Preview the new KING & I cast recording- Page 2

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:56am

All the raves here are really tempting me to pick this up. But I'm still not sure, between the cuts and the fact that I have about five KING AND Is already.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:59am

Nowack, O'Hara alone makes the recording, despite the cuts, worth it. Her "Hello, Young Lovers" is a masterclass in nuance. Biased as I may be, I believe Miss O'Hara is the definitive Anna - above even my beloved Donna Murphy.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:32am

"Masterworks Broadway did the same thing with the last South Pacific revival when they only recorded the first portion of "Honey Bun" and left off the rest (and best?) part of the song. At least in that case though they recorded the act one finale and Kelli's "Some Enchanted Evening" reprise in the second act. The Barnes and Noble version even had additional "Bali Ha'i" reprises. This is just downright lazy."

 

That Barnes and Noble edition is frustrating.  Two instrumental (ie karaoke tracks) and then a few short little bits that easily would have been welcome in the main recording (I think they amounted to 3 or 4 minutes.)  At least when they did the same with Patti's Gypsy, the bonus disc had enough added material to make sense of the bonus (ie exit music, etc.)

 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:35am

Seriously, aside from the welcome addition of the ballet, this doesn't seem to have much more, on first glance, then my go to disc, the masterfully produced by Thomas Z Shepherd 1970s revival recording.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:42am

Kelli sounds lovely and Ruthie is great, but all the cutting made this recording very rushed. Too bad, it had the potential to be great.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:52am

Did they preserve the entirety of "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You?" It's a pet peeve of mind when recordings cut that number. It's my favorite in the whole show.

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:54am

It's 4:40, so I don't think so.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 6:02am

I don't understand this new trend in revisiting overtures to no particular impact or improvement.  I will never forget the disappointment of hearing the last (Jonathan Pryce starring) revival of "My Fair Lady" in the West End begin without the iconic opening notes. For me, they absolutely define the piece, a mysterious cornerstone, its emotional point of access.  Sometimes, the smallest changes (not small to me, but to others) can feel the most egregious.  It's subjective, but for me overtures are sacred. 

[tazber]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 6:10am

"Well, Ken Wantanabe is more understandable on the recording than he was when I saw the third preview. I love what they recorded, but still can't get over what they cut."

 

I know people are saying his diction isn't all that bad, and maybe (hopefully) he's better now, but the performance I saw he was completely unintelligible.

It was so annoying I just glazed over whenever he would speak.

Oddly however, I still thought he gave a good performance.

 

I'm also not a fan of too much dialogue. A little bit for continuity is fine. But Fun Home is almost the entire show. Thank goodness they separate them so I skip over the spoken tracks.

 

 

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 06:10 AM

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 6:11am

I am very thankful of that. Honestly, I think that even if it is just like 3 seconds of dialogue, they should put it on a separate track because that way when I have a playlist it's just the songs.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 7:37am

It depends on the dialogue... but I love The Letter scene being included in the cast recording

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 10:00am

Tazber, I saw the show last week and was in the last row of the loge and I understood Ken Watanabe about 90% of the time. A friend of mine was at that same performance and had houseseats and said he was unintelligible. 

Although this was a gorgeous production, I came away disappointed.  I thought Kelli sang beautifully, but nothing she did registered with me.  I prefer the songs for Anna in the lower key.  The one person who made the biggest impression was Jon Viktor Corpuz (Prince Chulalongkorn).  He drew my attention every time he set foot on the stage. 

The present revival certainly didn't bring me as much enjoyment as the '96 revival had.

From what I've read on this thread, I think I'll skip the new recording.

[followspot]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 10:42am

For anyone with Spotify, the full recording is now available for streaming.

[RW3]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 10:52am

Admittedly, I don't know this show as well as I do other R and H shows, so I couldn't tell where the cuts were. However, Kelli O'hara sounds gorgeous as ever.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 12:07am

"Admittedly, I don't know this show as well as I do other R and H shows, so I couldn't tell where the cuts were. However, Kelli O'hara sounds gorgeous as ever."

Agreed, RW3. I know The King and I fairly well, but not inside and out like many on BWW and therefore don't immediately recognize the truncations. Kelli sounds magnificent and makes the recording worth the effort for me personally!

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 12:29am

Most of the cuts are still devastating, but at least the sound quality is way better than on the South Pacific recording, which was so damn quiet!

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 12:34am

Also, not recording the second part of "Something Wonderful" is another egregious cut. 

Why cut such great stuff and record the pretty pointless "Royal Bangkok Academy?"

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 12:34 AM

[vfd88]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 8:47am

"Most of the cuts are still devastating, but at least the sound quality is way better than on the South Pacific recording, which was so damn quiet!"

Oh good, I always thought I was crazy for thinking that!

I like this recording alright, the orchestra and Kelli sound great, but the cuts are pretty bizarre. Especially the way they end the Finale.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:27am

"Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You" I *think* is in the full. I know there are some cuts in the finale. And the small reprise of "Hello, Young Lovers". What else is there in particular? March of the White Elephant, or whatever its called is missing.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:54am

The Act 1 Finale is gone. The second part/reprise of "Something Wonderful." "A Puzzlement" is missing the verse about what the King will teach his son. The dance breaks in "Getting to Know You" are cut. They could have recorded the opening scene on the dock which features some amazing orchestrations, some recordings have included this. The March of the White Elephant is mostly cut in this production, save for a few opening measures. 

Really bizarre cuts. 

[followspot]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:57am

This recording is all about the women — Kelli O'Hara, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Ashley Park are glorious.  And thank goodness for that, because everything else feels a little lightweight and rushed.

The inclusion of the routinely cut "A Puzzlement" reprise and the delightful "Western People Funny" is welcome.  But the exclusion of "Act One Finale," "Hello Young Lovers" reprise, and "The Letter" — nine minutes of material, all of it carrying significant dramatic tension and weight — is damaging.  Add a bizarre "happy ending" edit of the closing dialogue and orchestration, and it almost seems a purposeful intention to erase the second act's drama. (You would never guess from this recording that tragedy has struck not just once, but thrice, and a kingdom has been altered.)  Strange choices, ultimately not properly reflecting the musical itself or this very strong production.

But still — those women!

Grade: B+

 

Updated On: 6/5/15 at 09:57 AM

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:59am

I got this on iTunes yesterday and for some reason "Western People Funny" won't download (It just says "waiting..." For what, I don't know.)

 

But anyway, it does seem to go by very quickly as there have been many cuts. I actually appreciate the lack of extended dialogue, but things such as cutting the second part of "Something Wonderful" are, in my opinion, floggable offenses. Paradoxically, I do appreciate the cutting of the finale to the main moments (it plays right at three minutes). The main attractions for me here are Kelli's performance (except for "Shall I Tell You...", where I still wanted more convincing fire and passion) and that Lincoln Center orchestra going to town on those glorious original orchestrations. Ashley Park also sounds wonderful. Loved Ruthie Ann Miles in the show, but she only gets about two and a half minutes on my play, because of the "SW" cut and the fact that "WPF" won't download.

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 09:59 AM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 10:08am

ljay889, are those cuts on any other recording?

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 10:13am

Yes. The 1977 recording is mostly complete, but missing the ballet. It's an absolutely lovely and lush recording. 

Jay Records also has a two disc complete recording.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 10:18am

I just bought the 1977 recording a few weeks ago, who knew it was 96% complete! And, I don't know about the other one!

Maybe a "Live From Lincoln Centre" performance for the "complete score"