Elena Shaddow Will Lead the National Tour of Rodgers + Hammerstein's The King and I

Let's all whistle a happy tune for this casting news! Broadway alum Elena Shaddow will join the touring production of Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s The King and I as Anna Leonowens, beginning March 20 in Tempe, AZ.

"I have worked with Elena for many years, going back to The Light in the Piazza and The Bridges of Madison County. I don’t think there is anyone in the American theater who possesses her rare combination of qualities: a soaring, pure voice, extraordinary acting skill, all held together by uncommon grace," said director Bartlett Sher, in a statement. "She genuinely lights up the stage. And she is almost born to the part of Anna in The King and I. She has power, a strong will and immense kindness. And she can break your heart onstage. She is all heart, and a perfect voice."

Shaddow has appeared on Broadway in The Visit, La Cage aux Folles, The Bridges of Madison County, The Woman in White, Fiddler on the Roof, Nine, Sweet Smell of Success and Les Misérables.

In addition to Shaddow, the cast of The King and I tour features Jose Llana as the King of Siam, Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Q Lim as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Charlie Oh as Prince Chulalongkorn, Rhyees Stump as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.

One of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s finest works, The King and I boasts a score that features such beloved classics as “Getting To Know You,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance,” “I Have Dreamed” and “Something Wonderful.” Set in 1860’s Bangkok, the musical 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.

To find out when The King and I is headed to your city, click here.