‘The King and I’ at the Benedum; Pitt Staging Peter and the Starcatcher (Thurs., 4/6/17)

Anna and the King, one of the famed odd couples in musical theater, are back. photo: Matthew Murphy

1) Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1951 musical The King and I is a Broadway legend, a perennial crowd-pleaser, and perhaps the only hit musical to have been banned in the country in which it was set. For the Thais, the main issue was the show’s portrayal of the king. The historical King Mongkut, who ruled Siam (now Thailand) from 1851-68, was a progressive monarch who indeed hired an Englishwoman, Anna Leonowens, as a teacher for his children. But he was by all accounts a far more sophisticated, less imperious man than his depiction in the musical would suggest. It’s hard to blame Rodgers and Hammerstein—they were cajoled into writing the show as a star vehicle for the aging diva Gertrude Lawrence; they had only Western sources to draw from; and they actually gave the king a more sympathetic treatment than those sources did. But above all, the composers came up with a compelling script and beautiful musical numbers, including “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” and more. The current touring production of The King and I follows the 2015 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival. 7:30 p.m. Performances continue through April 9. See it at Benedum Center, 237 7^th St., Cultural District. (MV)

2) We are living in an age of fantasy, a time when stories set in imaginary realms dominate the popular arts. Cultural literacy requires knowing the lore of at least 50 such places and institutions, from Westeros and Gotham City to Hogwarts and the Black Pearl. And speaking of the supernatural related to piracy, if you have not been briefed on Peter Pan’s backstory, now is your chance. The University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts is performing Peter and the Starcatcher. This prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic tale began as a children’s novel. Co-authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson felt the modern world needed to know why Peter can fly but cannot grow up, so away they wrote. The 2004 book became a bestseller, while the stage adaptation has wowed audiences from Broadway to Boise. Peter and the Starcatcher picks up young Peter as an orphan sold into servitude aboard a rickety old ship called the Never Land. (That’s two words, with a double meaning—got it?) The Never Land  is carrying magical cargo coveted by pirates, which leads to surreal adventures and swashbuckling silliness. Song-and-dance numbers include a vaudeville routine performed by mermaids. 8 p.m. Ends April 9. In the Charity Randall Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. (MV)

The classic tale of ‘Oedipus Rex’ is onstage at PICT. Justin Wade Wilson as Oedipus, Shammen McCune as Jocasta. photo: Suellen Fitzsimmons.

3) Sigmund Freud, while living and working in Vienna, Austria, attended at least one performance of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. No doubt his seeing the play affected his formulation of the Oedipus complex theory, a phrase he coined to explain a son’s unconscious sexual desire for his mother. (For girls, he called it an Electra complex.) The term is relatively new, just over 100 years old, while the play dates back 2000 years, proof that this classic Greek tragedy is still ripe for fodder even if we all know the story: Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother. Oedipus fails to escape fate and gouges out his eyes in horror of his own hubris. Seeing a production of Oedipus Rex should be mandatory for anyone interested in theater, psychology, tragedy, or irony. Luckily, PICT Classic Theatre is staging it at the Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave., Highland Park. 8 p.m. Performances through April 8. (CM)

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