Man of La Mancha

Performances February 15 – March 2, 2008
Weekends: Fri & Sat @ 7:30 p.m., Sun @ 2:00 p.m
Tickets: Adults - $18.00, Students/Seniors - $16.00,
Children (under 12 with parental guidance) - $9.00,
Groups of 10+ - $16.00

Director of show: Jack L. Schnepp
Assistant Director: Gail Montgomery
Stage Manager: Jen Langhus

Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote. It tells the story of the "mad" knight, Don Quixote, as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition.

The original 1965 Broadway production ran for 2,329 performances and won five Tony Awards, and the musical has been revived numerous times, becoming one of the most enduring works of musical theatre. The song, "The Impossible Dream", became a standard, and the musical is a popular choice for community theatre companies.

CAST:

Don Quixote / Cervantes: Ron Welch - Click here for Bio
Sancho Panza: Bill O’Meara
Aldonza / Dulcinea: Anne Dickert - Click here for Bio
Duke / Knight of Mirrors: Brian Sides
Barber / Anselmo: Robert Dickert - Click here for Bio
Antonia: Lindy Casados
Pedro: Doug Phelps
Padre: Mike Moore
Innkeeper / Governor: Brian Schaible
Housekeeper: Melinda Thompson
Innkeeper’s Wife / Moorish Girl: Janice O’Grady
Fermina: Stella Gordon
Muleteers: Fred Bloemendaal, Stephen Cronk, Jason Dutiel, Alan Groves, Dick Vickery, Tim Walgren

Man of La Mancha first played at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut in 1964. Rex Harrison was to be the original star of this production, but the musical demands of the role were heavy for him. After 21 previews, the musical opened at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre in Greenwich Village on November 22, 1965, then moved to Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on March 20, 1968, then to the Eden Theatre on March 3, 1971, and finally to the Mark Hellinger Theatre on May 26, 1971 for its last month, a total original New York run of 2,329 performances. Richard Kiley won a Tony Award for his performance as Cervantes/Quixote in the original production, and it made Kiley a bona fide Broadway star. The original cast also included Irving Jacobson (Sancho), Ray Middleton (Innkeeper), Robert Rounseville (The Padre), and Joan Diener (Aldonza). John Cullum, José Ferrer, Hal Holbrook, and Lloyd Bridges also played the roles during the run of the production. The musical was performed on a single set that suggested a dungeon. All changes in location were created by alterations in the lighting, by the use of props supposedly lying around the floor of the dungeon, and by reliance on the audience's imagination. More recent productions, however, have added more scenery.

La Mancha Tidbits:

After he seizes the Golden Helmet of Mambrino, Quixote asks the Innkeeper to dub him knight. The innkeeper agrees, but first Quixote must stand vigil all night over his armor. Quixote decides to do so in the courtyard, because the "chapel" is "being repaired". As he stands guard, Aldonza, on her way to her rendezvous with Pedro, finally confronts him, but Quixote gently explains why he behaves the way he does (at this point, he sings The Impossible Dream). Pedro enters, furious, and slaps Aldonza. Enraged, Don Quixote takes him and all the other muleteers on in a huge fight. With the help of Aldonza (who now sympathizes with Quixote) and Sancho, the muleteers are all knocked unconscious, as the orchestra plays The Combat. But the noise has awakened the Innkeeper, who enters and kindly tells Quixote that he must leave. However, before he does, the Innkeeper dubs him knight (Knight of the Woeful Countenance).

Quixote then announces he must try to help the muleteers. Aldonza, whom Quixote still calls Dulcinea, is shocked, but after the knight explains that the laws of chivalry demand that he do so, Aldonza agrees to help them. For her efforts, she is beaten, raped, and carried off by the muleteers, who leave the inn. (The Abduction) Quixote, in his small room, is blissfully unaware of what has just happened to her (The Impossible Dream - first reprise)

Contact Gary Muse at Center Stage (303/674-4002) for more information on auditions, or to pick up audition packets.

Focus on Man of La Mancha Cast and Crew:

Ron Welch – Don Quixote / Miguel de Cervantes - Ron has been working on chorale shows for almost twenty years. But long before that he was active in music and theater in Missouri. He started as a theater major in college while singing for meals on the weekends with a folk singing group. For a number of years after college he was away from performing, except in his classroom at several elementary schools. Then in the early eighties he started to design and build sets for East High School. When he transferred to Marshdale Elementary he met Larry Sohrweid who asked him to design a set for the chorale in 1988. Since that time Ron has had a hand in designing and building eighteen sets for the chorale. Not only has he displayed his talent behind the scenes, but he has had roles on stage in numerous shows. He has played character roles, chorus roles, and leads. Most of the shows in which he has performed, he also designed and built. Once he retired from teaching he added directing to his resume. He has been assistant director or director on six chorale shows. He has also performed at the old Ascot Theater and just last year at Littleton Town Hall in “1776”. This is his second time to perform in “Man of La Mancha”. The last time the chorale did the show in 1991, he played the Governor. He says it has always been a favorite show of his. He is thrilled to be playing Don Quixote. “I am now old enough to play this role even though it is a most challenging role. The chorale does some of the most excellent theater work in the region. We have very high standards and wonderful people to help us excel. I am very proud of all of the work I have done with the chorale. It is indeed a pleasure to be a part of such a great group. Center Stage is my favorite place to work. The chorale has become my second family.”

Jack Schnepp – Director – Jack Schnepp is no stranger to Center Stage or to the Evergreen Chorale. He is the father of our beloved Gail Montgomery, and has been involved in a number of Chorale shows in the past. He served as an assistant to Larry Sohrweid in 2003 and was a familiar figure around the theater. Jack was is also a retired teacher, having taught high school in Las Vegas, NV, and in Michigan where he currently resides. He has made a special trip back to Colorado just to direct “Man of La Mancha.” Jack has directed about 110 shows during his career, including “Grease,” “Oklahoma!”, “Quilters,” “Miracle Worker,” and many other musicals and plays. Jack earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Central Michigan University, and also has 35 hours of theater credits from UNLV.