Man of La Mancha

Musical

Writers: Dale Wasserman Mitch Leigh Joe Darion

Overview

Show Information

Music
Lyrics
Based on the Play/Book/Film
Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes
Category
Musical
Number of Acts
1
Tony Award®
Best Musical 1966
First Produced
1965
Genres
Romance
Settings
Multiple Settings
Time & Place
the late 16th century, a prison in ceville, spain and various places in the imagination of miguel de cervantes
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
Some Dance
Ideal for
College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male
Casting Notes
Mostly male cast
Includes adult, mature adult, late teen, young adult characters

Synopsis

Man of La Mancha, based on Cervantes’ epic 17th-century novel, Don Quixote, is a remarkable, poignant, moving musical that was one of the first shows to musicalize a piece of historical literature. Set in the context of the Spanish Inquisition, Man of La Mancha is presented as a play-within-a-play. We encounter historical author Miguel de Cervantes in prison, awaiting trial by the Inquisition. When his fellow prisoners try to take Cervantes’ belongings from him, including his manuscript, Cervantes proposes a trial in which he proves the merit of the manuscript through a reenactment, enlisting his fellow prisoners as characters in his play. Together, they tell the story of the aged Alonso Quijana who believes himself to be a knight errant, names himself Don Quixote, and pursues an obsessive quest to attain an impossible dream. Against all odds, Quixote and his trusty squire Sancho Panza take to the road in a quest to chivalry, and seek out the good and innocent in a world filled with darkness and despair. Through the story, all the prisoners – at least for a moment – are transformed. The mad Don Quixote may think a windmill to be a giant and a tavern to be a castle, but along the way he also transforms a wretched woman into a beautiful lady – and proves that an old man’s belief can truly make him a knight. Man of La Mancha features such stirring songs as “Dulcinea” and the now-famous standard, “Quest” – more famously known as “The Impossible Dream.”

Lead Characters


Man of La Mancha guide sections