Shall we dance?

The place of the “The King and I” in American culture is secure, for at least two reasons. First, this 1951 Broadway hit made a star out of Yul Brynner. That bald head was soon to be seen in “The Ten Commandments,” “The Magnificent Seven” and “Taras Bulba.”

Second, it gave us the song “Hello, Young Lovers,” which became a staple for Frank Sinatra – and just about every other crooner up to and including Jimmy Durante.

That alone would be enough to make this show a musical theater perennial. It also helps explain why the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, the region’s premier professional summer-stock theater, is launching its own revival starting Saturday to close this year’s season.

This version is directed by Roger Welch and choreographed by Lorna Hamilton. Ben Gonio plays the King of Siam and Kelly Eviston Quinnett plays Anna, the governess.

Of course, “The King and I” also has a few other Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II tunes that have secured a place in the great American songbook: “Getting to Know You,” “Whistle a Happy Tune,” “I Have Dreamed” and “Shall We Dance?”

It was a key component of what has come to be called Broadway’s Golden Era (roughly 1943 to 1964), which established the musical as America’s great theatrical art form.

“The King and I,” however, was perceived to be a slight disappointment when it premiered in 1951 – not because of the show itself, but because of what it had to follow.

Rodgers and Hammerstein had recently produced two other shows that had changed the course of the American musical.

“Don’t expect another ‘Oklahoma!’ or ‘South Pacific’,” wrote New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson, somewhat sadly.

But then he added, “Strictly on its own terms, ‘The King and I’ is an original and beautiful excursion into the rich splendors of the Far East.”

Based on the biographical novel “Anna and the King of Siam,” by Margaret Landon, this musical tells the story of the English governess Anna, who arrives in Siam to tutor the King’s children.

She finds him to be a cruel tyrant, but he slowly begins to soften under her wise and gentle influence.

If you are in search of allegorical meanings, you can see the story as representing (A) the civilizing effect of women upon men, or (B) the civilizing effect of the West upon the East, which was a less controversial proposition in 1951.

Or you can just see it as a romantic, exotic story with plenty of humor, romance and cute little kids. A passel of little princes and princesses fills the stage.

Gonio, as the King, is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, has an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Washington and has extensive Seattle stage credits.

Quinnett is well-known for her screen work in “The Basket” and “Mozart and the Whale,” as well as from her many stage appearances in Spokane and North Idaho. She has taught acting at the University of Idaho since 1998.

Grace Eunhye Lee plays the role of Tuptim and Jason Yau plays Lun Tha.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein score will be performed by a 17-piece orchestra directed by Steven Dahlke.