'The King and I' at Blessed Sacrament School Opens on Thursday

Photo of Kennedy Morris in rehearsal as Anna by Terri Thompson

Waterbury, CT - Bob Tansley had avoided launching a Rogers & Hammerstein musical with his young performers of the Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre during his tenure as their beloved director. This year he bravely decided upon the classic ‘The King and I’ and if the first run through of the Teacher cast is any indication, the students have not only risen to the challenge but can hold their own with any adult community theatre production. Yes, the voices of these young leads as well as the production values of the show are that good.

Click here to read the cast list announcement.

Kennedy Morris, who already is a member of the community theatre community, is excellent in the role of Mrs. Anna. Last weekend she ended the run of ‘Into the Woods’ at TCC where she was Little Red while being in rehearsal for this production. Kennedy looks enchanting in her giant hoop skirt, never loses her English accent and sings beautifully the challenging score. Matthew Keating, who is a student at BSS, has already shaved his head to play the role of the king and does so commandingly.

OnStage award-winning director Lucia Dressel served as vocal coach for both casts and Mr. Tansley told me that the young vocalists benefitted greatly from her expertise. The maturity in the singing voices of all of the leads was noticeable. Pat Hearn is the caring assistant director and there will be a live orchestra under the direction of John Dressel, the music director.

Also in the Teacher cast is the graceful and talented beyond her years Grace Altenberger. Having previously played LeFou in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and Smee in ‘Peter Pan,’ his year she gets to play a girl in the role of Tuptim. Even without her costume, this young lady gave a mesmerizing performance. Her sister Logan was adorable as Louis at this rehearsal.

Fifth grade Chase student Maura Kahuda stepped out of the chorus of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to take on the role of Lady Thiang and truly is “Something Wonderful.” She shares this role with Alex Jannetty. Claire Roberts, who was Mrs. Mayor and the enchanted wardrobe in previous BSS productions, plays the regal crown prince. Ben Dressel does well as Lun Tha.

The 2017 production features students from 25 schools in 20 towns from as far away as Morris and South Windsor. They have tons of words to remember in the prayer to Buddha and many cues in the Uncle Tom ballet, which will be performed by a troupe of very young dancers.

Expect 75 pounds of dry ice to provide the fog for the entrance of the large boat Chow Phya for all six performances. Terri Thompson is in charge of the costumes his year, among many other things in the production. Dan Checovettes was on hand to plan the lighting cues.

The Morris family provided the intricately carved seat to serve as the throne for the King. The piece was a gift to William Hammerstein, Oscar’s oldest son, from his third wife Jane Howard-Hammerstein. She had it carved while in Vietnam. She gave it to Scott Morris after his death. It has WH carved on the back.

Thank you to Mr. Tansley for inviting me into the rehearsal. I will attend opening night on Thursday and a performance on Saturday to catch both casts.

Show dates for ‘The King and I’ are June 22, 23, 24, 25 2017 and all shows are held at Blessed Sacrament School in Waterbury. Complete show information is posted here. The BSS shows are the perfect way to introduce children to live theatre and adults will be impressed by the level of talent of these young performers.