June 18, 1998
BY BILL ZWECKER STAFF REPORTER
Though the average observer might not immediately muse, ``Hmmm. The first person who comes to mind for the part of Mrs. Anna in `The King and I' is Maureen McGovern,'' it's a role the veteran recording artist has long lusted after.
``It goes back to my childhood,'' said McGovern. ``My mother and I used to call each other `sentimental slobs' and any time `An Affair to Remember' or `The King and I' came on [TV] we just sat there with our hankies.''
Yet it's not as if McGovern's ensuing career did not cross paths with the musicals of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. ``The King and I,'' which tells the story of the widowed English schoolteacher who charmingly tangled with the King of Siam, will be the third time the singer and actress has performed in a Rodgers and Hammerstein show.
"I did `The Sound of Music' and `South Pacific' earlier. It's such a privilege to sing this music. You know people will be walking out of the theater humming the songs ... ''
Many people credit McGovern's pop ballads with having the same kind of hummability. Her recording career began with the 1973 chart-topper "The Morning After," the Oscar-winning song from "The Poseidon Adventure."
Despite having made nearly two dozen albums, the singer recognizes she will always be closely tied to that disaster picture theme song.
McGovern also recorded another Oscar winner-- "We May Never Love Like This Again"--for "The Towering Inferno," in which she also made a cameo appearance. Other hits include "Can You Read My Mind," the love theme from "Superman," and the theme from the ABC series "Angie."
Yet, despite the long recording career-- "I really see my role as one of the defenders of the great American songbook of Gershwin and Arlen" --McGovern is no stranger to the Broadway stage. She debuted (and won rave reviews) as Mabel in the Joseph Papp production of "The Pirates of Penzance."
Later, she played the late Raul Julia's wife in the Tony Award-winning production of "Nine" and also starred opposite Sting in a Broadway production of "The 3 Penny Opera."
Along with the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, McGovern also has starred in "Guys & Dolls," "I Do, I Do" and the Off-Broadway production of "Brownstone," where she originated the role of Mary.
While she counts Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Joni Mitchell, Barbra Streisand, Judy Collins and Dusty Springfield as musical influences, Mel Torme is the one McGovern points to "as my true mentor." Besides their musical bond, McGovern even humorously calls Chicago native Torme "the godfather of my Yorkie, Nicodemus 'Bebop' Dickens." McGovern actually owns two Yorkshire terriers that accompany her everywhere, including to Chicago for the "The King and I."
McGovern is delighted to be taking on the role of Mrs. Anna, whom she finds to be quite a contemporary woman, despite her 19th century setting.
``There is a wide variety of interpretation when it comes to this part. Every 'Anna' brings something different to it, and I hope I do, too. ... She is one of the strongest female characters written for the musical stage, particularly when you consider the time.
"I love her. She was a feminist for her day. So strong, with all that passion bubbling underneath. Despite the Victorian contraints she lived under, she persevered. Here she was a widow raising her son and living in a world that was so foreign to both of them. There are many parallels to today--a courageous single parent raising her child."
McGovern, who visited Asia last year, says that when she joined the national tour of "The King and I" she realized "how accurately the designers had captured the colors and textures of Bangkok. Visually, it's a technicolor production ... and comes so close to what I actually saw there."
Along with memorizing lines and lyrics for "The King and I," McGovern says another big challenge is "dealing with those gowns. ... I love them, but they're not easy. They may be my albatross. They weigh 40 or 50 pounds apiece. Every Anna has lost weight, so I'm thrilled about that part," she said with a laugh.