Jacobs High to present 'The King and I'

Jacobs High School Drama Club presents Rogers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 7, in the high school auditorium, 2601 Bunker Hill Drive, Algonquin.

Tickets are $7 or $6 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door or by calling Linda Keyes at (847) 658-2303.

The play features Collin Slagell as The King and Aubrey Waddick as Anna. In addition to the high school students, students have been recruited from middle and elementary school to portray the king's children.

Adapted from the Margaret Landon novel "Anna and the King of Siam," the play is set in Bangkok in the 1860s. Anna, a widowed Englishwoman, is hired by the king to teach his children in Siam. Tuptim is the "present" given to the king from the King of Burma, although she has fallen in love with the man accompanying her, Lun Tha.

When the King learns that the rest of the world thinks he is a barbarian, Anna helps him plan an elaborate formal dinner for the visiting foreign dignitaries including a ballet interpretation of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" written by the unhappy Tuptim. After a quarrel over Tuptim keeps them from speaking, Anna rushes from her packing to the King's bedside when she learns of his eminent death and decides to stay to help the young prince, now the new king, rule Siam.

Familiar songs from the show include "Whistle A Happy Tune," "Getting to Know You," and "Shall We Dance."

The production is directed by William Glynn with musical director Andrew Collins. The student orchestra is directed by Don Kovach. Cori Allison is the choreographer. For information, contact the school office at (847) 658-2500.