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Loading... Man of La Mancha: Original Cast Albumby Mitch Leigh (Composer), Joe Darion (Lyricist), Dale Wasserman (Librettist)
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Librettist Dale Wasserman's Man of La Mancha, based on Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's Don Quixote, with songs by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion, was the surprise hit of the 1965-1966 Broadway theater season. A low-budget show with a whimsical theme concerning an old man who imagines himself to be a knight, it caught the '60s zeitgeist of idealism in the face of society-rending conflict. "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," which became a number one easy listening hit for Jack Jones and was recorded by many others, was an anthem for the times that inspired hope where no hope could possibly be justified -- indeed, that was the point. Leigh committed a deliberate anachronism by infusing his score with flamenco elements, but his dependence on acoustic guitars, along with the show's naïve tone, also echoed the currently popular trend for socially conscious folk music. While "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" was an overpowering hit, the entire score was effective, from the stirring "Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)" to the lyrical "Dulcinea" and the comic "I Really Like Him." Richard Kiley brought a powerful voice and an absolute commitment to the title role, and he was supported by strong theater veterans like Ray Middleton and Robert Rounseville. The work needed to be performed with as much conviction as possible to keep it from its real tendency toward sentimentality, and the cast managed this. The result was five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor, and Best Score, and what at the time was the fourth longest run for a Broadway musical in history. This gold-selling cast album remained in the charts more than three years. The 2001 reissue boasted improved sound, new liner notes, and one brief but stirring orchestral track, "The Combat," as a bonus. Is an adaptation of
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Google Books — Loading... GenresNo genres Melvil Decimal System (DDC)782.14The arts Music Vocal music Operas and related dramatic vocal forms MusicalsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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01 - (3:50) Overture - The Orchestra
02 - (2:44) Man Of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) - Richard Kiley & Irving Jacobson
03 - (3:00) It's All The Same - Joan Diener & Muleteers
04 - (2:48) Dulcinea - Richard Kiley and Muleteers
05 - (2:55) I'm Only Thinking Of Him - Mimi Turque, Robert Rounseville & Eleanore Knapp
06 - (2:19) I Really Like Him - Irving Jacobson & Joan Diener
07 - (2:12) What Do You Want Of Me? - Joan Diener
08 - (2:59) The Barber's Song - Golden Helmet - Gino Comforti, Richard Kiley, Irving Jacobson & Muleteers
09 - (1:52) To Each His Dulcinea (To Every Man His Dream) - Robert Rounseville
10 - (2:23) The Impossible Dream (The Quest) - Richard Kiley
11 - (1:54) Little Bird, Little Bird - Harry Theyard & Muleteers
12 - (2:02) The Dubbing (Knight Of The Woeful Countenance) - Ray Middleton, Richard Kiley, Joan Diener & Irving Jacobson
13 - (1:32) The Abduction - Harry Theyard
14 - (3:35) Aldonza - Joan Diener & Richard Kiley
15 - (1:50) A Little Gossip - Irving Jacobson
16 - (7:44) Dulcina (Reprise)/The Impossible Dream(Reprise)/Man of La Mancha (Reprise)/The Psalm/Finale (The Impossible Dream) - Joan Diener, Richard Kiley, Irving Jacobson, Robert Rounseville & Entire Company