Man of La Mancha - which recording?

Hi, all.

I am listening to the NBCR of Man of La Mancha, which I quite enjoy. There are a ton of OBCR's on Amazon used - is it worth getting? I have a couple recordings of other shows I love and am wondering if I should pick the OBCR up.

Thanx.

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Well I guess that's the why not? I mean, why spend $7 of I would never listen to it because it isn't as good as the rival. It's like, since I picked up the Danish cast recording of Chess, I NEVER listen to the London concept!

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There was a remastered issue of the original Broadway cast. That is what I would recommend. The sound quality was greatly improved and the cast is nothing less than perfect. The London cast recording is also good and features most of the dialogue, but was only issued on LP and cassette. There is a decent 2-CD full recording of a concert cast with Rob Raines and Kim Criswell that's also good. I would avoid the studio recoding with Domingo and Patinkin, but I consider that self-explanatory.

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Mastrantonio is the only thing about the revival I didn't like, and luckily, I saw Marin Mazzie and she was AWESOME. The original is pretty good, but Brian Stokes Mitchell is too amazing for words and it would seem that hearing him sing the role would be worth it.

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At least illegally download Stoke's tracks though!

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get the original. Stokes seemed afraid of the show so they slowed down the songs for him. The show is amazing with a great score but the new cast the music was so slow I can't listen to it without twitching.

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I loved New Bway cast recording. Stokes is the best singer of all. I cannot say he is the best actor because there are so many great actors in la mancha. For example, London's Keith Mitchell moved me deeply. However, Stokes can sing the song which no one could sing as beautiful , moving and glorious like that. His Impossible Dream is the best.

Besides that , the Complete Recording is worth buying because it is the most complete recording. Includes all the dialogue.

www.amazon.de has the Belgium cast recording starring Jose van Dam. If you are an opera fan and love this greatest Baritone of our time, you should try it.

Domingo's La Mancha is the least thing I would recommend. Patinkin's Sancho drive me crazy. I love his The Secret Garden though.

The OBC with Richard Kiley and Joan Diner.

Anything else is imitation.

Brian stokes mitchell FOREVER!

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I've only heard the revival recording, and as much as I love Brian Stokes Mitchell's voice, it's not a very good CD. Maybe it's the score I don't like, but it seems to be repetitive, like most of the songs could lose a verse or 3 and sound much better. And "It's All the Same" is just painful to listen to.

Have you ever heard the OBC, musicalfandukie?

The most unfortunate thing about the Revival Cast Recording was that Stokes' Quixote, as heard on the CD, was FAR different from the one he portrayed on stage. On the CD, although Mitchell's voice is divine, he doesn't really embody the character like he did at the Hirschfeld. It sounds more like Brian Stokes Mitchell singing the Impossible Dream, rather than BSM playing Don Quixote singing the Impossible Dream. His phrasing in the theatre was very good, especially the contrasts in actually singing the verses, and speaking them. The impact that The Impossible Dream had live on stage far exceeds the recording, where there are, at times, places in the first two verses where the speaking and singing seem 'off'.
Having only seen Kiley's interpretation on old television shows and hearing him on the cast album, it's not truly fair to say that one is better than the other; however, seeing Mitchell and Co 3 times, I absolutely loved BSMs portrayal of Quixote as a desheveled old fool that possessed blind optimism and didn't seem nearly as cold as Kiley's interpretation. I'm sorry, but Kiley's Impossible Dream where he holds onto the pole for 2 minutes does not come any where close to the impact that came with revival's staging (even though it was still very simple..)

But I digress! I think your best bet is the Original Cast album (the Decca remaster ideally) and if possible, it might be worth your while tracking down the OLC, as Michell gives an incredible performance. Domingo's recording was just plain BRUTAL. Yes Domingo can raise the keys and hit the notes masterfully, but where's the character??

On a side note, there were some major technical problems in the production of the Revival recording. For instance, if you turn the volume up past a certain level, the higher/louder sounds in the track become muffled and distorted (this has been noted on several forums and amazon.com). The flutes are also very shrill throughout. Other than level issues, however, it's a brilliant recording!

Updated On: 12/8/04 at 03:55 PM

Brian Stokes Mitchell was GREAT as Don Quixote when I saw it and I favor that CD (the recent revival). IMPOSSIBLE DREAM is wonderful on this album.