Actress plays her first ‘King’ size role

Classic musical opens today in Thousand Oaks




GETTING TO KNOW YOU—Above, the Buddha watches over Anna Leonowens (Angela Baumgardner), left, and the King of Siam (Pedro Ka’awaloa). Right, Baumgardner is on her first national tour and in her first production in a leading role.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU—Above, the Buddha watches over Anna Leonowens (Angela Baumgardner), left, and the King of Siam (Pedro Ka’awaloa). Right, Baumgardner is on her first national tour and in her first production in a leading role.

The much-anticipated national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I” arrives at the Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks on Thurs., Dec. 27 for a brief weekend run. The production is based on Lincoln Center’s acclaimed 2015 staging, which won four Tony Awards, including best revival of a musical.

Playing the central role of Anna Leonowens, the English teacher who arrives in Siam to tutor the children of its imperious king, is Angela Baumgardner. She’s returning to Thousand Oaks a year and a half after portraying Mrs. Darling in “Peter Pan” for Cabrillo Music Theatre (now known as 5-Star Theatricals).

Born in Oklahoma City, Baumgardner studied biology and psychology in college but didn’t focus on theater as a profession until eight years ago.

In a recent phone interview, Baumgardner said, “My best friend, who is coming in from New York to see the show, is the one who told me, ‘Angie, you’ve got to get back into this. You could be on Broadway.’”

Courtesy photos

Courtesy photos

This is not only Baumgardner’s first national tour, it is also the first production in which she is the featured performer.

“My parents are so excited, they are actually coming to Thousand Oaks,” she said. “They got an Airbnb for a week and we’re all going to be together, my whole family, for Christmas. They’re coming to see the show three times.”

There is plenty of musical experience in Baumgardner’s family. Her mother once played Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific,” a grandmother taught piano, and an aunt was a violin major in college.

“I remember singing things from ‘Oklahoma!’ when I was a kid and memorizing all the dance steps and singing all the songs, getting ready for auditions. But no one in my family actually pursued musical theater for a career until I did.”

Baumgardner marvels at “The King and I” for its social relevance, even though it’s been more than 60 years since its Broadway debut.

“It’s really about a clash of two very different cultures, where Anna and the king have to understand each other’s differences and move forward for the good of the country. But Anna is so strong, and that’s one of the things I love about playing her. They have arguments, but it’s all about what kind of legacy the king is going to leave, and Anna is given the gift of being able to influence the next generation. I really feel that Anna has a grasp on that fact. For me, that grips my heart every night.”

The children in the touring cast have developed a strong bond with Baumgardner.

“Every time I see them backstage, they just come up and hug me as if I really am their Mrs. Anna, their teacher. It’s really precious. And they do the funniest things. Sometimes they’ll get the giggles, so you’ve got to be prepared for that. We have a pretty demanding schedule and sometimes I’ll see them stifle little yawns onstage and I just remember that they are just children and are doing just as many shows as we are. But they are such a delight.”

Baumgardner keeps in shape by working out and participating in what the cast calls “Siam Boot Camp” while on the road.

“I’m onstage for practically the whole show,” she said. “I sing eight different times and I have seven different costumes, one of which weighs 40 pounds, so it is definitely demanding, but at the same time, it’s very rewarding. I discover new things about my character every time I play her. It’s really a dream come true.”

“The King and I,” the first production of the American Theatre Guild’s 2018-19 season, runs Thurs. through Sun., Dec. 27 to 30 in the Kavli Theatre at Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

Tickets are available in person at the box office or through civicartsplaza.com.

For more information, visit americantheatreguild.com.