Search - Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion, Richard Kiley :: Man of La Mancha: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album (Original 1965 Broadway Cast)

Richard Kiley's classic broadway performance as Don Quixote

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 04/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are certain performances the bind a performer and a character forever, and that was certainly the case with Richard Kiley playing the title character in "Man of La Mancha." Whenever I listen to the final track of this original cast album, when Aldonza reprises "The Impossible Dream" and begs the the dying man to remember his quest and Don Quixote struggles to his feet one final time, it always brings a tear to my eyes. There are few moments from Broadway that I can listen to that have such as an effect ("Is Anybody There" from "1776," "Memories" from "Cats," and when Mary finds the door to the garden at the end of Act I of "The Secret Garden" are the others).



This is a powerful musical, surprisingly adult in its treatment of the characters and the subject matter: Joan Diener's "Aldonza" is powerfully brutal in its depiction of her wretched life. Richard Kiley singing "The Impossible Dream" is obviously a Sixties Broadway standard, but there are other memorable songs as well: Quixote's "Dulcinea," the Muleteers "Little Bird, Little Bird" and the funny/beautiful harmonious medley "The Barber's Song/Golden Helmet."



This reworking of Cervantes in "Man of La Mancha" is interesting, because although it relies primarily on episodes from Part I of "Don Quixote," its spirit is more in keeping with the tenor of Part II of that classic novel. Consequently, this musical can make for an interesting class discussion for students who have worked through the novel(s). One of the nice touches on this CD is that a couple of lines are added to the spoken introduction to "Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)".



My final word would be that listening to this original Broadway cast album is FAR superior to every watching the absolutely wretched film version let alone even listening to the Soundtrack album. If you love Broadway musicals then you have to have Kiley doing "Man of La Mancha," the same way you have to have Robert Preston doing "The Music Man.""

The best remastered finally!

Edward Aycock | New York, NY United States | 04/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I used to listen to this soundtrack on LP when I was only ten years old, and would imagine myself on stage as Don Quixote and wowing the crowds. Well, I am a bit older now, but somehow that (impossible) dream endures. I bought this soundtrack on CD only a couple of years back, but was disappointed by the fact that there were no liner notes or photos from the original show. Finally, that mistake has been rectified.This is one of the best Broadway scores of all time, and it's remastering has been long overdue. I am thrilled to see it in its new remastered format with liner notes, and photographs, as well as a never before released track. (Thankfully, the one thing that has not changed is the Hirschfeld drawing) It's worth it just to hear Richard Kiley and Joan Diener once more. The music to this show is as rousing as that of Bizet's "Carmen". Of special note is how pains were taken to use flamenco inspired music that adds so much more than a generic show tune would have. Enjoy this CD, and see why it endures as one of the best musicals of all time."

A dark masterpiece

Scott E. Miller | St. Louis, MO USA | 11/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This brilliant stage musical was a vibrant, brutal, confrontational, experimental piece of theatre when it first debuted in the middle of the turbulent 1960s, acknowledging the ceaseless brutality of the world, but suggesting that by living a courageous, engaged, aggressive life, we can stand up to the darkness we encounter. Today, in these times, it is a more important lesson for us all than ever before. In its original incarnation, "The Impossible Dream" (its real title is "The Quest") is a subtly drawn, carefully shaded anthem about living life out loud, about fighting hard even though we can never win -- NOT about being a mindless optimist, as many people present it today. Though the material is excellent, too many productions today (including the recent Broadway revival) fall into the trap of treating it as cute, as optimistic, instead of as a call to arms against the violence and hypocrisy we will never fully defeat."