Man of La Mancha
Background on Man of La Mancha Man of La Mancha is a 1965 musical based on Dale Wasserman's 1959 non-musical teleplay, I, Don Quixote . The original Broadway production ran over 2,000 performances and won five Tony Awards. It has been revived on Broadway multiple times and has played in a variety of other countries. What is the Musical About? Man of La Mancha is based off of the life of a Spanish writer, Miguel de Cervantes and his book, Don Quixote . It is considered a play within a play in which the imprisoned tax collector (Cervantes) plays an old man (Alonso Quijana) who believes he is a knight (Don Quixote). Cervantes performs the play as a mock trial for his fellow prisoners (who are skeptical of him) while he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. He wishes to show them the good inside of him, although he is guilty of what he has been accused of. The "mad" knight, Don Quixote, has a goal to right all wrongs in the world and goes on a lengthy journey and