Will The King And I bring John Hall's long reign on the York stage to an end?

If that sounds dramatic, especially given how the John Hall seated opposite your interviewer at Spring Espresso in Fossgate, looks so healthy and trimmed down and is still a handful of years shy of retirement age, nevertheless he is contemplating exiting the stage once York Light Opera Company's production concludes.

"I've really enjoyed rehearsing this show, and it comes when I've had four wonderful years of doing some great shows," says John. "I've done Footloose for the Leeds Amateur Operatic Society at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, in their last show on the big stage, and I'd always wanted to play there.

"The following year I was the lead in 42nd Street for the Leeds Amateurs again, at the Leeds Grand Theatre, which I'd never played before, so that was another one ticked off.

"Then Louise Denison, who directed that show, got me involved in a new musical called No Horizon at last summer's Edinburgh Fringe at the Underbelly venue, when I took the caravan up there for the month! I had to learn to sing in a Barnsley accent, as it's a sung-through show, and it was very satisfying that I actually got it right!"

So much so that immediately afterwards John thought, "That's a good way to go out". However, now working for only two months of the year as part of the Post Office's northern interview team for more than 30,000 recruits for the Christmas postal delivery service, John found himself thinking, "I'm going to have to do something".

"So I auditioned for a York community choir, but the next morning I got a phonecall, asking if I would direct Leeds Amateurs' next show, The Full Monty, at Leeds City Varieties in May. I've designed the set as well, pared everything back, because the City Varieties theatre was designed for music hall acts, so I've scaled it down, working on the show with the cast since October."

What should happen next but York Light announce The King And I as their next show. "Should I audition? Well, I'd auditioned for Shipton Theatre Company's production more than a decade ago...in fact they asked me to audition, but I didn't get it," John recalls. "But I've always wanted to play the King of Siam and I think this is the right time for me to do it. So I'm now playing the King.

"I've always had an interest in this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical because it's more of an acting role, which is more of a challenge. I'm always comfortable in my singing, but I'd say this is the hardest role I've ever done because of the way it's written, where everything the King says is in pidgin English, so you have to learn it parrot fashion, and once you've got it you can't do it any other way. It's a very difficult part to play, so be careful what you wish for!

"All theatre is dangerous and this is the most dangerous thing I've ever done. The King has only one song, Puzzlement, but even that is a patter song, the hardest song to sing!"

Emma Dickinson and John Hall in a scene from York Light Opera Company's The King And I

Before Christmas, John even had doubts that he could pull off the role."I've never questioned myself more about doing a part, but you've got to push yourself and I've come through those doubts now," he says.

"It's been great working with Emma Dickinson, who's playing the governess Anna Leonowens. She's the perfect Anna: she's got poise, she's got the most gorgeous voice; she's feisty, just perfect for the role originally written for Gertrude Lawrence."

John was last seen in York Light colours playing Captain Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music, since when he and musical director Michael Thompson have staged York Light Youth's shows for three years, but that arrangement has since ended. "This is the first year since York Light Youth that I could concentrate on doing a role on the scale of The King And I, and how often do you get male leads where the costumes are much better than everyone else's?!" he says.

John keeps in shape by cycling and walking and will be applying the tanning lotion to play the King. The role holds no fears: after all, he appeared in Shipton Theatre Company's The Full Monty in 2009. "We had to take everything off for that, didn't we!" he says.

While he will have the sides of his head shaved to a number one cut, unlike Yul Brynner he will have plenty of hair left on top and the addition of a hairpiece for the authentic Siamese look. "If you do the role with a bald head, the audience will only go, 'Yul Brynner', so you'll never ever develop your own character, which you must do," reasons John.

So, back to the beginning of this story: "I think this might be my last ever role, though they do say 'never say never'," says John, mulling over the future.

"One of the things I love about learning a part is that it sharpens you up. Doing a show makes you feel sharp and alive and that's the thing that might keep me going.

"I've always wanted to do three parts: The King in The King And I; Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert and Mack in Mack And Mabel, and that still leaves two to do.

"But then there's Tom Oakley in Goodnight Mr Tom as well. The dialogue is so wonderful and dialogue has always been my thing."

Maybe The King And I might not be John Hall's final curtain after all.

York Light Opera Company's The King And I runs from March 8 to 18 at York Theatre Royal, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheateroyal.co.uk