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Sugar Grove brothers make Marriott debuts in 'The King and I'

Brothers Matthew and Zachary Uzarraga of Sugar Grove are already acting pros. Both 11-year-old Matthew and 9-year-old Zachary have separate credits in print, radio and TV ads, plus high-profile professional roles in Chicago-area theaters.

But until now, the Uzarraga brothers haven't officially appeared together on a professional stage. The closest they got was in Paramount Theatre in Aurora's 2013 production of “Miss Saigon,” in which Zachary appeared as the refugee son Tam while Matthew was hired as his brother's understudy.

The Uzarragas finally get to perform together as they make their Marriott Theatre debuts for a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1951 Broadway classic “The King and I” in Lincolnshire. Matthew stars as Prince Chulalongkorn, while Zachary is one of the other royal children in the ensemble.

“You're always facing the audience in every direction,” said Matthew about adapting his performance for the Marriott's distinctive theater-in-the-round space. “I have to move around a lot because everybody needs to see my face.”

Neither of the boys has seen “The King and I” onstage before, and they opted not to watch the Academy Award-winning 1956 film version so they could find their own approach to their roles. The musical classic is about the relationship between the King of Siam and the British governess he hires to teach his children about Western culture.

“I think I love 'Getting to Know You,' because it's such an upbeat song,” said Zachary when asked about his favorite moment in the show. “We get to do a lot of little dances within the song.”

So far the Uzarraga brothers have really impressed Jeff Award-winning director Nick Bowling, who is also making his Marriott Theatre debut helming “The King and I.”

“Both of them come incredibly prepared,” said Bowling. “They're both incredibly musical boys as well. If you give them a musical reference or a downbeat, they're able to nail it every single time.”

It was Matthew's stage presence that prompted some of his past teachers to encourage his mother, Estrellita, to seek out professional talent representation for her eldest son. And once Zachary saw how much fun his brother had performing, he wanted to get in the game, too.

“He's been very, very lucky and fortunate to have been cast nontraditionally and not just Asian roles,” said Estrellita about Jeff Award-winning director Rachel Rockwell's decision to look beyond her family's Filipino heritage to cast Matthew as French urchin Gavroche in “Les Miserables” and as a Fagin gang member in “Oliver!” at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.

Estrellita now home-schools her sons, and says that she does most of the worrying for her boys about being pigeonholed.

But Bowling feels that the Uzarragas shouldn't be concerned.

“Those kids, Matt and Zachary, are really special young actors, and it's been a pleasure having them in this cast,” Bowling said. “They make me laugh, and they are able to bring forth all sorts of great emotions and thought.”

The Uzarraga brothers Zachary, 9, and Matthew, 11, of Sugar Grove make their debuts at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire in a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I." Courtesy of Zoe McKenzie Photography
Zachary Uzarraga, 9, of Sugar Grove stars as one of the royal children in "The King and I" at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Courtesy of Zoe McKenzie photography
Matthew Uzarraga, 11, of Sugar Grove stars as Prince Chulalongkorn in "The King and I" at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Courtesy of Zoe McKenzie photography

“The King and I”

<b>Location:</b> Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, (847) 634-0200, <a href="http://marriotttheatre.com">marriotttheatre.com</a>

<b>Showtimes: </b>1 and 8 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 4. Now in previews; official opening is 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29

<b>Tickets:</b> $40-$48

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