Showing @ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 7 Jan 2012

It will always remain a timeless political and romantic commentary on society no matter where it is played. Whether it’s an academic look into eastern objectification you’re after or a fiery relationship, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic will always serve it up. So it’s up to director Paul Kerryson to refresh this perennial big-hitter, and he does so with luxurious style and eloquence.

Based on Margaret Landon’s well known 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam (previously based on the real-life memoires of governess Anna Leonowens), we follow Miss Anna (Josefina Gabrielle) as she travels from Singapore to Siam to teach the King’s (Ramon Tikaram) children – and we all know the dangers of bringing western ideas to eastern cultures, not that the west are into colonialism or anything like that…

Set designer Sara Perks and lighting designer Philip Gladwell team up impressively to create a flourishing eastern landscape, a backdrop which finds itself dominated both by the overbearing golden Buddha statues and the intricate Siamese lanterns. Gabrielle and Tikaram also partner exquisitely as Anna and the King, teasing out the playful nature at the root of their aggressive relationship with delicate balance and skill. What the entire ensemble manage to capture is the romantic nature of this story, stripping back the typified political discourse which rests heavily on the script itself; it makes for a rich plethora of styles, colours, images and themes. In many ways this pays homage to the intelligence of both the original script and songwriting – which marry the intense and often antagonistic sensibilities of all the characters with the tender and engaging undertones of the storyline. It allows Kerryson to acknowledge the political history present throughout without overloading the narrative with heavy-handed commentaries in this richly triumphant adaptation.