The Chiswick Cinema Members team kindly invited FLO London to one of their Special Member Events. The upscale Chiswick Cinema opened in June 2021 on the former site of The Rambert Dance Company studios and was initially destined to be a Picturehouse Cinema but instead it has become something a little different. As a new resident to the area, this night out provided us with an opportunity to learn more about this independent cinema, Chiswick’s first new cinema to open since 1934.

Featuring 5 screening rooms, a Members’ Terrace with its ‘Green Wall’ containing over 5,000 plants and a members’ bar and café-restaurant. In addition to mainstream films there are live broadcasts from the Met Opera, Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre Live.

The cinema provides various annual membership options with perks like priority booking, discounts on film tickets and room hire, reductions on food & beverage prices and the top-tier membership offers unlimited free cinema tickets and exclusive events such as our backstage tour and visit to the Dominion Theatre to see the King & I starring Helen George (known for starring as Trixie Franklin in the BBC’s BAFTA award winning series Call the Midwife) and Darren Lee a renowned Broadway performer.

The evening was delightful as we embarked on a backstage tour exploring the stage wings filled with props, sets, costumes and the stage manager’s desk with the huge prompt book to ensure a smooth production.  Standing on the brightly lit stage gazing out at the audience seats we couldn’t help but feel awed by the thought of preforming in the 2,000-seater theatre. One word came to mind: scary!

Following the tour we were welcomed into The Freddy Mercury Suite for pre-theatre drinks, where we received a bag of nibbles and a programme. Adorned with memorabilia of the legendary Freddie Mercury , the suite  provided the perfect setting for the group to mingle and get to know each other. Conversation flowed and we found much in common to share and discuss adding to the enjoyment of the evening.

Rogers & Hammersteins’s musical The King & I stands as one of the great musicals of the golden age, also a hit film from 1956 starring Yul Brynner as king who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

The storyline is of a widowed Welsh mother Anna becoming a governess and English tutor to the wives and numerous children of the stubborn King of Siam (now Thailand). Anna and the King, who is exasperating, mischievous and at times tyrannical, have a clash of personalities. Anna, in this production, is portrayed as a thoroughly modern woman, independent, speaking truth to power and not afraid to ask for what she deserves.

Helen George’s performance as Anna was solid but her portrayal of a feminist version of the character seemed to take away the ability to portray a softer version of Anna needed to create the frisson that should exist between her and the King. We feel a brief glimmer of fondness as they perform “Shall We Dance” but it seemed to begin and end there. One can be both feminist and vulnerable at the same time.

The strong female roles are the moral compass of this play and they have the most impactful songs of the production. The lead roles by Cezarah Bonner and Marienella Phillips playing Lady Thiang and Tuptim respectively, stood out in a cast full of strong voices, boarding on operatic. Both garnered enthusiastic applause at the end of their of songs. The stand out music of this production are the joyous “Shall we dance” and “I Whistle A Happy Tune”, a song worth remembering when you are next having a bad day.

Personally, my interest in seeing this musical was fueled by nostalgia as I had performed a part during my school days in Singapore. I comfortably danced the non-speaking part of Simon of Legree carried on stage by three male students of whom one became a boyfriend hence I was not set to be impartial to thoroughly enjoying the entire evening as I benefitted from some fond childhood memories.

If The Chiswick Cinema Special Events continue to be as enjoyable as this evening, investing in their membership program could potentially be worthwhile for West Londoners.

Date: 20 January 2024 – 2 March 2024. Location: Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7AQ.

 Words by Natascha Milsom