East meets West in the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “The King and I,” which is a fictionalized account of the true story of Anna Leonowens.

The King of Siam hired Leonowens to teach English and Western Philosophies in the kingdom and serve as a governess to the royal family, which consisted of many wives and many more children. Leonowens arrived in Bangkok with her son, Louis, and had some clashes with the King before they began to understand and show compassion for one another. One of the biggest conflicts that the King and Anna had was over the treatment of Tuptim, a gift to the King from the King of Burma, who did not wish to be kept as a slave and attempted to escape with her lover.

“The King and I” features some very well-known songs including “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Whistle a Happy Tune,” and “Shall We Dance.” The show also features a ballet “Small House of Uncle Thomas,” which was choreographed by Jerome Robbins in the original broadway production of the show.

Southside Theatre Guild has been preparing for this production since early this year. In addition to turning the lobby into a costuming room to make the beautiful costumes that appear in the show, a gorgeous set resembling the king’s court was created over many weekend work calls. The cast of the show is enormous, featuring dozens of local children and women playing the royal family in the show, and there will also be a band providing live music for the show. Playing the role of Anna is former Guild President Tammy Hyder-Williams, while her colleague from Clayton County Schools Joel Kay will play the King. Lucia Roderique plays the role of Tuptim and Keith Williams, a mainstay at the theater since its creation, will play the King’s advisor Phra Alack.

The show is directed by Heather May and the music director is Jerry Mathis. Handling a big cast and a famous musical is never easy but many people, both in the cast and crew, have stepped up to help May put the show together, from corralling the younger performers to sewing up costumes and creating and decorating the set.

“The King and I” will run at Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. with a special Sunday matinee on May 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 on Thursdays and $12 for students and $15 for adults for all other performances. Phone 770-969-0956 or visit www.stgplays.com to make your reservations today.

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