Westport Country Playhouse will stage “Man of La Mancha,” the Tony Award-winning musical about Don Quixote’s quest for “The Impossible Dream,” from September 25 through October 13. Directed by Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director, the story of Quixote’s battle for good and the love of his fair maiden is written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion.
“Man of La Mancha” is inspired by Cervantes’ masterpiece “Don Quixote,” celebrating the perseverance of a man who refuses to relinquish his ideals or his passion. Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza set out on an imaginative journey to restore the age of chivalry, to battle evil, and to right all wrongs. Their adventure leads them to Aldonza, a prostitute, to whom Quixote is the first to show respect as his lady “Dulcinea.” The 1965 Broadway treasure is the winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, with an enchanting score most famous for Quixote’s credo, “The Impossible Dream.”
“’Man of La Mancha’ is one of the greatest of all American musicals,” said Lamos. “Based on a few early chapters in Cervantes’ novel ‘Don Quixote,’ Dale Wasserman’s play with a rousing score by Mitch Leigh has become one of the most beloved and perhaps the most-produced musical of all time. Playing around the world continually in scores of languages. Its story is not only universal but inspiring, and the journey of its central characters remains ever-resonant to every period in which it is produced.”
Performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Special series feature Taste of Tuesday (September 25), LGBT Night OUT (September 27), Opening Night (September 29), Sunday Symposium (September 30), Together at the Table Family Dinner (October 2), Sitter Sunday, sponsored by the Westport/Weston YMCA (October 7), Open Captions (October 7), Backstage Pass (October 10), Playhouse Happy Hour (October 11), Thursday TalkBack (October 11), and Open Captions in Spanish (October 13).
Single tickets start at $30.
Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1 in Westport. For more information, visit westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177 or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.
Photo by Stephen Emerick