The sexual tension sizzles as Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes Thai one on for The King And I rehearsals in Sydney

LISA McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes gave Sydney media a rare glimpse of the sizzle that has captivated theatre lovers.

REAL-LIFE lovers Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes gave Sydney media a rare glimpse of the sizzle that has captivated theatre lovers and romantics during a rehearsal session for their stage collaboration in The King And I yesterday.

LISA AND TEDDY SET FOR THE KING AND I

Lisa McCune during a rehearsal of the King and I at Opera Australia / Picture: Media Mode

The couple, who have refused to discuss their relationship, have been quietly conducting their romance under the radar since they fell in love during the making of the last John Frost Opera Australia production, South Pacific, almost two years ago.

While some believed the couple’s affair had run its course, witnesses who saw them together at the Hand Opera’s Madama Butterfly last Friday night said they looked comfortable and at ease with their relationship.

“They weren’t all over each other but they were together and they were rock solid,” one observer said.

“They didn’t leave each other’s side and they were jointly moved by the performances on the stage.”

So much so, the pair started the standing ovation for the show’s principal, Hiromi Omura, in the role of Butterfly Cio-Cio San.

Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes during a rehearsal of the King and I at Opera Australia / Picture: Media Mode

Yesterday Rhodes and McCune stripped down to their civvies, the exception being McCune’s billowing petticoat, to perform the production’s best-known song, Getting To Know You at a rehearsal. They were joined by the young cast from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical.

McCune plays Anna to Rhodes’ King of Siam in the production which heads to Sydney in laster in the year.

Also giving media a glimpse of their characters yesterday at the Opera Centre in Surry Hills were Marty Rhone, who plays Siamese prime minister in the production, and Jenny Liu and Adrian Li Donni.

McCune was married to Tim Disney when news broke of her relationship with the imposing Rhodes.

Rhodes recently said he understands the couple’s chemistry made them attractive for producer Frost to cast.

“I think that’s what makes it work — the chemistry is really important. We’ll leave it at that,’’ he said.