Customer Reviews

The King and I (1996 Broadway Revival Cast)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This recording really helped me understand what a great musical this is. I never liked Gertrude Laurence, so the original cast album was a bit lost on me. Donna Murphy reveals depths in the character of Anna that I doubt Gertie even knew about. And the controversial casting of Lou Diamond Phillips clearly paid off: he is sensational. Some re-orchestration has been done, subtly but tellingly. The only negative note: it makes those of us unlucky enough not to have seen this revival feel very sad. This is the one recording of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's wonderful work that is truly not to be missed!

The highly praised and awarded 1996 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" is preserved very well on this recording. The orchestrations are "deeper" now, and owing more to Asian motifs, but they work. Also, all of the cast, except the Caucasian parts, ARE Asians, and for the most part, particularly the Tuptim and Lady Thaing, they are good. Lou Diamond Phillips is no Yul Brynner, but he's decent, if a bit over-eager and boyish. And anyway, who could be as good as Brynner was in the part of the King? And then there is Donna Murphy. Her Anna is wonderful, very well-textured and sung beautifully and "veddy" British. She won a well-deserved Tony for the role. The score is just as magnificent as ever, well-delivered by the entire cast. This is a good recording, but get one with Brynner, too. His great performance should never be forgotten.

The lavish 1996 revival of THE KING AND I is given the grand treatment in its beautiful cast-album. It preserves the Tony-winning performance of Donna Murphy as Mrs Anna along with a stellar cast.

Donna Murphy is perhaps the biggest reason for buying this particular recording. Her replacements in the show, Barbara McCulloh, Faith Prince and Marie Osmond, failed to capture all the color and pathos she brought to the part of Mrs Anna. Her "Hello Young Lovers" is quite affecting, and her "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" is eccentric and funny.

Lou Diamond Phillips crawls out from under the shadow of Yul Brynner to create a young, virile King with a wicked sense of humor. His "Is a Puzzlement" had me discovering new aspects that I had failed to realize in earlier recordings.

The rest of the cast is sensational: Jose Llana (the latest FLOWER DRUM SONG) is a dashing Lun Tha; Joohee Choi is a heartbreaking Tuptim and Taewon Kim is a worldly and wise Lady Thiang. The recording moves along swiftly, due in no small part to the truncated Overture (which is more effective than the hackneyed original).

Highly-recommended.

Donna Murphy does a beautiful job playing Anna. She gives the character a very mystical and emotional charm. Ryan Hopkins (the created role of Louis Leonowens) is absolutely wonderful. If I didn't know better I would swear he was actually from Whales. Unfortunately Lou Diamond Phillips trys too hard to create a fresh, new king; and cannot do justice to the part. He can't play the king like the great Yul Brynner (but then that was expected). I was also disappointed that this cd did not have my two favorite songs from the play on it," Western People Funny" and "A puzzlement (reprise)". It also did not have the great ballet music to "Uncle Tom's Cabin". All in all this is a very good cd. It would add nicely to anyone's collection.

The real star of this production is Donna Murphy's radiant Tony Award-winning performance as Anna (musically and dramatically the finest since the Kerr/Nixon mix of the soundtrack). The score is even more complete than the 1977 Broadway cast recording - though still minus the ballet - and is well orchestrated, performed and recorded. Lou Diamond Phillips tries to make the King fresh but tends to accentuate incorrect syllables and talk very fast. All in all a fine revival and a worthy recording.

Being a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, I had to have this CD. It is a good CD to buy if you are a die-hard fan of the King and I. However, it probably isn't the best one to buy if you want just one recording of it. Donna Murphy is the best thing about this CD. For some reason, I just can't get Yul Brynner's King out of my head, and for that reason, it is harder to accept Lou Diamond Phillips. He is good, don't get me wrong, but The King and I without Yul Brynner is somewhat strange. The orchestrations are fine, and retain that classic Rodgers sound. The whole recording though, and I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, has a weird kind of sound quality to it. It is heavily compressed and has an artificial sound to it. The equalization seems to emphasize the middle high frequencies too much. Overall, the 1977 Revival cast recording I feel is better, though I would prefer Donna Murphy over Constance Towers. But this is worth buying if you are curious to see what the King and I is up to these days.

Although I prefer the version with Constance Towers and Yul Brynner, this CD is recommended for nothing else than the beautiful and spine-tingling performance of Donna Murphy in the role of Anna. The first time I heard this CD if fell in love with her voice, which can only be described as heavenly.

Do you listen to Donna Murphy and think you're hearing Julie Andrews? I do. Phillips sounds like no one else. They're both marvelous.

I would have given this CD a 5, but the proformance of Diana Murphy, was horrible! Her EXTREMELY nasal voice rang in my ears for days. Especially when she sang "Shall I tell you what I think of you?". I have never seen the revival, but her performance on stage might have made up for her voice. If you are to get any recording of the King and I, try to get the recording with Valerie Masterson, and Christopher Lee (No he did not play Dracula). This is the 1st Complete Recording, and contains the ballet "Small House Of Uncle Thomas." It is the most opperatic version of the King and I that I have ever heard. Even though this was never actuially proformed on the stage, it is superior to that of Diana Murphy's, and Gertrude Lawrence. Unfortunately Amazon.com does not carry this CD! You can find it at a Tower Record near you!

P.S. I played Louis last year!