Tony Sheldon Stars in Squabbalogic's MAN OF LA MANCHA, Beginning Tonight in Sydney

Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre Inc has welcomes the brilliant cast line up for their new production of MAN OF LA MANCHA, playing at the Seymour Centre's Reginald Theatre from tonight 25th February to 21st March 2015.

Leading the cast of 17 in the iconic dual lead role of Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote, Squabbalogic welcomes Tony Award nominated theatre legend and star of Australian, West End and Broadway stages Tony Sheldon. Last seen in Australia in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and having originated and performed the role of Bernadette in Priscilla Queen of the Desert over 1750 times in five countries, Mr Sheldon will return to Australia exclusively for MAN OF LA MANCHA following his performance in the New York production of The Band Wagon.

Alongside Tony Sheldon and music theatre darling Marika Aubrey (Miracle City) as Aldonza, this ambitious revival of the 1965 musical will feature an extraordinary cast of actor-musicians including The Drowsy Chaperone's Jay James-Moody, Paul Geddes and Ross Chisari in dual creative and performance roles as Director/Barber, Musical Director/Paco and Choreographer/Sancho Panza respectively. Also on board are past Squabbalogic collaborators Hayden Barltrop (Sondheim On Sondheim), Laurence Coy (The Drowsy Chaperone), Rob Johnson (Carrie The Musical), Shondelle Pratt (A New Brain), and Richard Woodhouse (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

Stephen Anderson (Falsettos), Reece Budin (Pacific Overtures), Courtney Glass (Broadway's The Woman In White), Brendan Hay (Valere - Australia's Got Talent), Glenn Hill (Legally Blonde), Kyle Sapsford (Hairspray), and Joanna Weinberg (Goddess) round out the cast.

One of the most enduring and beloved musicals of all time, MAN OF LA MANCHA spins the tale of political prisoner Miguel de Cervantes and his manservant. In the dungeons of the Spanish Inquisition, they must convince their fellow inmates of their innocence using only the

contents of their cell, escaping into a world of fantasy and imagination to become the heroic knight Don Quixote de La Mancha and his loyal squire Sancho Panza. If they fail, they risk losing all their worldly goods, and possibly their lives.

"I never at any point dared dream the impossible dream of playing the deluded knight Don Quixote. But I was quickly persuaded by the team at Squabbalogic that theirs will be a new and striking interpretation of the classic musical, and when they invited me to muck in with them on this adventure I impulsively put all other plans on hold and booked my ticket home to Australia. I have long admired the work of Squabbalogic and they are the perfect company to reimagine MAN OF LA MANCHA for a new generation of theatregoers."

This vividly inventive, poignant and humorous play-within-a-play has been re-conceived and restaged for the intimate Reginald Theatre in 2015 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its Broadway debut. Directed by artistic director Jay James-Moody, Squabbalogic will bring its trademark ingenuity and innovation to this Tony Award-winning musical - the first classic revival in the company's history.

For more information or bookings, visit www.seymourcentre.com or phone the Seymour Centre Box Office on (02) 8065 7337.

DETAILS:

MAN OF LA MANCHA
Dates: 25th February to 21st March, 2015
Times: Tues - Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2pm & 7:30pm
Previews: 25th & 26th February, 2015
Opening Night: 27th February, 2015
Tickets: $49 / Conc $42 / Previews $40 / Under 30 $30 Tues & Wed

Photo Credit: Walter McBride