The King and I Will Welcome Tony Nominee & Cancer Survivor Marin Mazzie Back to Broadway

A Broadway veteran will whistle a happy tune for her return to the stage. Tony nominee Marin Mazzie will step into The King and I on Broadway, replacing Tony winner Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens. She begins performances at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on May 3; O'Hara will play her final performance on April 17. Standby Analisa Leaming will assume the role in the interim.

The announcement follows the also happy news that Mazzie is in remission following a battle with ovarian cancer. The actress was diagnosed in May 2015, while she was starring in Zorba! at New York City Center.

Mazzie, who last appeared on the Great White Way in Bullets Over Broadway, earned Tony nominations for her performances in Kiss Me Kate, Ragtime and Passion. Her additional credits include Next to Normal opposite Danieley, Spamalot and Man of La Mancha on Broadway, as well as Carrie off-Broadway.

Hoon Lee currently stars opposite O’Hara as the King, and a trio of new and returning faces are in the wings to replace him. Ken Watanabe, who earned a Tony nod for his performance, will return beginning March 17; Jose Llana, who succeeded him, will step in again on April 19; Lost alum Daniel Dae Kim will make his Broadway debut in the role beginning May 3.

The cast also includes Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang, Conrad Ricamora as Lun Tha and Ashley Park as Tuptim.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical, set in 1860s Bangkok, tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children.

The Tony-winning revival is also eyeing a London bow either later this year or in 2017. If O'Hara crosses the pond with it, it would mark her West End debut.