Wanted: three little princes to star in The King And I

Casting agent Jo Hawes needs three boys to share the role of Crown Prince Chulalongkorn, heir to the King of Siam in the Bangkok-set musical.

They will join another 27 youngsters already chosen for the three casts required to satisfy child employment rules. "They will need to be Asian-looking, 11-ish and gorgeous, very charismatic and able to sing in tune," said Mrs Hawes.

But the agent, who has also recruited the 134 children for Oliver, said Asian families were much harder to convince that their children should be allowed to take part.

"Every show has its difficulties but Asian parents are very, very keen on schooling and how much school their children will miss," she said.

Mrs Hawes first encountered the issue when she cast for Miss Saigon, which was set in Vietnam. But she insisted that children involved in shows always had a fantastic time. "They gain in confidence and they learn all sorts of things about performing," she said.

The new production of The King And I features Daniel Dae Kim, star of the TV series Lost, as the monarch - a role made famous by Yul Brynner in the 1956 film.

Maria Friedman, a star of several West End musicals, will play Anna, the governess who comes to teach his large family. That part was played by Deborah Kerr on the big screen.

Ms Friedman will be defying showbusiness advice not to work with animals or children. But the mother of two said she had no qualms: "If I wasn't an actor I would definitely be working with children. I adore them - the naughtier the better."

However, she admitted she had trouble remembering people's names, so identifying all 30 of her stage pupils might be tricky.

The King And I, by Rodgers and Hammerstein is very loosely based on the true story of a 19th century British widow and governess, Anna Leonowens.

Ms Friedman said: "It's about tolerance and acceptance and how difficult it is to love and do the right thing by love."

She did not know the story when offered the job, so she bought the DVD. "I sat down just last week on a Saturday afternoon and wept, it's such a fantastic film," she said. "It seems to be a lot of people's favourite. Every time I said I'd been offered The King And I, everyone said it was the best role for a woman."

The King And I is at the Royal Albert Hall for 20 shows from 12 to 28 June.