eShop USA > Music > The King and I: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album (Original 1951 Broadway Cast)
The King and I: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album (Original 1951 Broadway Cast)
Our Price: $17.98 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Save $10.00 when you spend $50.00 or more on Qualifying Items offered by Amazon.com. Enter code BMLSAVES at checkout.
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0601215798227
Format: Cast Recording, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
Label: Decca Broadway
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
MPN: 157982
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Decca Broadway
Release Date: May 16, 2000
Studio: Decca Broadway
Related Items: Featured Listmania!
Editorial Review:
Yul Brynner made a career out of playing the King of Siam. He owns it so much that it's disconcerting to see Rex Harrison play it in the film version of Anna & the King of Siam, the play Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted. Ironically, the still-unknown Brynner wasn't the star of the 1951 production; he's billed below British grande dame Gertrude Lawrence (played by Julie Andrews in the biopic Star!), who died during the play's run, and curio value is the only real reason for this recording in 1998. Sound quality is below standard, much like MCA other early Decca original cast albums, and Brynner was still too young to bring the majestic authority to the role he did in both the film and later stage versions. --Bill Holdship
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - A legacy
I have owned this recording for several years, and the vinyl lp before that.
However, I have only recently discovered Amazon's customer reviews. So I decided to read them before I listened again. I was surprised by those who disparaged Yul Brynner's understanding of the role.
Not so--according to the American Theater Wing, who awarded him a Tony.
Not so--according to his co-artist, Gertrude Lawrence, who requested that his name be moved to above the title.
Not so--according ... Read More
Rating:  - a classic
A true musical theater classic. Wonderful melodies that will last for years to come.
Other classics not to forget about are:
Mary Poppins
My Fair Lady
The Wizard of Oz
Chitty Chitty Bang Band
The first Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Sound of Music
Oliver
West Side Story
Fiddler on the Roof
Singing in the Rain
The Wiz
Little Mermaid
Aladdin
Beauty and the Beast
Grease
The King and I
Oklahoma ... Read More
Rating: - Something Entirely Wonderful!
This was the first R+H recording i bought and i was enchanted by it from the very beginning. True, it has its limitations and it is certainly not my favorite R+H score,(one reviewer commented that this was the last of the great R+H musicals. Excuse me? Have you ever heard of The Sound of Music?) but it is undoubtedly a very necessary addition to any Broadway collection. The performances of the stars are incredable and the great collaborators are in their element, though for me this is more of a Rodgers triumph ... Read More
Rating:  - 1951-not the year to capture a great musical
One correction to a review on this page. (Sorry) Yul Brynner was in his early thirties when this recording was made. (Born 1920). The only real value in this album is Gertrude Lawrence. Her star power was incredible, although this forced album does not allow her to completely shine. The recording technique is terrible. It's flat (not referring to pitch), the instruments are muffled, and everything is cut to fit either time for the 78 RPM's or for radio broadcast. Not a true representation of the great musical. ... Read More
Rating:  - Recording not up to demands of show
THE KING AND I has always been one of Rodgers & Hammerstein's most popular shows. It has been frequently recorded receieving 4 New York cast albums, 2 London casts and 3 studio casts as well as the film soundtrack. Normally the first original cast is to be preferred but the limitations of the day prevent this 1951 recording from being definitive.
Decca was not as advacnced in recording techniques as were some of the other labels and the sound quality of this disc is very tinny. Gertrude Lawrence's already ... Read More
Related Categories:
| |
 |
