‘The King and I’ comes to town as a classic in the best sense

“The King and I” starts big, as a steamship glides into the harbor of Bangkok against a fiery red sky. Afterward, this national tour production refines its visuals — some ornate columns here, the overhead branches of a willow tree there.

Yet the emotional impact keeps expanding, as the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic infuses the musical with subjects such as autocracy, slavery, East-West culture clashes and the lowly status of women.

The musical score includes “Shall We Dance?” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune” and “The March of the Siamese Children” — Downtown’s Benedum Center is treated to “Something Wonderful,” indeed. The show, which earned the 2015 Tony for best revival of a musical, runs through Sunday.

It’s clear its stars, Laura Michelle Kelly and Jose Llana, relish playing these roles together. Ms. Kelly has a lovely voice and a commanding presence that makes Anna smart enough to push for what she wants without seeming, well, pushy.

As the king, Mr. Llana is a gifted comic, drawing the night’s biggest laughs with a frustrated glance or an eye roll. His demands that no one in the room’s head should be higher than his creates a great running sight gag. Yet the king is menacing when the situation requires. Make no mistake, as directed by Bartlett Sher, there are dark corners in the palace.

The book of “The King and I” is loosely based on the real-life story of Anna Leonowens. The young British widow travels to Siam (now Thailand) with the promise of a salary and a house if she will teach the king’s children. She and her young son arrive roughly around the same time as another newcomer, Tuptim (Manna Nichols).