who played tuptim in the king and i
Lawrence
The King and I
ince a frank expression of romantic feelings between the King and Anna would be inappropriate in view of both parties' upbringing and prevailing social mores, Hammerstein wrote love scenes for a secondary couple, Tuptim, a junior wife of the King, and Lun Tha, a scholar. In the Landon work, the relationship is between Tuptim and a priest, and is not romantic. The musical's most radical change from the novel was to have the King die at the end of the musical. Also, since Lawrence was not primarily a singer, the secondary couple gave Rodgers a chance to write his usual "soaring" romantic melodies. In an interview for "The New York Times", Hammerstein indicated that he wrote the first scene before leaving for London and the West End production of "Carousel" in mid-1950; he wrote a second scene while in the British capital.
wiki:5390534
The King and I [SEP] Creation
In 1950, British actress Gertrude Lawrence's business manager and attorney, Fanny Holtzmann, was looking for a new vehicle for her client when the 1944 Margaret Landon novel "Anna and the King of Siam" (a fictionalized version of Leonowens' experiences) was sent to her by Landon's agent. According to Rodgers biographer Meryle Secrest, Holtzmann was worried that Lawrence's career was fading. The 51-year-old actress had appeared only in plays, not in musicals, since "Lady in the Dark" closed in 1943. Holtzmann agreed that a musical based on "Anna and the King of Siam" would be ideal for her client, who purchased the rights to adapt the novel for the stage.