Customer Reviews

Man of La Mancha (2002 Broadway Revival Cast)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This new Broadway Cast Recording of "Man of La Mancha" is actually a bit better than one might expect. Though the original score has always been somewhat overrated, it nevertheless provides enough pleasantries for the attuned listener. And while this recording may have its flaws, and they are by no means insignificant, it still offers a fresh take on an old warhorse of a show. To begin with, Brian Stokes Mitchell is really rather wonderful as Don Quixote. As any Broadway afficianado knows, Mitchell has the vocal chops to perform the role ably (he sings the living daylights out of "Impossible Dream"). The marvel here is that his phrasing is so right and in key with the character that the ghost of Richard Kiley never hovers. He makes the role his own. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio may be a bit of a mixed blessing, but she ultimately acquits herself surprisingly well. While her singing is a bit wobbly at times, the rough edges and harsher tones actually fit her character. Aldonza shouldn't be all sweetness and light, and Mastrantonio doesn't sing her that way. The surprise here is that her basic instrument is so supple and technically proficient that she is able to do justice with an extremely demanding role. Her rendition of "What Does He Want of Me" is exquisite. Unfortunately, its her line readings that do damage. Mastrantonio has a habit of interpreting her characters in extremes, and here her line readings have all the subtly of a brickbat. At times she seems to be projecting to the back row of the theatre across the street. As Sancho, Ernie Sabello is an adequate, conservative choice for the role, but the evident deterioration in his voice is a constant distraction, and he sometimes sounds like he got to Spain by way of Flatbush Avenue. The supporting performers are uniformly fine, and though the orchestrations are a bit thin and reedy at times, there's a liveliness to this recording that's hard to resist. Ultimately, the value of this recording will be based on whether or not you enjoyed the musical in the first place. Me? I've listened to the Original Cast Recording with Richard Kiley once. This new cast album hasn't left my CD player in two weeks. Says something, doesn't it?

I saw Man of La Mancha this weekend. It took my breath away. From what I gather reading up on it after the fact, the production did not originally get good reviews. I don't know why. The musical I saw was wonderful -- moving, beautifully sung, and superbly acted. I had only seen Brian Stokes Mitchell on television. Of course, he has a rich voice; it may not be a "big" as some others (e.g. Richard Kiley), but what really impressed me was his delivery of the songs. The nuances he brought to each phrase moved me -- sometimes, close to tears. I could not wait to buy the album. In reference to remarks made by some previous raters, I will agree that Stokes' rendition on the album does not deliver quite the same emotion as what I saw at the Martin Beck Theater. However, had I not seen him live, I would not have noticed any deficiency. It just that he was so much better on stage. Perhaps, he took note of the critics' comments and improved as a result of them; not everyone can do that. More power to Stokes. I was amazed by Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio. She has an unusual voice for Broadway, and I think that is one of the reasons I liked her portrayal of Aldonza. Her acting was so good that I forgot who she was; she was Aldonza. Perfect. I did not know the songs that Aldonza sings as well as those by Don Quixote. So, I did not have any notion of what to expect. I can only say the her songs on the album did not disappoint me either. I say this is a great album for any fan of Man of La Mancha and the musical theater.

Since the original Broadway cast album of "Man of La Mancha" is one of my all time favorites it was probably impossible for the 2002 Broadway Revival Cast to even come close and while it has its moments, due mostly to the performance of Brian Stokes Mitchell, it is just not in the same league. My verdict is not based on "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," because I actually like what Mitchell does with the Broadway classic, but rather on "Aldonza" and the "Final Sequence: The Death of Alonso Quijana." Those two tracks on the original cast album are two of he most powerful moments I have ever heard on such albums; I am not talking about seeing them in performance on stage, but the effect they had on my just listening to them on the record (and then on the cassette and then on CD).

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does a nice job on "What Does He Want of Me?" but does not capture the raw rage of Joan Diener's "Aldonza," an amazingly adult song for a 1960s musical. Nor is the tearful chemistry there as Aldonza tries to will Don Quixote back to life. All the live performances of "Man of La Mancha" I have seen have suffered in comparison as well, so I am pretty consistent (and, yes, I usually enjoy traveling companies and community theater musical productions, so I am not being elitist here). But those two tracks are the heart and soul of this musical so they really do make all the difference in the world as far as I am concerned.

Apart from those two critical points in the production, the rest of the songs are fine. We do get all of the music this time around, which includes the "Opening," "The Knight of the Mirrors," "I'm Only Thinking of Him (reprise)," as well as more of the dialogue from the "Final Sequence" and "Finale." But the chief attraction remains Mitchell's vocals as he infuses new power into all of his songs. The story remains interesting because Dale Wasserman manages to take the two quite different parts of Cervantes "Don Quixtoe" and make them work together, which is one of the reason that whenever I taught the classic novel I made a point of playing the original cast album for the class.

I would like to give this album five stars, but it neither does justice to the original nor to the current stage production, which I enjoyed. This is mainly because the CD is poorly directed, produced and recorded--as though it were done in haste. That is unfortunate, as the album does have some wonderful moments, and the stage production deserves a better legacy.

First let me say that this is an album you don't want to listen to in headphones--especially really expensive ones--because the flaws in the recording will leap out at you. There is the piccolo in "I, Don Quixote" that is annoyingly shrill, and an obvious edit in one of the numbers (I'll leave it to the listener to discover which). Worst of all, there is distortion from clipping on all of the loud passages (especially during "The Impossible Dream") which is simply inexcusable. It is as if the engineers had no idea how to set the correct level for "belters" like BSM and the woman who so spectacularly opens the show with the Gypsy number.

The poor directorial choices on the album are numerous. "Do it over" must not have been heard any time during the sessions. A dialogue coach was sorely needed, as several of the actors sound like they are reading the script for the first time (delivery ranges from merely stilted to downright amateruish). BSM's stentorian dialogue works well on stage, but is out of place here. And why does Aldonza sound like a modern New Yorker?

Then there is the singing, which is all over the map. Ernie Sabella, a credible Sancho, takes some odd breaths when he belts "I'm Sancho, yes I'm Sancho." The Muleteers sound more like a chorus from "Naked Boys Singing" than lusty vagabonds. And Mark Jacoby, who has one of the most beautiful and distinct voices on Broadway, can't seem to hit the high notes in "I'm Only Thinking of Him." It is painful to hear him reaching for the "der" in the words "I understand" among some other gaffs in the number. This is unfortunate, as the women who accompany him turn in one of the album's best performances. Why wasn't his part done over? And the choral harmony at the end of "Golden Helmet" sounds almost improvised. A couple other performances on the album are better left unmentioned.

Despite its faults, this album is not without its charms. Mastrantonio, whose singing voice can be uneven, gives a stirring and impassioned rendition of "Aldonza" that I have come to prefer to the original. Mitchell, whose glorious singing almost makes the distortion on the album forgivable, gives us a truly beautiful "Dulcinea." He also sings the hell out of "The Impossible Dream," breathing new fire into a song that had nearly gone stale. Other standouts include "Little Bird, Little Bird," and Jacoby's dirge during the final sequence. There are also some nice instrumental performances sprinkled throughout (especially the guitar).

While I certainly wouldn't give this album five stars or even four, it does have moments that redeem it from garnering two stars. It's just a pity that it doesn't fully reflect the stage production, which I'd give a solid four stars.

I saw this show for the first time at the National theater in Washington, DC. I've seen several musicals and shows throughout my lifetime but none have ever filled me with as much emotion as this one. I could "feel" the music and the passion on stage. Brian Stokes Mitchell did an amazing job, even better than his performance in Ragtime (which I saw also).

I left the show, crying because of the beauty of it, amazed, and humming the words. My theater director once said to me that if you leave a show humming the words, you've been affected by it. You were taken into their world.

Let The Man of La Mancha take you as well. It's a very powerful story, symbolic in nature, and has a cast that fills you with emotions. The CD is a way of letting you live that experience over and over again. To tell you the truth, thats something I'd love to do. "To dream the impossible dream."

I saw the show (from seats that were basically nosebleed) and was more impressed with the production than most people. To be very honest, I was most impressed with the staging and set of the show as opposed to the actual people. I did enjoy Ernie Sabella's Sancho and Mark Jacoby's Padre, however the rest of the cast had flaws. While Stokes' voice is quite possible the most gorgeous baritone voice on Broadway today, I can't say I was always as impressed with his acting. What I like about this recording is that we get to hear Mitchell sing these songs with that lovely baritone voice, but I also very much like the more guitar oriented orchestration which shines through on numbers such as "To Each His Dulcinea and "Little Bird." "To Each His Dulcinea" is among my favorite songs from this show and the guitar arpeggios make it a thousand times more beautiful. I can't say that I like Stokes over the original Richard Kiley, and I'm not crazy about either Joan Diener or Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (who sounds like she's on the virge of absolutely killing her voice via straining at times), and I wish I'd seen Marin Mazzie do the role, however, Mastrantonio is a seviceable Aldonza. For the sake of the show in its entirety, I would say stick with the Richard Kiley version, but for the sake of hearing Stokes' voice on such lovely numbers as "Dulcinea" and "The Impossible Dream" (I would say anyone planning to perform this in any scenario should hear Stokes' rendition of it) and the far improved orchestration (which is often the way of a revival album), I would say go with this. It wouldn't be a mistake to have to album, I'll say that much.

I am just a normal middle aged guy that doesn't typically reveal my "sensitive" side. However, I popped this Broadway recording in the CD player Saturday morning and almost fell apart. Brian Stokes Mitchell, as Don Quixote, does a masterful job of drawing you into the heart and mind of the wandering, opportunistic knight errant. Of course classic as always, "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" is not done justice unless turned up to the point Stokes Mitchell's vocals cause the pictures on the wall to tilt!
Knowing the story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza leads one to laugh hysterically with the "Golden Helmet of Mambrino". You can't listen to this piece without a chuckle.
Lastly, the final sequence with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Aldonza proclaiming herself as Dulcinea and acknowledging her love for Quixote, Don Quixote's cry for his armour, and the reprise of "The Quest" overlaid with "The Psalm" is just an extraordinarily incredible finish. My listening eye pictured the great last gasp of inspired hope as Don Quixote challeges the cast to never give up The Quest. Likewise, the massed vocals crescendo to embue the listener to always, dream the impossible dream!
Do yourself a favor, buy this CD. Listen to it loud. Listen to it long and listen to it over and over again. You won't regret the experience!

If you are looking for a review of the music in general, not just a comparison between the two versions, then I would definitely recommend this CD to you. I can't say I like every single one of the songs, but of the many Broadway recordings that I've listened to this would definitely be one of my favorites. The songs really capture the spirit of the story of Don Quijote and even if you have never seen the show, the plotline is extremely easy to follow just from listening to the CD. What I consider highlights from the CD are nearly all the Brian Stokes Mitchell Songs. Aldonza, however, is perhaps my favorite because of its powerful lyrics.

Now, if you are looking for a comparison between the two discs, then I suggest this version if you have never heard either of the discs. If you have only heard the original then you are probably better off just owning that one because I believe that some of the reviews here stating that the original is better is due to the fact that they've listened to that one too many times. I listened to this revival recording first and when I listened to the original was extremely disappointed in the quality (maybe I should say sound) of the voices. Kiley is good, but I could not really argue that he surpasses Mitchell. The other two leads were complete dissapointments. Whoever was Sancho had a voice that was completely grating to my ear, even more than the character requires, and to me it seemed like Joan Diener screeched through Aldonza. I believe it's all a matter of perspective. I listened to the revival first, so that's the one I got used to. I would say that this one has a bit more "modern", crisper sound so if that's what you want then definitely get the revival.

There is no voice currently on the stage that can parallel that of Brian Stokes Mitchell! It seems as if the role of Don Quixote was written just for him. Not to take anything away from the great Richard Kiley, but Stokes' silky but booming baritone voice is nothing short of perfection. (in my humble opinion)
I have seen the show twice in its run - both times with Marin Mazzie in the lead. I agree with "music fan" that she is a much better Aldonza than ME Mastrantonio and I do wish it were her voice on this recording instead. I'm sure ME made a wonderful Aldonza, but I simply prefer Mazzie's voice.
HOWEVER, if only to have to opportunity to hear Stokes sing Quixote, BUY THIS CD!

Saw the performance this past Saturday night, April 26th -- it was absolutely stunning and Brian Stokes Mitchell is positively superb! The set was also incredible - took us back to the days of the Inquisition at first sight - just remarkable.

Mastrantonio is also impressive - I think her voice sounds a bit more 'tinny' on the cd - she is much better on stage. I must also recommend the Padre - his rendition of "To Each His Dulcinea" is gorgeous!

This cd is worth having simply for the performance of Stokes Mitchell - his singing reaches a new level of emotion and strength here - especially on the title song, Dulcinea and The Impossible Dream - his is the new gold standard!