Kelli O'Hara Sets Final Performance Date for Tony-Winning Turn in The King and I

Kelli O’Hara will whistle a happy tune on Broadway for the final time this spring. She’ll conclude her Tony-winning turn as Anna Leonowens in The King and I on April 17.

O'Hara will play her final performance at the Vivian Beaumont Theater opposite her original King, Ken Watanabe, who is scheduled to return to the role on March 17 after being treated for stomach cancer; he will also play his final performance on April 17. Jose Llana, who initially succeeded Watanabe, is set to do so again beginning April 19 for two weeks. On May 3, Daniel Dae Kim will make his Broadway debut as the King for an eight-week run. No official word yet who will step into Anna’s hoopskirts after O’Hara.

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 following her Broadway stint, it would mark her West End debut.

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 current cast also features Hoon Lee as the titular King (through March 16), Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang, Conrad Ricamora as Lun Tha and Ashley Park as Tuptim.

UPDATE: Shortly after the news of O'Hara's final performance, a spokesperson for Lincoln Center Theater confirmed that Tony nominee Broadway alum Marin Mazzie will assume the role of Anna beginning April 19.