From Bank Street Players' production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" Performed on the 5th of April, 2013 at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, Alabama
In the movie, the children touch their heads to Mrs Anna’s hands as a sign of the greatest respect. In the culture of Siam and present Thailand, the belief is that your soul is located in your head and so only close family members are permitted to touch your head. Greeting a stranger by touching your head to their hands is unbelievably, deeply respectful. Even today, hairdressers in Thailand commonly apologise to their customers before they begin in case they accidentally touch your head whilst they are working. Thai people will be mightily offended if someone passes something over their head let alone touches their head without permission. It’s a shame this was left out of this performance; replaced by a simple bow.
To re-enforce this point: In the original book, someone annoyed the king enuff that he ordered the person slapped across the mouth with a slipper. The lower parts were not mentioned in Polite Society, much less the feet, so This gesture was a supreme insult and punishment.
ITS CALLED THE MARCH OF THE SIAMES CHILDREN NOT THE MARCH OF THE ROYAL CHILDREN edit.also the guy who had the extra instumental dosent wear black he wears blue
I think the costumes of the women are a little incorrect in that they wear those little crowns on top of their heads. These would only be worn by children to signal they still have their topknots - which will be cut off in a formal ceremony at a certain age (I guess it's a rite of transition). In most productions and in the movies I have seen, the royal wives have their hear cropped short at the top of their heads. But probably this was not realizable for this production.
