The King and I Stage Sweethearts Conrad Ricamora & Ashley Park Bond Over Pranks, Presidents & Puppies

Getting to know a brand new cast of 51 can be daunting, but The King and I stars Conrad Ricamora and Ashley Park have become fast friends. When they’re not falling in love on stage in the new Lincoln Center Theater revival, they’re backstage cracking each other up and getting psyched for opening night at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on April 16. Broadway.com spent the afternoon at Lincoln Center hanging out with the two new Broadway buddies.



Q: When did you guys first meet? What were your first impressions of each other?

CONRAD: We met at the final callback. I thought Ashley was really nice and pretty and—

ASHLEY: You can say something real.

CONRAD: I am! And I thought she was like a puppy dog.

ASHLEY: A what?!

CONRAD: Yeah, you get so excited about things. It’s such a fun energy to be around.

ASHLEY: When I first met Conrad, I thought he sounded like Obama! We were doing the scene and I was like, am I listening to the State of the Union?

CONRAD: We also have a friend in common.

ASHLEY: Yeah, at the audition Conrad said he was filming How to Get Away With Murder. It hadn’t aired or anything, and I remember asking, “Do you happen to know my friend Jack Falahee?” I did theater with him growing up. And he was like, “Yeah, I’ve been making out with him a lot.” I had no idea they were lovers on the show—that they were gonna be "Coliver!"



Q: What do you guys like to do when you're hanging out backstage?

CONRAD: Well, Ashley played an amazing April Fool’s joke on me and caught it on video (below). At the very end of the show I always come into her room and we have a snack and talk. So I came into her room as usual, eating a burrito, and she just started sobbing.

ASHLEY: The funniest part is you can hear the final scene going on in the background. Afterwards he was like, “Wow, that was really good!” What do you think I’m paid to do every day, are you kidding?

Q: Conrad, you have to prank Ashley now!

CONRAD: I know...just when you least expect it.

ASHLEY: He would never. Not Conrad, not sweet Conrad! [Laughs.]

Q: Ashley, you’re the Broadway vet here, and Conrad’s making his Broadway debut. Are you giving him any tips?

ASHLEY: No, he’ll probably give me tips, because he originated a role in Here Lies Love and opened a show. I’ve done the Broadway thing in Mamma Mia! and Cinderella, but I’ve never been in an original company.

CONRAD: No matter where you do it, on Broadway or not, you’re still telling a story in front of people. It’s less about this being a milestone in my life, and more about just telling the story.

Q: How have all of the changes in previews been going?

CONRAD: I feel pretty isolated because I really only have scenes with Ashley and a few lines with Kelli [O’Hara], and that’s it, but Ashley tells me about all the changes.

ASHLEY: Our first preview was our first run-through and it was like three-and-half hours long! We’ve cut off about 45 minutes now, and it’s a completely different show. That’s the great thing about how Bart [Sher, director] works is he’s really using the preview process and we just keep on digging.



Q: Many audience members will come to the theater having already seen The King and I on stage or on film. What is the new production bringing to the table?

CONRAD: It’s very grand and majestic, but for us actors, we’re trying to really connect with each other. From what I’ve heard about other productions, sometimes The King and I can be very exoticized and decorative, but this seems to be more about us connecting on stage and through this time period.

ASHLEY: Yeah, and so we... Wait, I forgot what I was gonna say!

CONRAD: You can do it, use your words.

ASHLEY: Conrad is the sweetest guy to everyone, and then he channels all his meanness into me [laughs].

CONRAD: I do not! [Laughs.]



See Ashley Park and Conrad Ricamora in The King and at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.