Opened 11/22/1965 Closed June 1, 1972 2,328 performances
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote. 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 original 1965 Broadway production ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical has been revived many times on Broadway, becoming one of the most enduring works of musical theatre. The principal song, "The Impossible Dream", became a standard. The musical has played in many other countries around the world. Man of La Mancha was first performed at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut in 1965, and had its New York premiere on the thrust stage of the ANTA Washington Square Theatre in 1965.
Musical Numbers
Man of La Mancha It's All the Same Dulcinea I'm Only Thinking of Him I Really Like Him What Do You Want of Me? The Barber's Song Golden Helmet of Mambrino To Each His Dulcinea (To Every Man His Dream) The Impossible Dream (The Quest) The Combat Little Bird, Little Bird The Dubbing (Knight of the Woeful Countenance) The Abduction Moorish Dance Aldonza The Knight of the Mirrors A Little Gossip
THE REVIVALS AND A FILM:
1972 - with Richard 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 Raúl Juliá as Cervantes/Quixote and Sheena Easton as Aldonza/Dulcinea, running for 108 performances. Easton was replaced, late in the run, by Joan Diener. 2002 - with Brian Stokes Mitchell as Cervantes/Quixote, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Aldonza/Dulcinea, and Ernie Sabella as Sancho Panza, running for 304 performances; Marin Mazzie took over as Aldonza (Dulcinea) on July 1, 2003.
In the film (1972), the title role went to Peter O'Toole (singing voice dubbed by Simon Gilbert), James Coco was Sancho, and Sophia Loren was Aldonza.
Hal Linden played Quixote in the show's 1988 U.S. National tour, and Robert Goulet played Quixote in the 1997-98 U.S. National tour.
THE AWARDS
1966 Tony Award Nominations winner Best Musical winnerBest Composer and Lyricist winnerBest Actor in a Musical - Richard Kiley winnerBest Scenic Design winnerBest Direction of a Musical Best Costume Design Best Choreography
1978 Drama Desk Award Nominations Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Richard Kiley
2003 Tony Award Nominations Best Revival of a Musical Best Actor in a Musical - Brian Stokes Mitchell Best Actress in a Musical - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
2003 Drama Desk Award Nominations Outstanding Revival of a Musical Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Brian Stokes Mitchell