every night, as well as giving audiences all over the UK the chance to see this peerless Broadway and West End musical right on their doorstep.”
The critical acclaim for Bartlett Sher’s production has been phenomenal. When the show opened at the London Palladium in 2018, West End critics heaped praise on the show: the Daily Mail “left the London Palladium on a bright cloud of music”, while the The Times awarded the show “Five stars for a sumptuous King and I” declaring it “a hit”. Daily Express hailed it “London’s theatrical event of 2018” whilst The Daily Telegraph concurred proclaiming the show “looks and sounds ravishing”. Another five stars were awarded from the Sunday Express and the Financial Times called it “simply spellbinding”.
The King and I is a sumptuous, timeless romance from the golden age of musicals, adored by the public and critics alike – and boasting one of the finest scores ever written, including Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, and Shall We Dance.
Set in 1860s Bangkok, The King and I tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.
Further casting for the UK tour will be announced soon.
THE KING AND I – 2023 UK TOUR DATES
4 – 11 February Canterbury Marlowe Theatre
14 – 18 February Wimbledon New Theatre
21 – 25 February Liverpool Empire Theatre
28 Feb – 4 March Birmingham Alexandra Theatre
7 – 11 March Llandudno Venue Cymru
14 – 18 March High Wycombe Swan Theatre
28 Mar – 1 April Bristol Hippodrome
4 – 8 April Dartford Orchard Theatre
11 – 15 April Bradford Alhambra Theatre
18 – 22 April Southend Cliffs Pavilion
25 – 29 April Cardiff New Theatre
2 – 6 May Hull New Theatre
16 – 20 May Glasgow Kings Theatre
27 June – 1 July Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
*Helen George will perform on Wednesday – Saturday performances, at venues up to and including Cardiff New Theatre
LISTINGS INFORMATION
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