Gertrude Lawrence but when he proved to be unenthused by the suggestion, Lawrence sent the book to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers initially demurred because he felt Lawrence's vocal range was limited and she had a tendency to sing flat. But he realised the story had strong potential, and the two men agreed to write what ultimately became "The King and I". It opened on Broadway in March 1951, and ultimately, Lawrence won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. Her triumph was short-lived; her health deteriorated rapidly, forcing her to miss numerous performances until
Pat Suzuki programs, including her television debut on "The Lawrence Welk Show", "The Frank Sinatra Show" on ABC and "Tonight Starring Jack Paar" (March 1958). After appearing on "Jack Paar", Richard Rodgers called Suzuki to offer her the role of Linda Low, one of the leads in the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway production of the musical "Flower Drum Song" in 1958. She actually turned down the role at first ("I thought it was too big for me"), for which she later won the Theatre World Award for an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, in 1959. Suzuki's rendition of "I Enjoy