The King and I
Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe star in a highly anticipated revival of Bartlett Sher’s critically acclaimed production of classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. Featuring an iconic score, which includes numbers such as “Getting to Know You” and “Shall We Dance?”, the musical plays a strictly limited season at the West End’s London Palladium.
FIND TICKETS
Booking from 21 June 2018 until 29 September 2018
Box Office Contacts
| Box Office: | 0844 412 4655 |
| Access Booking: | 0844 412 4648 |
| Group Booking: | 0844 412 4655 |
| Stage Door: | 020 7850 8770 |
History
Built on the site of a 19th century circus and ice-skating rink, the London Palladium first opened on Boxing Day in 1910 and is well-known for being London's best venue for variety entertainment. In the venue's early years, performances show twice nightly, along with three matinees and a bill including operettas, melodramas, farces and variety turns from famous individuals.
During World War II, the Palladium continued to operate. When an unexploded German mine became stuck above the stage, it was a narrow escape for the building, as the Royal Navy managed to dispose of the bomb.
The London Palladium continues as the regular host of the Royal Variety Performance, after hosting the event around 11 times throughout the 1930's and 40's. Owned by the Really Useful Group, the theatre is also a yearly home to a series of large musicals. In 1945, Val Parnell was appointed Managing Director, presenting big American acts such as Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Liza Minnelli, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.
In 1955, the venue introduced Sunday Night at the Palladium, which was broadcast across the UK and continues in on-off performances to this day. The London Palladium's first book musical was Golden Boy (1968), starring Sammy Davis Jr, which paved the way for an endless stream of musical theatre.
When RUG obtained the theatre management in 2000, musicals including The King And I (2000), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002), Scrooge the Musical (2005, 2006 and 2012), The Sound of Music (2006) and Sister Act (2009) played on the stage.
Following a country-wide search for Dorothy, Andrew Lloyd Webber brought The Wizard of Oz (2012) to the stage, starring Danielle Hope as the lucky Dorothy and theatre veteran Michael Crawford. Scrooge the Musical returned in 2013, starring Tommy Steele, followed by an acclaimed West End revival of smash-hit musical A Chorus Line (2013), The Amazing Bubble Man (2014), Barry Humphries' farewell tour Eat, Pray, Laugh! (2014), Harry Hill's flop X Factor musical I Can't Sing (2014), starring a then-unknown Cynthia Erivo and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games (2014).
Cats was revived at the London Palladium in 2015, starring Nicole Scherzinger, followed by Beyond Bollywood (2015), Sinatra (2015) and another revival of Cats (2015-2016), starring Beverley Knight. A new cast starred in Whose Line is it Anyway in 2016, whilst one-off concerts played throughout the year. The end of 2016 saw the London Palladium host the first London pantomime for over three decades. Cinderella starred Natasha J Barnes, Amanda Holden, Paul O'Grady, Julian Clary, Lee Mead and more.
In 2017, the venue continued to play one-off concerts from a variety of musicians and comedians, with Stiles and Drewes' smash-hit production The Wind in the Willows transferring to the venue in the summer, starring Rufus Hound. Pantomime returned at the end of 2017 with a brand new production of Dick Whittington.
2018 sees Broadway's acclaimed production of The King and I transfer to the London Palladium, starring Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara.
During World War II, the Palladium continued to operate. When an unexploded German mine became stuck above the stage, it was a narrow escape for the building, as the Royal Navy managed to dispose of the bomb.
The London Palladium continues as the regular host of the Royal Variety Performance, after hosting the event around 11 times throughout the 1930's and 40's. Owned by the Really Useful Group, the theatre is also a yearly home to a series of large musicals. In 1945, Val Parnell was appointed Managing Director, presenting big American acts such as Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Liza Minnelli, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.
In 1955, the venue introduced Sunday Night at the Palladium, which was broadcast across the UK and continues in on-off performances to this day. The London Palladium's first book musical was Golden Boy (1968), starring Sammy Davis Jr, which paved the way for an endless stream of musical theatre.
When RUG obtained the theatre management in 2000, musicals including The King And I (2000), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002), Scrooge the Musical (2005, 2006 and 2012), The Sound of Music (2006) and Sister Act (2009) played on the stage.
Following a country-wide search for Dorothy, Andrew Lloyd Webber brought The Wizard of Oz (2012) to the stage, starring Danielle Hope as the lucky Dorothy and theatre veteran Michael Crawford. Scrooge the Musical returned in 2013, starring Tommy Steele, followed by an acclaimed West End revival of smash-hit musical A Chorus Line (2013), The Amazing Bubble Man (2014), Barry Humphries' farewell tour Eat, Pray, Laugh! (2014), Harry Hill's flop X Factor musical I Can't Sing (2014), starring a then-unknown Cynthia Erivo and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games (2014).
Cats was revived at the London Palladium in 2015, starring Nicole Scherzinger, followed by Beyond Bollywood (2015), Sinatra (2015) and another revival of Cats (2015-2016), starring Beverley Knight. A new cast starred in Whose Line is it Anyway in 2016, whilst one-off concerts played throughout the year. The end of 2016 saw the London Palladium host the first London pantomime for over three decades. Cinderella starred Natasha J Barnes, Amanda Holden, Paul O'Grady, Julian Clary, Lee Mead and more.
In 2017, the venue continued to play one-off concerts from a variety of musicians and comedians, with Stiles and Drewes' smash-hit production The Wind in the Willows transferring to the venue in the summer, starring Rufus Hound. Pantomime returned at the end of 2017 with a brand new production of Dick Whittington.
2018 sees Broadway's acclaimed production of The King and I transfer to the London Palladium, starring Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara.
Past Shows
The Amazing Bubble Man
(closed 4 Jan 2014)
