When Dorothy Rodgers and Dorothy Hammerstein read the 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam, by Margaret Landon, they felt strongly that their husbands should turn it into a musical play. Gertrude Lawrence approached them with the same idea a couple of years later, but it was only when they saw the 1946 film adaptation with Rex Harrison and Irene Dunn that they made the decision to do it.

It was immediately decided that Lawrence would play Anna, but who would play the King? Noel Coward, Rex Harrison and Alfred Drake all turned down the role. Then, at an open call audition, Mary Martin sent a young dancer to audition. He sat cross-legged on the floor and, in Richard Rodgers' words, "plunked one whacking chord on his guitar and began to howl in a strange language that no one could understand...We had our king." This was the moment for Yul Brynner.

The musical opened in 1951 and ran for three years, garnering the coveted Best Musical Tony Award, along with 4 more. In 1956, the film became a Hollywood legend, winning five Oscars, including Best Actor for Brynner. The film and musical are not performed in Thailand, due to the sensitivities of the people and their high regard for the monarchy. In 1996, The King was back on Broadway, again capturing the Best Musical Tony. It is a timeless tale with splendid music that remains a highlight of the golden age of musical theater.