Being a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, I had to have this CD. It is a good CD to buy if you are a die-hard fan of the King and I. However, it probably isn't the best one to buy if you want just one recording of it. Donna Murphy is the best thing about this CD. For some reason, I just can't get Yul Brynner's King out of my head, and for that reason, it is harder to accept Lou Diamond Phillips. He is good, don't get me wrong, but The King and I without Yul Brynner is somewhat strange. The orchestrations are fine, and retain that classic Rodgers sound. The whole recording though, and I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, has a weird kind of sound quality to it. It is heavily compressed and has an artificial sound to it. The equalization seems to emphasize the middle high frequencies too much. Overall, the 1977 Revival cast recording I feel is better, though I would prefer Donna Murphy over Constance Towers. But this is worth buying if you are curious to see what the King and I is up to these days.

The lavish 1996 revival of THE KING AND I is given the grand treatment in its beautiful cast-album. It preserves the Tony-winning performance of Donna Murphy as Mrs Anna along with a stellar cast.

Donna Murphy is perhaps the biggest reason for buying this particular recording. Her replacements in the show, Barbara McCulloh, Faith Prince and Marie Osmond, failed to capture all the color and pathos she brought to the part of Mrs Anna. Her "Hello Young Lovers" is quite affecting, and her "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" is eccentric and funny.

Lou Diamond Phillips crawls out from under the shadow of Yul Brynner to create a young, virile King with a wicked sense of humor. His "Is a Puzzlement" had me discovering new aspects that I had failed to realize in earlier recordings.

The rest of the cast is sensational: Jose Llana (the latest FLOWER DRUM SONG) is a dashing Lun Tha; Joohee Choi is a heartbreaking Tuptim and Taewon Kim is a worldly and wise Lady Thiang. The recording moves along swiftly, due in no small part to the truncated Overture (which is more effective than the hackneyed original).

Highly-recommended.

Do you listen to Donna Murphy and think you're hearing Julie Andrews? I do. Phillips sounds like no one else. They're both marvelous.

The highly praised and awarded 1996 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" is preserved very well on this recording. The orchestrations are "deeper" now, and owing more to Asian motifs, but they work. Also, all of the cast, except the Caucasian parts, ARE Asians, and for the most part, particularly the Tuptim and Lady Thaing, they are good. Lou Diamond Phillips is no Yul Brynner, but he's decent, if a bit over-eager and boyish. And anyway, who could be as good as Brynner was in the part of the King? And then there is Donna Murphy. Her Anna is wonderful, very well-textured and sung beautifully and "veddy" British. She won a well-deserved Tony for the role. The score is just as magnificent as ever, well-delivered by the entire cast. This is a good recording, but get one with Brynner, too. His great performance should never be forgotten.

This recording really helped me understand what a great musical this is. I never liked Gertrude Laurence, so the original cast album was a bit lost on me. Donna Murphy reveals depths in the character of Anna that I doubt Gertie even knew about. And the controversial casting of Lou Diamond Phillips clearly paid off: he is sensational. Some re-orchestration has been done, subtly but tellingly. The only negative note: it makes those of us unlucky enough not to have seen this revival feel very sad. This is the one recording of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's wonderful work that is truly not to be missed!