What cast recording of The King and I do you recommend?

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 5:38am

The title says it all. I've been meaning to buy a cast recording of this show for awhile but I keep forgetting. The iTunes reviews never help because it's usually just people fangirling over someone.

What would you guys recommend?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 6:59am

The revival recording with Donna Murphy is pretty complete and Murphy's Anna is probably my favorite on disc. Of course, it does feel rather stupid to recommend a recording without Yul Brynner on it, so you should at the very least supplement the Murphy recording with Brynner's tracks from one of his recordings. The one he made with Constance Towers in 1977 (IIRC) is a good one.

[The Other One]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 7:17am

I would go with the Brynner/Towers revival.

It's hard to pick, because while the revival recording is complete and of a consistently excellent quality, the OBCR offers Doretta Morrow's magnificent Tuptim and the soundtrack offers my favorite Anna in Marni Nixon. In other words, the high points are highest in the lesser albums.

I don't know the Murphy/Philips recording. The Julie Andrews/Ben Kingsley album sounds like a studio as opposed to a cast recording, but she does sing a lovely "Hello, Young Lovers" (albeit in a lower key).

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 10:10am

Definitely the 77 recording. It is mostly complete, and a very pleasant recording.
The Donna Murphy recording is missing the complete Overture, Western People Funny (I believe cut from the production,) and Small House of Uncle Thomas. The Elaine Paige recording is pretty identical, but includes the Small House of Uncle Thomas.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 10:26am

I think Joohee Choi and Jose Llana are incredibly lovely as Tuptim and Lun Tha on the Murphy 96 revival recording, and I think they're definitely worth hearing. But that, the OBC, the Julie Andrews studio recording, and the film soundtrack are all available on Spotify, so maybe the only one you need to purchase is the 77 revival.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 10:53am

I'm partial to the Julie Andrews recording. If I remember correctly, it doesn't have The Small House of Uncle Thomas, but that never was my favorite part anyway!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 11:05am

I like Ben Kingsley as the King on the Andrews recording, but the section of "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You" starting with, "The Children, The Children, I'll not forget the children," has been cut, which is unforgivable.

The Murphy recording is worth it for her line reading of the letter scene alone. It's heartbreaking and frequently brings a tear to my eye. Her acting comes through on disc better than any other Anna, IMHO.

For a show that has so many recordings there really is no definitive recording.

There's a recording with Barbara Cook as Anna that has some nice singing from the leading lady, but is rather lifeless otherwise.

[phan24]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 11:12am

You can also wait till Kelli O'Hara's version comes out next year!

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 11:34am

Thank you so much everyone! I've been looking more at the reviews and people say that they keep buying the Murphy one because of her (and I love her) but hen I get home from work I'm gonna search an amazon and such to see if the recordings are cheap enough to buy both.

And I will 100% be buying the Kelli one!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 11:40am

I have seen the Murphy (and several other recordings) at places like Academy for 2.99. If you go there you could buy all of them used for under 10 bucks!

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 11:45am

Yessss, thank you!!

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 12:26pm

I enjoy Lea Salonga's Tuptim on the studio recording

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 2:17pm

I think I'm alone here, but my favorite is the 1964 Lincoln Center revival recording. I think the orchestra sounds so great on that one. I also really like the film soundtrack, but I'm not too fond of a lot of the modified arrangements.

I like the '77 one because it's more complete, but I could never really get into it as much as the others.

Updated On: 5/28/14 at 02:17 PM

[candydog2]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 7:39pm

My favourite musical!

I love the revival recordings: Donna Murphy's and the London production of the same revival with Elaine Paige.

Paige is not a popular Anna generally, and not having seen her performance I can't comment for myself, but she sounds wonderful on the cast album.

There's something I don't like about the older recordings, they all sound too over the top and a little stilted in their performance for some reason.

I also judge recordings of the show by the instrumental as the King and Anna are dancing. I hate it when it's too slow, I prefer it to be fast and exciting and I think the best one is the Elaine Paige recording.

Funnily enough, I think it sounds a little slower on the film's soundtrack than it does while watching the actual film. Is it? Or is it just my imagination?

Updated On: 5/27/14 at 07:39 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 7:56pm

I'm with Whizzer, you can't beat Donna Murphy's acting in the '96 recording. Her performance of "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You" is one of my favorite tracks of any cast recording, ditto for "Shall We Dance?" The music is simply gorgeous and I think Murphy adds so much personality and depth to Anna. How I wish there was a recording of Angela Lansbury as Anna.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 9:22pm

Even more, how I wish Angela and Yul had played the show at the same time! That would have been a battle of giants!

(Not that Yul would have risked the competition (nor would Angela have tolerated his behavior). Poor, lovely Connie Towers: Yul practically had her playing to the upstage wall!)

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 9:38pm

I love the 77 revival recording. June Angela's Tuptim is GLORIOUS!!

[mikey2573]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 10:16pm

The 1977 revival recording is the best IMHO. Yul is the definitive King and he sounds fantastic on this recording, and Constance Towers as Anna is sublime. And I think this is the only recording with the complete Overture which sounds absolutely GLORIOUS on this recording. Whenever I hear that big beginning of the Overture on this recording I get goosebumps. The overture is worth the price alone!

[The Other One]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 7:56am

^ True about that overture!

A mid-60's recording of a NY State Theater production starring Rise Stevens, Darren McGavin, Lee Venora and Patricia Neway is supposed to be excellent. I don't think it ever got a CD release, unfortunately.

[daisybeetle]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 8:16am

I also love the studio recording especially Lea Salonga with Peabo Bryson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8LqY0CG04I

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 8:23am

The Barbara Cook recording is fantastic because she's still at her prime when singing Anna Leonowens's numbers.

I'm not crazy about Constance Towers's singing in the 1977 revival but Martin Vidnovic was at his best as Lun Tha. He and June Angela's "We Kiss in a Shadow" and "I Have Dreamed," two of the best songs in the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog, just soar.

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 9:49am

Brynner/Towers

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 12:04pm

A mid-60's recording of a NY State Theater production starring Rise Stevens, Darren McGavin, Lee Venora and Patricia Neway is supposed to be excellent. I don't think it ever got a CD release, unfortunately.

That was the Lincoln Center recording I was referring to. It's been re-relesed on CD twice in recent years, but it might be out of print currently. And it really is excellent.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 1:47pm

There's a studio recording with Barbara Cook that has its moments...

[david_fick]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 3:36am

Avoid the 1964 Studio Cast Album with Barbara Cook and Theodore Bikel at all costs. Terrible orchestrations by Philip J. Lang (that only serve to make one realise how brilliant the original orchestrations are) and second rate performances with some really awful pidgin English accents are just two things that make this an awful listen. Any other major recording of the score is better.