''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
with a book by
Dale Wasserman
Dale Wasserman (November 2, 1914 – December 21, 2008) was an American playwright, perhaps best known for his book for Man of La Mancha.
Early life
Dale Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the child of Russian immigrants Samuel W ...
, music by
Mitch Leigh
Mitch Leigh (born Irwin Michnick; January 30, 1928March 16, 2014) was an American musical theatre composer and theatrical producer best known for the musical ''Man of La Mancha''.
Biography Early years
Leigh was born in Brooklyn, New York as Irw ...
, and lyrics by
Joe Darion
Joe Darion (30 January 1917 — 16 June 2001) was an American musical theatre lyricist, most famous for '' Man of La Mancha'', which is considered, by some critics, as a precursor to 1980s sung-through musicals such as '' Les Miserables''.
Dario ...
. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959
teleplay
A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or an ...
''
I, Don Quixote
''I, Don Quixote'' is a non-musical play written for television and directed by Karl Genus. It was broadcast in season 3 of the CBS anthology series ''DuPont Show of the Month'' on the evening of November 9, 1959. Written by Dale Wasserman, the pl ...
'', which was in turn inspired by
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...
and his 17th-century novel ''
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...
''. It tells the story of the "mad" knight Don Quixote as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
. The work is not and does not pretend to be a faithful rendition of either Cervantes' life or ''Don Quixote''. Wasserman complained repeatedly about people taking the work as a musical version of ''Don Quixote''.
The original 1965
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production ran for 2,328 performances and won five
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
s, including Best Musical. The musical has been revived four times on Broadway, becoming one of the most enduring works of musical theatre.
['Man of La Mancha' Broadway listings, 1965, 1972, 1977, 1992, and 2002]
Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 26, 2010
"
The Impossible Dream", the principal song in the show, became a
standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
. The musical has played in many other countries around the world, with productions in Dutch, French (translation by
Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
), German, Hebrew, Irish, Estonian, Japanese, Korean, Bengali, Gujarati, Uzbek, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swahili, Finnish, Chinese, Ukrainian, Turkish, and nine distinctly different dialects of the Spanish language.
''Man of La Mancha'' was first performed at the
Goodspeed Opera House
Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...
in
East Haddam, Connecticut
East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...
, in 1965, and had its New York premiere on the
thrust stage
In theatre, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performe ...
of the
ANTA Washington Square Theatre
The ANTA Washington Square Theatre was a theatre located on 40 West Fourth Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. It was run by the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) and initial home to the Repertory Theatre of Lin ...
in 1965.
History
''Man of La Mancha'' started as a non-musical teleplay written by
Dale Wasserman
Dale Wasserman (November 2, 1914 – December 21, 2008) was an American playwright, perhaps best known for his book for Man of La Mancha.
Early life
Dale Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the child of Russian immigrants Samuel W ...
for CBS's ''
DuPont Show of the Month
''DuPont Show of the Month'' was a 90-minute television anthology series that aired monthly on CBS from 1957 to 1961. The DuPont Company also sponsored a weekly half-hour dramatic anthology series hosted by June Allyson, ''The DuPont Show with Jun ...
'' program. This original telecast starred
Lee J. Cobb
Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...
,
Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Rose Dewhurst (3 June 1924 – 22 August 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early drama ...
(who replaced
Viveca Lindfors
Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Biography
Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the da ...
), and
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...
and was performed on a television sound stage. The
DuPont Corporation
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
disliked the title ''Man of La Mancha'', thinking that its viewing audience would not know what
La Mancha
La Mancha () is a natural and historical region located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. La Mancha is an arid but fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to the ...
actually meant, so a new title, ''
I, Don Quixote
''I, Don Quixote'' is a non-musical play written for television and directed by Karl Genus. It was broadcast in season 3 of the CBS anthology series ''DuPont Show of the Month'' on the evening of November 9, 1959. Written by Dale Wasserman, the pl ...
'', was chosen. The play was broadcast live on November 9, 1959, with an estimated audience of 20 million. The New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, Billy Rose Collection, has a rare tape of this broadcast.
Years after this television broadcast and after the original teleplay had been unsuccessfully optioned as a non-musical Broadway play, director
Albert Marre
Albert Marre (September 20, 1924 – September 4, 2012) was an American stage director and producer. He directed the stage musical '' Man of La Mancha'' in 1965, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.
Biography Early life ...
called Wasserman and suggested that he turn his play into a musical. Mitch Leigh was selected as composer, with orchestrations by Carlyle W. Hall. Unusually for the time, this show was scored for an orchestra with no violins or other traditional orchestral stringed instruments apart from a double bass, instead making heavier use of brass, woodwinds, percussion and utilizing flamenco guitars as the only stringed instruments of any sort.
The original lyricist of the musical was poet
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
, but his lyrics were discarded, some of them considered too overtly satiric and biting, attacking the bourgeois audience at times. Auden's lyrics were replaced by those of Joe Darion.
Productions
The musical first played at the
Goodspeed Opera House
Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...
in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
in 1965.
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play ''French Without Tears'', in what ...
was to be the original star of this production, but although Harrison had starred in a musical role in the stage and film versions of ''
My Fair Lady
''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...
'', the musical demands of the role of Don Quixote were too heavy for him.
After 22 previews, the musical opened
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
at the experimental
thrust-stage ANTA Washington Square Theatre
The ANTA Washington Square Theatre was a theatre located on 40 West Fourth Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. It was run by the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) and initial home to the Repertory Theatre of Lin ...
in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
on November 22, 1965. The show moved to Broadway to the
Martin Beck Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and ...
on March 20, 1968, then to the
Eden Theatre
Village East by Angelika (originally the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theatre, also Village East, and formerly known by several other names) is a movie theater at 189 Second Avenue, on the corner with 12th Street, in the East Village of Manhattan in N ...
on March 3, 1971, and finally to the
Mark Hellinger Theatre
The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway thea ...
on May 26, 1971, for its last month, a total original Broadway run of 2,328 performances. Musical staging and direction were by Albert Marre, choreography was by
Jack Cole, and
Howard Bay was the scenic and lighting designer, with costumes by Bay and Patton Campbell.
[
]Richard Kiley
Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical. Kiley ...
won a Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
for his performance as Cervantes/Quixote in the original production, and it made Kiley a bona fide Broadway star. Kiley was replaced in the original Broadway run by first Jose Ferrer
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galile ...
on Broadway and in the 1966 National Tour, and then by operatic baritone David Atkinson. Atkinson also performed Cervantes/Quixote in the 1968 National Tour and for all of the matinee performances in the 1972 Broadway revival, which also starred Kiley.
The original cast also included Irving Jacobson (Sancho), Ray Middleton (Innkeeper), Robert Rounseville
Robert Rounseville (25 March 19146 August 1974) was an American actor and tenor, who appeared in opera, operetta, Broadway musicals, and motion pictures.
Career
Rounseville was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He made his Broadway debut in a sma ...
(The Padre), and Joan Diener
Joan Diener (February 24, 1930 – May 13, 2006) was an American theatre actress and singer with a three-and-a-half-octave range.
Early life
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Diener majored in psychology at Sarah Lawrence College and moonlighted as ...
(Aldonza). John Cullum
John Cullum (born circa 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and ''On the Twentieth Century'' (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Mus ...
, Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...
, and Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
also played Cervantes and Don Quixote during the run of the production.[ Keith Andes also played the role.
The musical was performed on a single set that suggested a dungeon. All changes in location were created by alterations in the lighting, by the use of props supposedly lying around the floor of the dungeon, and by reliance on the audience's imagination. More recent productions, however, have added more scenery.
The original West End London production was at the ]Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England.
Early years
Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...
, opening on April 24, 1968, and running for 253 performances. Keith Michell
Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...
starred, with Joan Diener reprising her original role and Bernard Spear
Bernard Spear (11 September 1919 – 9 May 2003) was an English actor.
Early life
Spear was born on 11 September 1919 in Croydon, Surrey, to a Polish-Jewish father and a Russian-Jewish mother. He was educated at Central Federation School in ...
as Sancho.
The play has been revived on Broadway four times:[
* 1972 – with ]Richard Kiley
Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical. Kiley ...
as Cervantes/Quixote, running for 140 performances
* 1977 – with Richard Kiley as Cervantes/Quixote, Tony Martinez as Sancho Panza and Emily Yancy as Aldonza/Dulcinea, running for 124 performances
* 1992 – with Raul Julia
Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...
as Cervantes/Quixote and Sheena Easton
Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...
as Aldonza/Dulcinea, running for 108 performances. Easton was replaced late in the run by Joan Diener.
* 2002 – with Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...
as Cervantes/Quixote, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (born November 17, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in the 1980 revival of ''West Side Story'', and went on to appear in the 1983 film '' Scarface'' as Al Pacino's character's siste ...
as Aldonza/Dulcinea, and Ernie Sabella
Ernest Sabella (born September 19, 1949) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Pumbaa from ''The Lion King'' franchise, voicing the character in all media except the 2019 film. Sabella's TV roles include Mr. Donal ...
as Sancho Panza, running for 304 performances; Marin Mazzie
Marin Joy Mazzie (October 9, 1960 – September 13, 2018) was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.
Mazzie was a three-time Tony Award nominee, for her performances as Clara in '' Passion'' (1994), Mother in ''R ...
took over as Aldonza (Dulcinea) on July 1, 2003. This production featured Scenic and Costume Design by Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Brown was both the co-founder and first coach of the Clevela ...
, Lighting Design by Paul Gallo
Paul Gallo (born February 24, 1953) is an American theatrical lighting designer.
In a career that spans over 4 decades, Gallo has designed over 52 Broadway productions, an achievement matched by only 8 other lighting designers. He made his Br ...
, Sound design by Tony Meola and Projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy
Elaine J. McCarthy (born May 11, 1966) is an American projection and video designer for theater and opera.David Johnson"The Next Generation of Projection Design" ''Live Design'', May 1, 2003
Early life
She was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, and ...
.
In the film ''Man of La Mancha
''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...
'' (1972), the title role went to Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...
(singing voice dubbed by Simon Gilbert), James Coco
James Emil Coco (March 21, 1930 – February 25, 1987) was an American stage and screen actor. He was the recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a Drama Desk Award and three Obie Awards, as well as nominations for a Tony Award, an Academy Awards, ...
was Sancho, and Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
was Aldonza.
Hal Linden
Hal Linden (born Harold Lipshitz, March 20, 1931) is an American stage and screen actor, television director and musician.
Linden began his career as a big band musician and singer in the 1950s. After a stint in the United States Army, he began ...
played Quixote in the show's 1988 U.S. National tour, and Robert Goulet
Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...
played Quixote in the 1997–98 U.S. National tour.
A studio-made recording of the score was released in 1996, conducted by Paul Gemignani Paul Gemignani is an American musical director with a career on Broadway and West End theatre spanning over forty years.
Career
Gemignani began his career in 1971 as a replacement musical director for Stephen Sondheim's ''Follies'', eventually le ...
and starring Plácido Domingo
José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
as Quixote, Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...
as Sancho, Julia Migenes
Julia Migenes (born March 13, 1943) is an American soprano working primarily in musical theatre repertoire. She was born on the Lower East Side of New York (Manhattan) to parents of Irish and Puerto Rican descent. (Her stepfather was of Greek ...
as Aldonza, Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), ''Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awar ...
as the Priest and Samuel Ramey
Samuel Edward Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass.
At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing t ...
as the Innkeeper.
In 2014, ''Man of La Mancha'' featured as part of the Stratford Festival
The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...
in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the William Shakespeare, Shakespeare canon, but its seasons inc ...
produced ''Man of La Mancha'' as part of their 2014–2015 season. The production starred Anthony Warlow as Quixote and Amber Iman as Aldonza/Dulcinea.
In 2019, the play received a West End revival with a production at the London Coliseum
The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...
. Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...
starred as Cervantes/Quixote, Danielle de Niese
Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to wi ...
and Cassidy Janson
Cassidy Janson (born 30 July 1980) is a British actress, known for her work in musical theatre. She won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for ''& Juliet''.
Stage career
In 2005 Janson appeared in '' Tick, Ti ...
as Aldonza/Dulcinea, Peter Polycarpou
Peter Polycarpou is an English-Cypriot actor, best known for playing Chris Theodopolopodous in the television comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' and Louis Charalambos in ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies''.
Early life
Polycarpou w ...
as Sancho, and Nicholas Lyndhurst
Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and became best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1981–2003). He also had major roles in other ...
as the Governor/Innkeeper.
Synopsis
In the late sixteenth century, failed author-soldier-actor and tax collector Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...
has been thrown into a dungeon by the Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
, along with his manservant. They have been charged with foreclosing on a monastery. Their fellow prisoners attack them, eager to steal the contents of the large trunk Cervantes has brought with him. However, a sympathetic criminal known as "the Governor" suggests setting up a mock trial instead. Only if Cervantes is found guilty will he have to hand over his possessions. A cynical prisoner, known as "the Duke," charges Cervantes with being an idealist and a bad poet. Cervantes pleads guilty, but then asks if he may offer a defense, in the form of a play, acted out by him and all the prisoners. The "Governor" agrees.
Cervantes takes out a makeup kit and costume from his trunk, and transforms himself into Alonso Quijano, an old gentleman who has read so many books of chivalry and thought so much about injustice that he has lost his mind and set out as a knight-errant
A knight-errant (or knight errant) is a figure of medieval chivalric romance literature. The adjective '' errant'' (meaning "wandering, roving") indicates how the knight-errant would wander the land in search of adventures to prove his chivalric ...
. Quijano renames himself Don Quixote de La Mancha, and goes off to find adventures with his "squire", Sancho Panza. ("Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)")
Don Quixote warns Sancho that they are always in danger of being attacked by Quixote's mortal enemy, an evil magician known as the Enchanter. Suddenly he spots a windmill, mistakes it for a four-armed giant, attacks it, and receives a beating from the encounter. Quixote decides that he lost the battle because he was never properly knighted. He then mistakes a rundown inn for a castle and orders Sancho to announce their arrival by blowing his bugle.
Cervantes talks some prisoners into assuming the roles of the inn's serving wench and part-time prostitute Aldonza, and a group of muleteers who are propositioning her. Aldonza fends them off sarcastically ("It's All The Same"), but eventually deigns to accept their leader, Pedro, who pays in advance.
Don Quixote enters with Sancho, asking for the lord of the castle. The Innkeeper (played by The Governor) humors Don Quixote as best he can. Quixote sees Aldonza and declares that she is his lady, Dulcinea, to whom he has sworn eternal loyalty ("Dulcinea"). Aldonza, used to rough treatment, is first flabbergasted and then annoyed at Quixote's kindness, and is further aggravated when the Muleteers turn Quixote's tender ballad into a mocking serenade.
Meanwhile, Antonia, Don Quixote's niece, has gone with Quixote's housekeeper to seek advice from the local priest, who realizes that the two women are more concerned with the embarrassment Quixote's madness may bring them than with his actual welfare ("I'm Only Thinking of Him").
Cervantes chooses "the Duke" to play Dr. Sanson Carrasco, Antonia's fiancé, a man just as cynical and self-centered as the prisoner who is playing him. Carrasco is upset at the idea of marrying into the family of a madman, but the priest convinces Carrasco that it would be a worthy challenge to use his abilities to cure his prospective uncle-in-law. Carrasco and the priest set out to bring Don Quixote back home ("I'm Only Thinking of Him eprise).
Back at the inn, Sancho delivers a missive
A letter is a written message conveyed from one person (or group of people) to another through a medium. Something epistolary means that it is a form of letter writing. The term usually excludes written material intended to be read in its origina ...
from Don Quixote to Aldonza courting her favor and asking for a token of her esteem. Aldonza provides the requested token: an old dishrag. She asks Sancho why he follows Quixote, but he can come up with no explanation other than "I Really Like Him". Alone, Aldonza ponders Quixote's behavior and her inability to laugh at him ("What Do You Want of Me?"). In the courtyard, the muleteers once again taunt Aldonza with a suggestive song ("Little Bird, Little Bird"). Pedro makes arrangements with her for an assignation later.
The priest and Dr. Carrasco arrive, but cannot reason with Don Quixote. Quixote becomes distracted by a barber who passes by the inn, wearing his shaving basin on his head to ward off the sun's heat ("The Barber's Song"). Quixote threatens the barber with a sword and snatches the basin, declaring it is the "Golden Helmet of Mambrino
Mambrino was a fictional Moorish king, celebrated in the romances of chivalry. His first appearance is in the late fourteenth-century ''Cantari di Rinaldo'', also known as ''Rinaldo da Monte Albano'', ''Rinaldo Innamorato'' or ''Innamoramento di R ...
", which makes its wearer invulnerable. Dr. Carrasco and the priest leave, with the priest impressed by Don Quixote's view of life and wondering if curing him is really worthwhile ("To Each His Dulcinea").
Quixote still wishes to be officially dubbed a knight: he plans to stand vigil all night over his armor in the inn's courtyard, and then have the Innkeeper (whom he mistakes for a nobleman) grant him knighthood the following morning. Aldonza encounters Quixote in the courtyard and confronts him; Quixote does his best to explain the ideals he follows and the quest he is on ("The Impossible Dream"). Pedro enters, furious at being kept waiting, and slaps Aldonza. Enraged, Don Quixote takes him and all the other muleteers on in a fight ("The Combat"). Don Quixote has no martial skill, but by luck and determination – and with the help of Aldonza and Sancho – he prevails, and the muleteers are all knocked unconscious. But the noise attracts the attention of the Innkeeper, who tells Quixote that he must leave. Quixote apologizes for the trouble but reminds the Innkeeper of his promise to dub him knight. The Innkeeper does so ("Knight of the Woeful Countenance").
Quixote then declares that he must comfort the wounded muleteers, because chivalry requires kindness to one's enemies. Aldonza, impressed, says that she will help the muleteers instead. But when she comes to them with bandages, they beat her, rape her, and carry her off ("The Abduction"). Quixote, unaware of this, contemplates his recent victory and new knighthood ("The Impossible Dream" – first reprise).
At this point, the Don Quixote play is brutally interrupted when the Inquisition enters the dungeon and drags off an unwilling prisoner to be tried. The Duke taunts Cervantes for his look of fear, and accuses him of not facing reality. This prompts Cervantes to passionately defend his idealism.
The Don Quixote play resumes ("Man of La Mancha" – first reprise). Quixote and Sancho have left the inn and encounter a band of Gypsies ("Moorish Dance") who take advantage of Quixote's naiveté and steal everything they own, including Quixote's horse Rocinante and Sancho's donkey Dapple. Quixote and Sancho are forced to return to the inn. Aldonza also shows up at the inn, bruised and ashamed. Quixote swears to avenge her, but she tells him off, flinging her real, pitiful history in his face and blaming him for allowing her a glimpse of a life she can never have. She begs him to see her as she really is but Quixote can only see her as his Dulcinea ("Aldonza").
Suddenly, another knight enters. He announces himself as Don Quixote's mortal enemy, the Enchanter, in the form of the "Knight of the Mirrors". He insults Aldonza, so Quixote challenges him to combat. The Knight of the Mirrors and his attendants bear huge mirrored shields, and as they swing them at Quixote ("Knight of the Mirrors"), the glare blinds him. The Knight taunts Quixote, forcing him to see himself as the world sees him: a fool and a madman. Don Quixote collapses, weeping. The Knight of the Mirrors removes his helmet – he is really Dr. Carrasco, returned with his latest plan to cure Quixote.
Cervantes announces that the story is finished, but the prisoners are dissatisfied with the ending. They prepare to burn his manuscript when he asks for the chance to present one last scene. The governor agrees.
Quixote is back at home, and has fallen into a coma. Sancho tries to cheer him up ("A Little Gossip"), and Alonso opens his eyes. He is now sane: he gives his name as Alonso Quijano and thinks his knightly career was just a dream. However, he feels close to death, and asks the priest to help him make out his will. Aldonza suddenly forces her way into the room. She has come to visit Quixote because she can no longer bear to be anyone but Dulcinea. When he does not recognize her, she sings a reprise of "Dulcinea" and tries to help him remember the words of "The Impossible Dream." Suddenly, he remembers everything and rises from his bed, calling for his armor and sword so that he may set out again ("Man of La Mancha" – second reprise). But it is too late – in mid-song, he cries out and falls dead. The priest sings "The Psalm" (Psalm 130
Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of the penitential psalms and one of 15 psalms that begin with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). The first verse is a call to God in deep sorrow, from "out of the depths" or "o ...
in Latin) for the dead. Sancho is distraught at his friend's death. Aldonza tries to comfort him, saying that Alonso Quijano may be dead but Don Quixote lives on. When Sancho addresses her as Aldonza, she replies, "My name is Dulcinea."
The Inquisition enters to take Cervantes to his trial, and the prisoners, finding him not guilty, return his manuscript. It is his (as yet) unfinished novel, ''Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...
''. As Cervantes and his servant mount the staircase to go to their impending trial, the prisoners, led by the girl who played Dulcinea, sing "The Impossible Dream" in chorus.
Musical numbers
* "Overture"
* "Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)" – Don Quixote, Sancho
* "Food, Wine, Aldonza!" – Muleteers
* "It's All the Same" – Aldonza
* "Dulcinea" – Don Quixote
* "I'm Only Thinking of Him" – Antonia, Padre, Housekeeper
* "We're Only Thinking of Him" – Antonia, Carasco, Padre, Housekeeper
* "The Missive" – Sancho
* "I Really Like Him" – Sancho
* "What Does He Want of Me?" – Aldonza
* "Little Bird, Little Bird" – Muleteers
* "Barber's song" – Barber
* "Golden Helmet of Mambrino" – Don Quixote, Sancho & Barber
* "To Each His Dulcinea" – Padre
* " The Impossible Dream" – Don Quixote
* "The Combat (instrumental)" – orchestra
* "The Dubbing" – Innkeeper, Aldonza & Sancho
* "Knight of the Woeful Countenance" - Innkeeper
* "Little Bird, Little Bird (reprise)" leading into an instrumental entitled...
* "The Abduction" – Muleteers
* "The Impossible Dream (reprise)" – Don Quixote
* "Man of La Mancha (reprise)" – Don Quixote
* "Moorish Dance (instrumental)" – Moors
* "Aldonza" – Aldonza
* "Knight of the Mirrors (choreographed instrumental sequence)" – orchestra
* "A Little Gossip" – Sancho
* "Dulcinea (reprise)" – Aldonza
* "The Impossible Dream (reprise)" – Aldonza & Don Quixote
* "Man of La Mancha (reprise)" – Don Quixote, Aldonza & Sancho
* "The Psalm" – Padre
* "Finale Ultimo: The Impossible Dream (reprise)" – Company
Casts
Original casts
Notable replacements
Broadway (1965–71)
*Don Quixote: David Atkinson, Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
, Claudio Brook
Claudio Brook (born Claude Sydney Brook Marnat, 28 August 1927 – 18 October 1995) was a Mexican actor.
Life
Born in Mexico City, Brook had a prolific career, making around 100 film and television appearances in his 38 years as an actor. ...
, John Cullum
John Cullum (born circa 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and ''On the Twentieth Century'' (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Mus ...
, José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...
, Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...
, Keith Michell
Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...
, Gideon Singer
Gideon Singer ( he, גדעון זינגר; June 29, 1926 – May 11, 2015) was an Israeli actor and singer.
Biography
Born in Brno, Singer emigrated with his family from Czechoslovakia to Israel in 1940 and he was a survivor of the Patria shipwr ...
*Sancho: Tony Martinez, Titos Vandis
Titos Vandis ( el, Τίτος Βανδής; 7 November 1917 – 23 February 2003) was a Greek actor.
Biography
Vandis began his career on the Greek stage in the late 1930s. In 1962, he won the Best Actor award for the film ''Poliorkia'' at ...
*The Innkeeper: Wilbur Evans
Wilbur Whilt "Wib" Evans (August 5, 1905 - May 31, 1987) was an American actor and singer who performed on the radio, in opera, on Broadway in films and early live television.
Biography
Evans was born in Philadelphia, the son of Walter Percy and ...
Broadway Revival (1992)
*Don Quixote: Laurence Guittard
Laurence Guittard (born July 16, 1939) is an American actor and singer, mostly appearing on the Broadway stage. He made his Broadway debut in ''Baker Street'' in 1965. Notable appearances include Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in Stephen Sondheim's ' ...
*Aldonza: Joan Diener
Joan Diener (February 24, 1930 – May 13, 2006) was an American theatre actress and singer with a three-and-a-half-octave range.
Early life
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Diener majored in psychology at Sarah Lawrence College and moonlighted as ...
Broadway Revival (2002–03)
*Aldonza: Marin Mazzie
Marin Joy Mazzie (October 9, 1960 – September 13, 2018) was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.
Mazzie was a three-time Tony Award nominee, for her performances as Clara in '' Passion'' (1994), Mother in ''R ...
Additional Performers
*Don Quixote: Walter Charles
Walter Charles (born April 4, 1945 in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) is an American actor and singer.
Charles made his Broadway debut in '' Grease'' in 1972. Additional Broadway credits include '' 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue'' (1976), ''Sweeney Tod ...
, Robert Cuccioli
Robert Cuccioli (born May 3, 1958) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical ''Jekyll and Hyde'', for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, th ...
, John Davidson, Davis Gaines
Davis Gaines (born January 21, 1954, Orlando, Florida) is an American stage actor.
He has performed as the Phantom in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'' over 2,000 times, on Broadway, on tour, in Los Angeles, and in San ...
, Robert Goulet
Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...
, Ron Holgate
Ronald Holgate (born May 26, 1937, Aberdeen, South Dakota) is an American actor and opera singer. He won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor as Richard Henry Lee in the original Broadway production of ''1776'', a role he reprised in 1972 for ...
, Hal Linden
Hal Linden (born Harold Lipshitz, March 20, 1931) is an American stage and screen actor, television director and musician.
Linden began his career as a big band musician and singer in the 1950s. After a stint in the United States Army, he began ...
, Terrence Mann
Terrence Vaughan Mann (born July 1, 1951) is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is best known for his appearances on the Broadway stage, which include Chester Lyman in ''Barnum'', Rum Tum Tugger in '' Cats'', Javert in '' Les ...
, Ron Raines
Ron Raines (born December 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for the role of Alan Spaulding on the television soap opera '' Guiding Light''. Raines also performs in musical theatre and in concert with symphony orchestras.
Career
Early y ...
, Brent Spiner
Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role for ...
, Anthony Warlow
Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980.
...
*Aldonza: Jackie Burns
Jackie or Jacky may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky
** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore
** Jackie Lee ( ...
, Kim Criswell
Kim Criswell (born July 19, 1957) is an American musical entertainer and actress.
Life and career
Criswell was born in Hampton, Virginia, United States, and grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After she graduated from Hixson High School in subur ...
*Sancho: Avery Saltzman
Avery Saltzman (born 17 June, 1956), is a Canadian actor and theater director. He is artistic director of the Harold Green Jewish Theatre. Saltzman was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and te ...
Translated stage adaptations
Spanish
* The first Spanish production opened in 1966 in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Spain, starring Nati Mistral as Aldonza and the great Spanish baritone Luis Sagi-Vela as Quixote/Cervantes. A cast album was released by Columbia Records featuring four songs, all except the last sung by Sagi-Vela: "The Impossible Dream", "Dulcinea", "Little Bird", and "What Do You Want From Me".
* The first Mexican production premiered on February 19, 1969 at the Teatro Manolo Fábregas in Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, with Mistral reprising her acclaimed Aldonza, Claudio Brook as Quixote/Cervantes, and Oscar Pulido as Sancho Panza. The best-selling cast recording was issued by MCA/Decca on LP, and was later re-issued on CD by Honda Music International.
* A Peruvian cast album was released in 1969 as well.
* José Sacristán
José María Sacristán Turiégano (born 27 September 1937), better known as José Sacristán, is a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor.
At Gijón International Film Festival in 2015, he received the Nacho Martinez Award.
At the 60 ...
and Paloma San Basilio
Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez (born November 22, 1950), known as Paloma San Basilio (), is a Spanish singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She was awarded with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to Latin musi ...
starred in an acclaimed Madrid revival in 1998. A 2-disc cast album was issued by EMI-Odeón, recorded live at Teatro Lope de Vega.
* A 2004 revival opened at the Teatro Calderón in Madrid and also toured throughout Spain, finishing in Barcelona.
* On September 28, 2016, a new production opened at the Teatro de los Insurgentes
Teatro de los Insurgentes ( en, Theater of the Insurgents) is a theater located on Mexico City's Avenida de los Insurgentes.
It was built by José María Dávila in 1953 as part of President Miguel Alemán's program of urban renewal. Dávila c ...
in Mexico City, with Benny Ibarra as Quixote/Cervantes, Ana Brenda Contreras as Aldonza and Carlos Corona as Sancho Panza.
Swedish
* The first Swedish production opened September 1, 1967 at Malmö Stadsteater (now Malmö Opera). Starring in the three lead roles were Lars Ekman, Maj Lindström and K G Lindström.
Hebrew
*A Hebrew-language production was produced by Giora Godik
Giora Godik (1921–1977) was a Polish-born Jewish Israeli theater producer and impresario, famous for bringing musical comedies to Israel. Called the "King of musicals," the 2007 film documentary, " Waiting for Godik", tells the story of his ris ...
in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, in 1967.
German
*The first German language version was written by Robert Gilbert and started on 4 January 1968 in Vienna with Dietrich Haugk
Dietrich Haugk (12 May 1925 – 28 June 2015) was a German film director and voice actor. He was born in Ellrich/Harz, Germany.
He made his stage debut at a theater in Bielefeld in 1946 and has been a noted theater director since 1949 and served as ...
as director. Don Quixote/Cervantes was played by Josef Meinrad
Josef Meinrad (21 April 1913 – 18 February 1996) was an Austrian actor. From 1959 until his death in 1996, Meinrad held the Republic of Austria's Iffland-Ring, which passes from actor to actor — each bequeathing the ring to the next holder, ju ...
, Aldonza by Blanche Aubry and Sancho Panza by Fritz Muliar
Fritz Muliar, born as Friedrich Ludwig Stand (December 12, 1919 – May 4, 2009), was an Austrian actor who, due to his huge popularity, is often referred to by his countrymen as ''Volksschauspieler''.
Biography
Born in Neubau, Vienna as the s ...
. The production was quite successful and subsequentially shown in other German speaking theaters. A recording with the German cast was published by Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
within the same year.
*An Austrian version of the musical, in German, was presented on Austrian television in 1994, with Karl Merkatz
Karl Merkatz (17 November 1930 – 4 December 2022) was an Austrian actor.
Merkatz was born on 17 November 1930 in Wiener Neustadt, the son of a firefighter. He first wanted to become a carpenter. After World War II he was an active Boy Scout ...
(playing Cervantes and Quixote at the age of sixty-four) and Dagmar Hellberg in the leading roles.
French
* A French adaptation premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on December 11, 1968. Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
translated the songs and played the lead (the only time he ever adapted songs written by other writers or appeared in a stage musical). Joan Diener reprised her role as Aldonza (this time singing in French).[ It was recorded and issued in 1968 as the album '']L'Homme de la Mancha
''L'Homme de la Mancha'' ( en, The man of la Mancha) is Jacques Brel's twelfth studio album. Released in 1968, it is the cast recording of the French adaptation of '' The Man of la Mancha'' by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion. Brel adapted the book, tr ...
''.
* Another French version based on Brel's translation was produced in Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
in 1998 and 1999 with José van Dam
Joseph, Baron Van Damme (born 27 August 1940 in Brussels), known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone.
At the age of 17, he entered the Brussels Royal Conservatory and studied with Frederic Anspach. A year later, he graduated with diplo ...
in the lead role.
* In March 2012, French baritone David Serero performed the lead of role of Don Quixote in a new production, produced by himself, in Paris and Deauville with an international cast including Jeane Manson
Jeane Manson (born Jean Ann Manson on October 1, 1950) is an American model, singer, and actor, born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her first name was changed from "Jean" to "Jeane" because, as all of her career was in France after 1974, the French would h ...
, Charlie Glad, Lionel Losada, Gilles San Juan and directed by James Marvel.
Bulgarian
* A Bulgarian adaptation for television ( bg, Човекът от Ла Манча, italic=yes, translit=Chovekat ot La Mancha) was released in 1968 directed by Asen Trayanov and Grisha Ostrovski, starring Kosta Tsonev
Kosta Tsonev ( bg, Коста Цонев; 10 June 1929 – 25 January 2012) was a Bulgarian actor starring in theatre, TV and cinema. He was born on 10 June 1929 in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. He studied at the National Academy for Theatre a ...
, Nikola Anastasov, Grigor Vachkov
Grigor Vachkov, often called Grishata ( bg, Григор Вачков - Гришата; 26 May 1932 – 18 March 1980) was a Bulgarian theater and film actor, honored with the award of "People's actor" in the People's Republic of Bulgaria. He ha ...
, Konstantin Kotsev
Konstantin Kotsev ( bg, Константин Коцев; June 4, 1926 – August 4, 2007) was a Bulgarian stage and film actor.
Kotsev was amid the most popular Bulgarian actors from the last decades of 20th century.
He is best known for hi ...
, Vasil Mihaylov and Tatyana Lolova
Tatyana Lolova ( bg, Татяна Лолова; 10 February 1934 – 22 March 2021) was a Bulgarian stage and film actress. She was best known for her comedy roles that she played for more than 40 years, bringing her the reputation as one of the m ...
.
* A Bulgarian stage adaptation was realized directed by Grisha Ostrovski
Grisha Ostrovski ( bg, Гриша Островски, 25 May 1918 – 30 April 2007) was a Bulgarian film director. He directed seven films between 1967 and 1979. His 1967 film '' Detour'' was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film F ...
.
Cantonese
* A Cantonese production entitled "The Heroic Spirit of a Warrior" opened in 1982 in Hong Kong, starred Yiu Tsang-Pak as the leading role. Another Cantonese production with a new title "Sleepwalking Knight of La Mancha" opened in Hong Kong in 2004, with Yiu Tsang-Pak returning as the leading role. The book was re-translated by Rupert Chan.
Chinese
* The first Mandarin Chinese production of the musical opened Dec. 2015 in Shanghai, China, starring Kain Liu as Don Quixote/Cervantes. This production used "I, Don Quixote" as title, and was directed by American director Joseph Graves. In May 2016, the show premiered in Beijing with Kain Liu repeating the title role.
Bengali
* A Bengali adaptation by Arun Mukherjee entitled ''Dukhi Mukhi Joddha'' was staged in Calcutta in 1994 by the theater group Chetana, under his direction.
* In April 2018 Chetana once again staged a much elaborate adaptation of the musical under the direction of Sujan (Neel) Mukhopadhyay, entitled ''Don...Takye Bhalo Lagye'' and starring Suman Mukhopadhyay in the title role.
Korean
* A Korean production first opened at the Haeorum Theater of the National Theater of Korea
The National Theater of Korea is a national theatre located in the neighborhood of Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, Jung-gu, South Korea. It is the first nationally managed theater in Asia.
Affiliation
The National Theater of Korea was establi ...
in 2005 under the name ''Don Quixote''. Ryu Jung-han and Kim Seong-ki starred as the main characters.
* In a 2007 production, this time staged under its original name, Cho Seung-woo
Cho Seung-woo (born March 28, 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' The Classic'' (2003), '' Marathon'' (2005), '' Tazza: The High Rollers'' (2006), and ''Inside Men'' (2015), as well as ...
and Jung Sung-hwa starred as Quixote/Cervantes. They reprised their roles a year later and in 2010.
* Multiple stars played the titular role in the 2012 production, including Hwang Jung-min
Hwang Jung-min (born September 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is one of the highest-grossing actors in South Korea, and has starred in several box office hits such as ''Ode to My Father'' (2014), ''Veteran'' (2015), ''The Himalayas'' (2015 ...
(who had to step down due to him directing and starring in a production of Sondheim's ''Assassins'' and was replaced by Ryu Jung-han), Seo Bum-suk, and Hong Kwang-ho
Hong Kwang-ho is a South Korean actor mainly known for his works in musical theater. Hong is best known worldwide for his portrayal of Thuy in the 2014 West End theatre, West End revival of the musical ''Miss Saigon''.
Life and career
Hong wa ...
.
* Jung Sung-hwa and Cho Seung-woo
Cho Seung-woo (born March 28, 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' The Classic'' (2003), '' Marathon'' (2005), '' Tazza: The High Rollers'' (2006), and ''Inside Men'' (2015), as well as ...
played the main character in a 2013 production.
* In a 2015 production marking the tenth anniversary of the musical's first performance in Korea, Jo and Ryu returned in the lead role.
Japanese
*A Japanese-language production entitled ''The Impossible Dream'' was produced in Tokyo, Japan, where Matsumoto Kōshirō IX
Matsumoto (松本 or 松元, "base of the pine tree") may refer to: Places
* Matsumoto, Nagano (松本市), a city
** Matsumoto Airport, an airport southwest of Matsumoto, Nagano
* Matsumoto, Kagoshima (松元町), a former town now part of the ...
(as Ichikawa Somegorō VI) took the lead role.
Others
*The musical has been and continues to be produced in many other languages around the world, and in 2012 and 2013 played in Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, China, Poland, Dominican Republic, Chile, Russia, and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cast albums are available in many languages including German from the 1968 Vienna performance (''Der Mann von La Mancha'') and the 1969 Hamburg cast (''Der Mann von La Mancha''), the 1969 Dutch cast (''De Man van La Mancha''), the 1970 Norwegian cast (''Mannen frå La Mancha''), the 1997 Polish cast (''Człowiek Z La Manchy''), the 1997 Czech cast (''Muž Z la Manchy''), the 2001 Hungarian cast (''La Mancha Lovagja''), and many others.
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
1977 Broadway revival
2002 Broadway revival
References
Bibliography
* Wasserman, Dale. ''The Impossible Musical – The Man of La Mancha Story'' (2003) Applause Books, New York
Study guide for ''Man of La Mancha''
Synopsis, ''Man of La Mancha'' at MusicalHeaven.com
External links
*
* ttp://stageagent.com/Shows/View/725 Information about the musical from Stageagent.com
Sony's store info
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Broadway musicals
Musicals based on novels
Works based on Don Quixote
Tony Award for Best Musical
Plays set in Spain
Plays set in the 16th century
1964 musicals
Musicals inspired by real-life events
Cultural depictions of Miguel de Cervantes
Tony Award-winning musicals