The King and I (Original Broadway Cast)

Album review

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's fifth musical, The King and I, was their first to be designed as a star vehicle -- written at the behest of British stage star Gertrude Lawrence to mark her return to the New York musical stage after ten years in 1951. The show was a musicalization of Margaret Landon's 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, in turn based on the diaries of Anna H. Leonowens, who had been tutor to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 19th century, and it had already been adapted into a nonmusical film in 1946. Rodgers and Hammerstein were somewhat hamstrung by the principal cast members. Neither Lawrence nor Yul Brynner, a television director hired to play the part of the king, had much of a singing voice. The songwriters solved this problem by giving the rangy songs -- "We Kiss in a Shadow," "Something Wonderful," and "I Have Dreamed" -- to the secondary characters: Tuptim (Doretta Morrow), Lady Thiang (Dorothy Sarnoff), and Lun Tha (Larry Douglas), respectively. Brynner, who was billed as only a supporting player at first (though he later achieved star billing), got a patter song, "A Puzzlement." As the star, Lawrence had to have several numbers, but Rodgers and Hammerstein played upon her role as a teacher to give her two simple tunes to be sung to children -- "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Getting to Know You" -- as well as a patter song expressing her anger with the king, "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" Even "Hello, Young Lovers" and her duet with Brynner, "Shall We Dance?," were pleasant ditties rather than demanding theater songs. And yet, the musical restrictions made for a highly enjoyable, pop-oriented score with slight Oriental touches. "Hello, Young Lovers" and "We Kiss in a Shadow" became minor hits, but the most memorable songs over time ended up being "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Getting to Know You," which became children's standards. The original Broadway cast album just missed topping the bestseller charts and remained listed there for over a year. It has remained in print through various reissues over the years. The first CD version appeared in 1990. It was repackaged with new liner notes for Rodgers and Hammerstein's 50th anniversary in 1993, and this version was given a 24-bit remastering for a reissue released on May 16, 2000.

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