Written by: Dale Wasserman
Music by: Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by: Joe Darion

Man of La Mancha is the musical version of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's book, El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha, better known as simply Don Quixote. It is the story of a man, a scholar, who has read too many books. His passion is tales of the Crusades, and so when he goes insane, he becomes Don Quixote de la Mancha, knight errant, with his faithful servant/squire, Sancho Panza.

Man of La Mancha is a play within a play. It begins when Cervantes is thrown in prison by the Spanish Inquisition. He is put on trial by his fellow prisoners, and when he is found guilty his precious manuscript is almost thrown in the fire. It is rescued at the last moment, and to prove it's worth, he begins to act out the main character, Alonso Quijana, now known to the world as Don Quixote. ["I, Don Quixote"] He draws in the other prisoners, pressing them into characters, as he needs them.

Don Quixote believes that the simple country inn he finds is in reality a large and glorious castle, with a lord and lady...and rabble, of course. The Muleteers proposition Aldonza, the kitchen wench/whore. She believes in nothing except that all men are the same, so nothing matters. ["It's All the Same"] Don Quixote arrives and believes that Aldonza, is his Dulcinea, a woman of unsurpassed beauty, charm, and purity. The Muleteers make fun of Don Quixote, and Aldonza for believing in him. ["Dulcinea"]

In the meantime, Don Quixote's niece, Antonia, is growing more and more worried about her uncle and her status in the community. She and her housekeeper go to the church to visit the Padre so they can discuss things with him. She tells him that her uncle is being hailed as a madman, and is now the laughing stock of the neighborhood. The housekeeper believes that he may try to marry her. Both claim to be "only thinking of him", while the Padre comforts them. ["I'm Only Thinking of Him"] Antonio's fiancé, Dr. Carrasco, comes in, informing them all of the problem they already know about. He implies that he might want to break off the engagement to Antonia, and then suggests that they try to shatter Quixote's dream, and bring him back before he can inflict further damage.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, uh, inn, Don Quixote sends Sancho to Aldonza with a missive. She asks him why he follows his master. Sancho tries to come up with excuses, and then realizes that he does it because he likes his master. ["I Really Like Him"]. The Muleteers sing to Aldonza as she crosses the courtyard, a song full of double entendre. ["Little Bird, Little Bird"]

Dr. Carrasco and the Padre come to the inn. Don Quixote recognizes them and speaks to them. He is quickly distracted by a barber who happens to come along at that time. The barber speaks of how he is carefree, and how he is always needed. Unfortunately for him, Don Quixote takes one look at the basin he is carrying on his head, and demands that the barber give him the "Golden Helmet of Mambrino." ["Barber's Song/Golden Helmet of Mambrino"] Dr. Carrasco and the Padre leave. Dr. Carrasco decides to find a way to bring Don Quixote back to sanity. The Padre hopes that it is not worse than the madness and sings of the dreams that keep people alive. ["To Each His Dulcinea"]

Don Quixote is holding vigil in the courtyard, so that he may be dubbed a knight in the morning. Aldonza goes past on her way to a meeting with Pedro, one of the Muleteers. She asks why he is doing what he is doing. Chivalry is dead, in her eyes. Why does he treat he the way he does? ["What Do You Want of Me?"] He explains what his ideal is: to reach the unreachable, to dream the impossible. ["The Impossible Dream"]

Tired of waiting, Pedro comes in search of Aldonza. He strikes her and Don Quixote comes to her rescue. The two of them with Sancho's help succeed in beating them up, though Don Quixote is wounded. The innkeeper, hearing the noise, comes down, and asks them all to leave, as the combat had disrupted his entire inn. Don Quixote reminds him that he was to dub him a knight, which he does on the spot. ["The Dubbing"]

Aldonza goes to tend the wounds she and Don Quixote inflicted on the Muleteers, in accordance with the tenets of chivalry, since Don Quixote was wounded. The Muleteers don't appreciate her efforts and abduct and rape her. ["Abduction/Little Bird"] Don Quixote and Sancho leave the inn. They are set upon by Moors, who steal everything they have including the horses because Don Quixote believes them to be innocents who are in need of assistance. They return to the inn where the innkeeper tries to keep them out, but eventually allows them in. Aldonza returns, and rejects Don Quixote, telling him of her life. He returns with cries of his unending love, which enrages Aldonza even more. ["Aldonza"] The Knight of Mirrors then comes to the inn in search of Don Quixote. They meet in a terrible battle where the Knight forces Quixote back into sanity, by compelling him to face what he truly is, an old man in armor. The Knight is revealed as Dr. Carrasco. Don Quixote's dream is shattered, and he loses his will to live.

Cervantes returns to the prison cell, his story ended. His fellow prisoners are angry, so Cervantes quickly adds a section where Don Quixote is dying. Sancho comes and visits, recalling the fun he had with his master, and how it is much better than what he is doing now. ["A Little Gossip"] Alonso Quijana returns to himself and begins to make up a will. Aldonza/Dulcinea forces her way to Quixote's bedside and recalls him to the glory he had attained. ["Dulcinea/The Impossible Dream/I, Don Quixote/The Psalm"] The play ends with Cervantes being taken away by the Inquisition, and the prisoners regaining their hope. ["The Impossible Dream, reprise"]

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This page last updated 02/23/2000. If you have any questions/problems/comments/help, please write me.