King and I next month, another chapter in Bermuda's theatrical history will be written.

A 20-minute ballet -- which forms an integral part of this classic musical -- will be performed to the accompaniment of a live orchestra.

It is believed this will be the first time that Bermuda has been able to pool its collective talent in such a way. And for the many Bermudians who have never seen dance performed with an orchestra, it should be something of a wake-up call.

"The thrill of working with live music is that it's just that -- live!'' enthuses dancer Louise Cabral who is performing the lead role of role of Eliza, the little slave girl in the ballet. "It makes the performance far more dramatic, and that's especially important in this instance as it's really a choreographed play with a very dramatic theme.'' The King and I is based on the 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. This, in turn, was adapted from the real life memoirs of an English woman, Anna Leonowens, relating her experiences as governess to the children of the King of Siam (now Thailand).

Shows, such as Carousel and Show Boat, had changed forever the course of the American musical, and The King and I was no exception. Within its mid-Victorian framework of a romantic love interest and its exotic setting, this was also something of a morality play. This time, it was the concept of slavery, as practised by the oriental king, who maintained his slaves and concubines even as he tried to embrace the democratic ideals of the West.

The King of Siam is played by Richard Fell, Karen Musson is performing the role of Anna, and head wife, Lady Thiang is being played by Sandra Ray. The young lovers, Tuptim and Lun Tha, are played by Khaliah Smith and Bob Di Giacomo. The production is directed by Annette Hallett.

The ballet, which is a story within a story, presented as a special entertainment at the Siamese Court, and entitled The Small House of Uncle Thomas, is a variation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The liberalising influence of the English governess is seen in the daring choice of subject matter.

The task of mounting this major ballet has been entrusted to well-known choreographer and dancer, Barbara Frith.

"It's definitely the most important ballet within a musical that I can think of,'' muses Mrs. Frith, who has had to co-ordinate 13 dancers and another 15 choral singers, musicians and special effects personnel to bring both the poignant story and the visual splendour of its Asian setting to life.

"It's a simple but very beautiful story, and I think everyone is going to be captivated by it,'' says Mrs. Frith, who estimates that she spent at least 20 hours on preliminary work at home, plotting and planning every nuance of the choreography before she ever set foot in the dance studio.

"It's very demanding for Louise and the other dancers,'' she explains. "They have to be classically trained, but with a knowledge of modern dance. Then they have to cope with the very unfamiliar gestures of eastern dance.'' She says she has based a lot of the action on the movie version of the play: "It's far too technical to do from scratch -- it would be rather like trying to re-choreograph the whole of Swan Lake.'' The ballet is unusual, she explains, in that a chorus of singers tell the story as the dancers mime the action: "So it's really a big team effort. I am working very closely with the director, the musical director, costumes and props, as every detail has to interlock with split-second timing.

"There are many wonderful effects. When Eliza runs away, she runs through a forest, over mountains and has to cross a river. Buddha `makes a miracle' by sending down an angel who turns the water into ice -- and then shows Eliza how to walk on frozen water. Then it snows -- and all of these things demonstrate that there is a bigger world outside the Court of Siam.'' Mrs. Frith, who trained with Virginia Williams of the Boston Ballet Company and with Alvin Ailey in New York, admits that her involvement with The King and I has turned into "a labour of love''. She says she could feel herself falling under its spell as soon as she started working over the summer on two other spectacular numbers in the show -- the March of the Siamese Children and Getting To Know You.

"There are so many lovely touches in this musical,'' she says, "I think Anna was really a 90's woman. She certainly had progressive views on equality, for her time. One of the highest points in the show is when Anna teaches the King the polka, in Shall We Dance? There is an electricity between them -- subtle, but very potent!'' Louise Cabral, who studied the Cecchetti method of ballet from the age of three and then changed to the Royal Academy of Dancing at the Teresita Marsden School in Chichester, now trains with Karen Festog of the Somerset School of Dance.

The Asian style of dance is quite new to her -- as it is to the rest of the cast: "You have to break the movements down into separate arm, leg and even facial movements -- then you have to build it all up again into a whole piece, rather like a jig-saw puzzle. It's a very stylised form of dance.'' On top of that, she says, it is an important acting role: "It's a very interesting approach because the dancers, the orchestra and the singers are all used simultaneously to reinforce certain elements in the story.'' Mrs. Frith believes The King and I, which is produced by Marjorie Stanton, will provide a memorable evening for the audience.

"We have a wonderful cast for this show and some very gifted people working backstage to bring it all together. I hope we can bring the dignity and beauty it deserves.'' The King and I opens at City Hall on Thursday, October 14 and runs through October 23, with a matinee of Sunday, October 7.

The Visitor's Service Bureau box office opens October 4, Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets $20, children under 12 admitted to matinee at $12 if accompanied by an adult. Call: 295-1727.

FANFARE -- Louise Cabral dances the role of Eliza, the little slave girl, in The Small House of Uncle Thomas, a ballet presented at the Siamese court, in Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I. Photo: Graham Lobb.

CREATOR -- Mrs. Barbara Frith is choreographing.