The King and I incongruity of a Victorian British governess in the midst of an exotic court: "The first-act finale of "The King and I" will feature Miss Lawrence, Mr. Brynner, and a pink satin ball gown." Mielziner's set plan was the simplest of the four Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals he had worked on, with one main set (the throne room), a number of front-stage drops (for the ship and Anna's room, for example) and the entire stage cleared for "The Small House of Uncle Thomas". The show was budgeted at $250,000 (US$ in dollars) making it the most expensive Rodgers and Hammerstein production
Rodgers and Hammerstein was one of the first musicals to contain a tragic plot about an antihero; it also contained an extended ballet that was crucial to the plot, and several extended musical scenes containing both sung and spoken material, as well as dance. The 1956 film version of "Carousel", made in CinemaScope 55, again starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, the same leads as the film version of "Oklahoma!" "Carousel" is also unique among the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals for not having an overture; both the stage and film versions began with the familiar "Carousel Waltz". This music was included in John