Rose-Marie (1958 cast recording)

Produced by RCA Victor in 1958, this recording captures the melodies and romantic storyline of the 1924 Broadway musical, which is notable for being the first Broadway musical set in Canada and the first to play at London's Drury Lane Theatre.^[2][3] The story, set in the Canadian Rockies, follows Rose-Marie, a young woman who falls in love with a Mountie, and features songs such as "Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie" and "Totem Tom-Tom".^[3][4] The recording was made in London, with Lehman Engel directing the Michael Sammes Singers and the New Symphony Orchestra,^[2] and it benefits from the advancements in stereophonic sound technology of the time. The stereo LP was the most complete recording of the musical to date.^[5]

Julie Andrews takes on the role of Rose-Marie, a partially Native American character, even though she does not adopt the pidgin English originally associated with the role.^[4] Giorgio Tozzi, an accomplished opera singer,^[6] provides a counterpoint to Andrews' lighter, more lyrical voice. According to some critics, their duets, particularly "Indian Love Call", are highlights of the recording.

In 1966, when Andrews was at the peak of her career after her film productions Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, RCA of Australia declared "May Is Julie Andrews Month" and launched a promotional campaign featuring four albums by the beloved star: The Lass with the Delicate Air, Rose-Marie, The Boy Friend, and Julie Andrews Sings.^[7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

Cash Box considered it "a fine, faithful revival of the melodic work".^[8] The Sun and The Sunday Sun praised the stereo recording, highlighting the chemistry between Andrews and Tozzi in their duet "Indian Love Call".^[2][9] The Montreal Gazette wrote: "It is a good production although Tozzi overshadows Julie Andrews vocally".^[10]

Meanwhile, Ottawa Citizen noted that the singers "are in great vocal form",^[6] and the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix stated that the musical's melodies and the strong performances of the leads, made it "a very acceptable record".^[3] The French journal L'Action Catholique wrote that "Julie Andrews and Giorgio Tozzi, sing with style, and we truly have light music of a classical kind rather than strident 'popular' music".^[11]

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic while reviewing the 2009 edition, Selections from Rose-Marie, wrote: "There isn't any real effort at character realism here, as the singers simply try to sing the score as well as they can, and that turns out to be very good".^[4]

In 2009, the Sepia Records released the 1958 studio cast recording along with additional historical material such as tracks from the original 1925 London cast and performances by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy from the 1936 film.^[12] This unauthorized edition was possible because the original recording had entered the public domain in Europe. According to William Ruhlmann of AllMusic, while not an authorized release, the Sepia version offers a unique comparative perspective on the musical's legacy^[4] The CD was rated three out of five stars by Stage on Disc website.^[12] Another CD by Flare Record (also unauthorized thanks to European public domain) was released the same year. It was titled Rose-Marie • Show Boat, and includes all the songs from both cast recording original albums. It received no stars (out of five) from Cast Albums Reviews website,^[13] and three and a half stars from AllMusic.^[14]