Man of La Mancha revival questions.

The set was frickin' massive. There was a huge winding staircase going up the wall.

Brian Stokes Mitchell could burp and he'd be friggin amazing.

thanks everyone! It's a shame it was so short-lived. what a great cast. and the set sounds interesting. there's a black and white picture of it in the cd booklet but it's hard to tell what's what.

This is easily my favorite show to have ever played Broadway - in any incarnation. I've had the pleasure of playing Don Quixote in several productions and I learn to love the show more and more each time I see it or appear in a production.
My favorite moment in the latest revival was a very short one - but when Cervantes initially "becomes" Don Q, in "I, Don Quixote"...the cast forms a false horse for him to ride, made of found objects on the stage...and in the latest Broadway incarnation - when he mounted the horse and began to "ride" - they projected a shadow on the wall behind him, of a real knight on a horse...it was one of the most technically beautiful moments I've ever seen on stage. The performances in this version were all wonderful, and Brian can do no wrong, in my book. His rendition of The Impossible Dream with the modulation and repeat is absolutely gorgeous, without a doubt.

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Cervantes does, in a way, "make fun" of Quixote at times towards the beginning, but as you go deeper into the novel, the multi-facted and heroic human the character becomes. He is a richly comic, but ultimately tragic figure, and Dale Wasserman's book for the musical reflects this. Kiley certainly got his share of laughs, but it was more from the character's outrageous blind egotism and over-the-top chivalry than from the sorts of silly voices and slapstick that Mitchell was engaging in. At times Mitchell seemed to be doing a Mr Magoo comedy routine than playing Cervantes' hero.

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I personally like Stokes's Quixote. It was the first production of La Mancha I had seen where I actually saw a marked difference between the portrayals of Cervantes and Quixote. At the end of Impossible Dream, the audience gave him a standing ovation right there in the middle of the act. That was a first for me. Even though he didn't interpolate the high note (who does nowadays? buncha pansies...), his rendition was so strong and the last note so powerful that I got some serious goosebumps even without the high note. The set sucked. Mastrantonio's voice quiver drove me a little nuts, but her sex appeal more than made up for it. I mean she's no Sophia Loren when it comes to sex appeal, but who is? And Sophia couldn't sing. All in all, a really enjoyable show.

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I loved the revival. I saw it several times. The set was one of the things the critics really praised. It was huge and awsome. I'm sad to hear that it floped so bad.

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i have to agree that the character becomes more complex in the novel as it goes on. i really can't argue for either of the actors because, again, i haven't actually seen either of them. in fact, i've never seen it on stage.

I wish my high school would do this, it's a great show in any form...

I was lucky to have seen both the original version with Richard Kiley and the revival with Brian Stokes Mitchell. And I completely agree with Margo's views of both performances and productions. I saw the first version with practically a bare set and yet the atmosphere was most compelling in watching the tale of the quixotic knight unfold. And Richard Kiley was simply outstanding - his acting and vocal perfomance completely mesmerized me and I was practically crying during most the show. I was disappointed with the revival after looking forward so much to it. The sets ( while obviously expensive) and BSM's singing ( while artistically perfect) both left me cold - the emotional impact was not there for me. I could not visualize Don Quijote in Stokes's performance.

Yet, Man of La Mancha still ranks as one of my all-time favourites, together with Camelot and Les Miserables.

Updated On: 12/6/04 at 06:50 PM

I have to say that I really loved the recent revival of MOLM. Stokes is a god and can do no wrong . I thought MEM was fine as Aldonza, but when I saw Marin Mazzie towards the end of the run, she was absolutely amazing. Her "Aldonza" was one of the most incredible things I've ever heard/seen. Just thinking about her singing that gives me chills.
Nastascia Diaz was also a damn good Aldonza, and a very sweet lady too

- Eric

I hate to disagree with you Margo but I did not like Kiley. His voice just wasn't round enough for me. Not that he was terrible or anything because he was quite good. However, his voice just seemed one-dimensional, especially during Impossible Dream. There was no contour or shape to the melodic phrases. I still listen to the recording of it every once in a while but Stokes added so much to the quality of tone, melodic contour, and minute detail that the part requires vocally.
Kiley did, however, portray the quixotic hero better than Stokes. This depends on if you really see Quixote as a complete fool or as an honorable hero. I read the book sometime back and found Quixote to be a complete idiot. However, after more readings I started to see the element of honor, dignity, and valor in the character.
One must remember that there are MAJOR differences between the book and the musical. In fact (some trivia here) Don Quixote is split into two parts. Part one is the original book published in 1605. Soon after Cerventes published the book, a copycat book was printed stealing his character of Quixote. Cerventes then wrote Part Two which was published in 1615 (correct me on the date if I am wrong). In this part, he is more romantic and does not mock the "romance" as he did in part one. (Romance is a type of medieval work with chivalric qualities but whe the real knight in shining armor not a false one) He also mocks the other false Quixote and kills off Quixote (Quixana). Cerventes states that he is merely translating the story and that is is actual historic fact although is it proven that Quixote never existed. Ok, so long trivia but it is worth stating.

MOLM is one of the less appreciated musicals. It should be right up there with Cats, Phantom, Les Mis, and the rest of the ultra hit musicals but sadly is not.

Updated On: 12/6/04 at 10:47 PM

The set, all 14,000 pounds of it, was - as Margo says - completely inappropriate: it was like the prison was at the bottom of a missle silo. Characters would make their way down to the deck on stairs that were downright dangerous because the tread to riser ratio was almost 1 to 1: the barber, for example, makes his way down a 45 degree staircase without a guard rail. It was awesome to look at for the first few minutes then lost its charm and became more intrusive than anything else.

Stokes was pretty good in the role, but he (and the rest of the cast) suffered from the director's lack of imagination in most of the staging: almost every number was sung down center to the audience, like some sort of bad opera production. The choreography was amazing, especially for the muleteers, but that damn set..... Yikes.

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