Customer Reviews

Man Of La Mancha (1965 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the all time best musicals. The music and lyrics have yet to be rivaled by any other musical. There is not one bad song. The cast does a magnificent job. When one hears Richard Kiley sing, he does so with such feeling that it makes one weep. Whether it be " Man of La Mancha', "Dulcinea", or "The Impossible Dream", one cannot help but be affected. Juxtapose his songs to the earthy "It's All the Same' and "Aldonza" or to the light and whimsical "I Like Him" and "A Little Gossip", and no wonder the show was such a long running hit. Every song is terrific!

Having been fortunate enough to have seen "Man of La Mancha" when it was on broadway, I can attest to the powerful effect that the music had on the audience. This is a wonderful recording that brings back memories. It was a memorable cast, and this CD is a memorable recording which no music collection should be without, as it is positively glorious!

Man of La Mancha was three years off-Broadway, before it connected enough with audiences to move onto the Great White Way. After that, it became one of the longest running musicals of the 1960's, and with good reason. The story, based on the first chapter of the Don Quixote tales, shows a deranged knight wannabe in love with a shop-worn, embittered prostitute. By his love, she learns to see the value in her own life, and of dreams. The score is nothing short of magnificent, yielding several standards, most notably "The Impossible Dream," which has been overdone by mediocre lounge singers. In the hands of Richard Kiley -- himself a good singer at best, it takes on new meaning. That meaning is the crux of the show. On stage, the majority of the story is told through song (though there IS a book, unlike many more recent musicals). The Cast album captures the veracity of the original performances. Orchestrated lushly (yet without a string section), and sung admirably by the principles, this recording is a stirring reminder of a show that left most audiences weak and weeping. The late, great Richard Kiley never had a role better suited to his intense talent. Joan Diener (a principle singer in the original Broadway cast of Kismet) balances the inherent beauty of her character with the anger and disgust at the directions in which her life has turned. When she angrily sings "Aldonza," in a last-ditch attempt to force Cervantes to see her as she really is, the performance is breath-taking. One can only imagine the impact she must have had in person. Irving Jacobson gives a delightful -- if sometimes unintelligible -- comic turn as squire Sancho. The album is tightly produced and expertly sung by all, without ever stooping to the slickness so often indulged in by cast albums of more recent shows. Whether a souvenier of an unforgettable night in the theater, or a rendering of a phenomenal score, the Original Cast album of "Man of La Mancha" is never to be underrated -- or forgotten.

When I was a kid we had an 8-track in the station wagon and exactly two tapes: this, and the soundtrack to Oliver. And yet twenty-some years later, I still love this music, every note of it. Has a more stirring show tune than Man of La Mancha ever been written? Or a more evocative overture? Does anybody else remember when "The Impossible Dream" was a sort of theme song for the 1969 Mets? Don't we all know someone for whom the line "why do you live in that dream that you're in/covered with glory and rusty old tin" seemed to have been written? and to think they added that song in tryouts.
Buy the 2001 remastering if you can; it has eliminated annoying echoes (a very vinyl-like artifact) that plagued the earlier cds (which were wonderful anyway, especially at the price). The new version also has informative liner notes.

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."

When I was a kid we had an 8-track in the station wagon and exactly two tapes: this, and the soundtrack to Oliver. And yet twenty-some years later, I still love this music, every note of it. Has a more stirring show tune than Man of La Mancha ever been written? (or any other one that deftly employs the word "whithersoever"?) Or a more evocative overture? Don't we all know someone for whom the line "why do you march through that dream that you're in/covered with glory and rusty old tin" seemed to have been written? (and to think they added that song during tryouts) And isn't it glorious to hear "Impossible Dream" sung in its original tempo and spirit, before it became a cliche at the hands of lounge singers everywhere? Has anyone ever written a more venomous lyric for the stage than "Aldonza" (e.g. "won't you look at me, look at me/god won't you look at me/look at the kitchen slut reeking with sweat/born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap/a strumpet men use and forget") or sung it with more passion than Joan Diener (who I think is still playing this role somewhere)?
Buy the 2001 remastering if you can; it has eliminated annoying echoes (a very vinyl-like artifact) that plagued the earlier cds (which were wonderful anyway, especially at the price). I just played the cd for the third time through tonight and if it weren't midnight already I'd play it again. The new remastering also has informative new liner notes.

Has there ever been a better cast assembled for a musical? Maybe, but judging by this disc, not many. Richard Kiley is in great voice, and brings endless energy and life to all his songs, while Joan Diener is a lusty and heart-breaking Aldonza. The rest of the supporting cast is every bit as good, bringing humor and drama to their roles in all the right places. Though a fair amount of material has been left out, and there were a few lyric changes for recording purposes, this is an almost perfect recording, and absolutely essential for any cast recording collection.

I HAVE LISTENED TO, & HAVE SEEN MANY MUSICALS.BUT NONE CAN EVEN HOPE TO COMPARE TO THE GENIUS THAT IS "MAN OF LaMANCHA".THE WORDS, THE MUSIC, THE SINGING, CAN'T EVEN BE DESCRIBED, IT MUST BE HEARD & FELT TO REALLY BE APPRECIATED. WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST BRILLANT & MOST DRAMATIC SCORE I HAVE EVER HEARD.SOME OF TODAYS COMPOSERS SHOULD LISTEN TO IT & LEARN WHAT A REAL MUSICAL IS SUPPOSED TO BE.WITHOUT A DOUBT, "MAN OF La MANCHA" IS A TRUE WORK OF GENIUS.TRULY THE LORD OF LaMANCHA WILL LIVE FORVER.

I have learned one thing after having heard this album for the last zillion years: If ever you are feeling down,just fire up this CD ,listen to the first few bars of Richard Kiley's intro,and if you do not find yourself singing along(I sing Sancho's part),then I suggest you seek help.
This is a marvelous CD,and there isn't a misstep on it. My uncle saw this when it was on Broadway,and he never quite recovered(in a good way)from the experience.I feel the same way.
Also,"The Impossible Dream" is arguably the most powerful,emotional,evocative and thrilling song to ever be composed and performed,but only by Mr. Kiley.This was his shining hour,and he pulled out all the stops.I cannot speak too highly of this recording.

is one of the rare things which brings high emotion and tears to the eyes of a fairly hard bitten man....and that is a fine fine thing..a thing of purity and grace and goodness

Richard Kiley and Joan Diener, both have great voices. "Man of La Mancha." is a must have for any musical theatre fan. The songs are great and inspiring. It's very moving. It deserves al the stars it can get.