how was it received by the critics?
Opening night reviews of the musical were strongly positive.
The King and I
Opening night reviews of the musical were strongly positive. 
when did king and i open in london March 29, 1951 when were the auditions held? January 1951 who were the cast members? Yul Brynner
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The King and I [SEP] Critical reception
Opening night reviews of the musical were strongly positive. Richard Watts in the "New York Post" termed it "[a]nother triumph for the masters". Critic John Mason Brown stated, "They have done it again." "The New York Times" drama critic Brooks Atkinson wrote: "This time Messrs. Rodgers and Hammerstein are not breaking any fresh trails, but they are accomplished artists of song and words in the theater; and "The King and I" is a beautiful and lovable musical play." Barely less enthusiastic was John Lardner in "The New Yorker", who wrote, "Even those of us who find [the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals] a little too unremittingly wholesome are bound to take pleasure in the high spirits and technical skill that their authors, and producers, have put into them." Otis Guernsey wrote for the "New York Herald Tribune", "Musicals and leading men will never be the same after last night ...