Don Quixote at War Memorial Opera House

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza ride again! Here they are guided by their creator, Miguel de Cervantes, in person. In this "buddies on the road" saga, the intrepid Don Quixote and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, are spurred on by Cervantes to battle giants—or are they windmills? Rescue princesses—or are they swineherds? Attack armies—or are they sheep? Their world, the vital, dangerous La Mancha region of 17th-century Spain, is peopled with fools and shysters, nobles and priests, merchants and actors. Idealistic Don Quixote and pragmatic Sancho Panza learn to deal with the unexpected and the inexplicable as they travel and quarrel through the arid plains of La Mancha. Their friendship deepens as their adventures grow more challenging and complex. This script brings the whole story to life with the excitement, the bawdy humor and the deeply moving humanity of the masterpiece intact. Act One, based on Cervantes' 1605 novel, can be performed as a complete play (one hour). Act Two, based on Cervantes' 1615 sequel, follows the subsequent adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as renowned literary celebrities; it includes the death of Don Quixote. Spanish phrases and words are used throughout the script and are always rendered into English, giving an added appeal to bilingual audiences.

Authors

• Francesca Allinson
• Grant Olding
• Henry Purcell
• James Fenton
• Miguel de Cervantes
• Paul Kester