Man of La Mancha (1965), a musical play by Dale Wasserman (book), Mitch Leigh (music), Joe Darion (lyrics). [ ANTA Washington Square Playhouse, 2,328 perf.; Tony, NYDCC Awards.] Writer Cervantes (Richard Kiley), a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, enacts for his fellow cellmates the story of his hero, the noble madman Don Quixote (Kiley). The unworldly, idealistic Don and his servant Sancho (Irving Jacobson) set out to rid the world of evil, battling windmills, and honoring the sluttish serving wench Aldonza (Joan Deiner) as a lady and rechristening her Dulcinea. But in the end Quixote's illusions are shattered and he is destroyed, just as Cervantes goes off to meet his fate in the hands of the Inquisition. Notable songs: The Impossible Dream; Dulcinea; To Each His Dulcinea; What Does He Want with Me? An unflinching musical rendition of Cervantes's great classic, it was derived from Wasserman's television script and produced at the Goodspeed Opera House before becoming the sleeper hit of the Broadway season. “The Impossible Dream” was one of the last theatre songs to enjoy widespread popularity. Kiley revived it on Broadway in 1972 and 1977, Raul Julia in 1992, and Brian Stokes Mitchell in 2002.

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.