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Roger Moore as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I (1992)
In April 1992 Roger Moore took a small part (as Sir Edward Ramsay) in a studio recording of the popular musical The King and I based upon the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The musical was composed by Richard Rodgers and written by Oscar Hammersmith in 1950 and it was originally conceived by Gertrude Lawrence as a vehicle for her return to the musical stage.
The King and I opened at the St. James Theatre on March 29, 1951 and ran for 1,246 performances. After Miss Lawrence's death in 1952, the part of Anna was played by Constance Carpenter, Annamary Dickey and Patricia Morison. In 1956, Yul Brynner starred in the film version with Deborah Kerr. A major Broadway revival was staged in 1996 with Lou Diamond Phillips playing the part of the King.
The 1992 rendition of the musical is a studio recreation by The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by John Mauceri, with soloists Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley. The album with the recording was originally released thru Phillips Classics on October 6, 1992.
Mauceri has opted to use the orchestrations developed for the movie version, which gives the score an added sweep and depth. This is the exception to the many opera-singers-doing-a-musical recreations we've been seeing over the last few years. It makes you wish Andrews and company would take it to New York. - William Ruhlmann for AllMusic.com
The release of the new studio version of The King and I was accompanied by an Emmy nominated TV special The King and I: Recording a Hollywood Dream. It featured interviews with most of the artists involved in the project, including Roger Moore.
CD track list:
1. Main Title - 1:35
2. Harbour - 0:24
3. I Whistle a Happy Tune - 2:27
4. Welcome to Bangkok - 2:31
5. My Lord and Master - 2:10
6. March of the Siamese Children - 3:31
7. Anna Unpacks - 2:40
8. Hello, Young Lovers - 3:13
9. Home Sweet Home - 1:42
10. A Puzzlement - 3:07
11. Getting to Know You - 4:44
12. Garden Scene - 2:43
13. We Kiss in a Shadow - 4:37
14. Shall I Tell You What I Think of You? - 3:51
15. Something Wonderful - 3:37
16. Temple Scene - 2:50
17. Banquet Scene - 2:48
18. I Have Dreamed - 3:39
19. Song of the King - 2:24
20. Shall We Dance? - 4:23
21. Finale Ultimo - 5:46
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