The Cabrillo Music Theatre has opened its 2008-2009 season with a perennial favorite: The King And I by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It’s a treat to hear that glorious score, with songs like “Getting To Know You,” “I Whistle A Happy Tune,” “Hello Young Lovers,” and so forth. The production also features the original choreography of the “Small House of Uncle Tom Ballet,” which has been lovingly recreated by Irene Cho, who had performed the piece under Jerome Robbins' supervision in The King And I and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. Additional choreography is by Heather Castillo. Lewis Wilkenfeld, the Artistic Director of the Cabrillo Music Theatre, provides the capable direction.

The King and I made a star of Yul Brenner, who played the King up until his death and also was the star of the 1956 movie. The original Anna was Gertrude Lawrence, and the movie Anna was Deborah Kerr. Another Deborah, Deborah Gibson, a star of both pop music and Broadway, is Cabrillo's Anna. Ms. Gibson has a lovely voice and is lovely to look at. Her King is Daniel Guzman, who played the King to great acclaim a few seasons back in the Musical Theatre West production in Long Beach. He has the confidence of having done the role before, and has his character down.

Yet I had some trouble with both these performers, for different reasons. Ms. Gibson was almost too strong for the role; she would be better suited as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific or Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, roles I would love to see her play. Here she lacks the natural lady-like quality that stood Deborah Kerr in such good stead. My only complaint about Guzman is that his performance has gotten too cute at times, and it diminishes the King’s stature. Both Gibson and Guzman do sing the hell out of their respective roles, however.

There are others in the cast who deserve mention. It was nice to see Glen Shiroma, whom I have seen and in fact worked with, in the role of the Kralahome, the King’s right hand man. Glen plays him with dignity, strength, and feeling. Janelle Velasquez and Joseph Andreas play the star-crossed lovers Tuptim and Lun Tha. They both have terrific voices and great beauty. My favorite performer was Annie Nepomuceno as the King’s number one wife, Lady Thiang. She sings “Something Wonderful” with great sensitivity and also has a gorgeous voice.

What struck me most of all this time, viewing The King And I again, was the social consciousness of both Rodgers and Hammerstein. This story of a clash of cultures, with its appeal to understanding, its awareness that faith and science must strike a balance, and the universality of its message as it echoes through time, is still contemporary and relevant today. A message of love and acceptance is always part of any Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, whether running across cultures (The King And I and South Pacific), between the sexes, or between lovers and the world. It is not only their music that made them the great musical theatre writers that they are universally recognized to be. It is also their great humanism.

The King And I runs at Cabrillo Music Theatre until Oct 26th.