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 from Syracuse" (1938), "Pal Joey" (1940), and "By Jupiter" (1942), as well as many successful film projects. Hammerstein, a co-writer of the popular Rudolf Friml 1924 operetta "Rose-Marie", and Sigmund Romberg operettas "The Desert Song" (1926) and "The New Moon" (1928), began a successful collaboration with composer Jerome Kern on "Sunny" (1925), which was a hit. Their 1927 musical "Show Boat" is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the American musical theatre. Other Hammerstein/Kern collaborations include "Sweet Adeline" (1929) and "Very Warm for May" (1939). Although the last of these was panned by critics, it contains one of