Man of La Mancha at Ethel M. Barber Theater

Written by Dale Wasserman
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Original production directed by Albert Marre
Directed by Henry Godinez

Man of La Mancha is one of the world’s most popular musicals; the original 1965 production won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th-century masterwork Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha was originally set during the Spanish Inquisition when Cervantes is in prison awaiting trial. This re-imagined version, directed by theatre department chair and Goodman Theatre Resident Director Henry Godinez, is set in a detention center on the US-Mexico border, where a growing group of migrants from across the world, being held and readied for deportation, are looking for safety and opportunity. Cervantes and his fellow prisoners perform a play-within-a-play, telling the story of the elderly Alonso Quijana, who renames himself Don Quixote and goes on a quest to right all wrongs in the world. The rousing score includes the classic numbers “The Impossible Dream,” “I, Don Quixote,” “Dulcinea,” “I Really Like Him” and “Little Bird.”

Suggested Ages 13+
Approximate Run Time 1 hour and 50 minutes,  no intermission

Authors

• Dale Wasserman
• Joe Darion
• Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra
• Mitch Leigh

Tony Awards and Nominations for Man of La Mancha