The King and I is the soundtrack to the 1956film of the same name which was distinguished from the Broadway cast album chiefly by Alfred Newman's expanded orchestrations and by the presence of Marni Nixon in the role of Anna Leonowens. On film, the part was played by Deborah Kerr, but Nixon, one of the best invisible voices in Hollywood (she also ghosted Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady) is the wonderful singer of songs like "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Getting to Know You," sung onstage by Gertrude Lawrence, who died before the film was made. Yul Brynner repeats his performance as the king, and Rita Moreno gets to play Tuptim and sing "We Kiss in a Shadow." This is a Hollywood adaptation done right -- bigger and more dramatic than Broadway can be, with a show that benefits from the frills -- and makes you wonder why they didn't always do as well.
Anna Leonowens • Louis Leonowens • King Mongkut • Moonshee • Rama • Tusker • Prince Chulalongkorn • Tuptim • The Royal Children • Kralahome • Master Little • Sir Edward Ramsey
