Track Listing

1. Opening (Olga Merediz with Don Mayo, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Stephen Bogardus)
2. Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ernie Sabella)
3. It's All the Same (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Muleteers)
4. Dulcinea (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Muleteers)
5. I'm Only Thinking of Him (Natascia Diaz, Olga Merediz, Mark Jacoby with Brian Stokes Mitchell)
6. We're Only Thinking of Him (Stephen Bogardus, Natascia Diaz, Mark Jacoby, Olga Merediz)
7. I Really Like Him (Ernie Sabella with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
8. What Does He Want of Me? (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
9. Little Bird, Little Bird (Bradley Dean, Gregory Mitchell, Muleteers)
10. Barber's Song (Jamie Torcellini)
11. Golden Helmet of Mambrino (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ernie Sabella, Jamie Torcellini, Muleteers)
12. To Each His Dulcinea (To Every Man His Dream) (Mark Jacoby with Stephen Bogardus)
13. The Impossible Dream (The Quest) (Brian Stokes Mitchell)
14. Knight of the Woeful Countenance (Don Mayo, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Ernie Sabella with Brian Stokes Mitchell)
15. Aldonza (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio with Brian Stokes Mitchell)
16. The Knight of the Mirrors (Stephen Bogardus & Brian Stokes Mitchell) (2:12)17. I'm Only Thinking of Him (reprise) (Orchestra)
17. A Little Gossip (Ernie Sabella with Mark Jacoby)
18. Final Sequence: The Death of Alonso Quijana; Dulcinea (reprise); The Impossible Dream (The Quest) (reprise); Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) (reprise); The Psalm (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ernie Sabella, Mark Jacoby)
19. Finale (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Mark Jacoby, Bradley Dean & Company with Frederick B. Owens)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5182 in Music
• Released on: 2003-01-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.com
Brian Stokes Mitchell belongs to a rarefied species: a male lead who can steal scenes from his female counterparts in a Broadway musical. As if his impossibly rich and evocative voice weren't enough, Mitchell is a charismatic actor who inhabits his roles with panache. After turns in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, and Kiss Me, Kate, he is back in the popular 1965 show about Cervantes and his fictional alter ego, Don Quixote. The show has become a bit creaky over the years. The revival probably wouldn't have a chance without Mitchell, and he does turn in a spectacular performance. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Aldonza feels a bit forced--compare the smooth way in which Mitchell's songs flow with her sometimes choppy delivery--but she also possesses a welcome old-timey quality, never more so than in "What Does He Want from Me?" As for "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," well, Mitchell injects something that feels emotionally fresh into the chestnut. And that may be the greatest achievement of all. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Buy the Album - I was Not Disappointed
I saw Man of La Mancha this weekend. It took my breath away. From what I gather reading up on it after the fact, the production did not originally get good reviews. I don't know why. The musical I saw was wonderful -- moving, beautifully sung, and superbly acted. I had only seen Brian Stokes Mitchell on television. Of course, he has a rich voice; it may not be a "big" as some others (e.g. Richard Kiley), but what really impressed me was his delivery of the songs. The nuances he brought to each phrase moved me -- sometimes, close to tears. I could not wait to buy the album. In reference to remarks made by some previous raters, I will agree that Stokes' rendition on the album does not deliver quite the same emotion as what I saw at the Martin Beck Theater. However, had I not seen him live, I would not have noticed any deficiency. It just that he was so much better on stage. Perhaps, he took note of the critics' comments and improved as a result of them; not everyone can do that. More power to Stokes. I was amazed by Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio. She has an unusual voice for Broadway, and I think that is one of the reasons I liked her portrayal of Aldonza. Her acting was so good that I forgot who she was; she was Aldonza. Perfect. I did not know the songs that Aldonza sings as well as those by Don Quixote. So, I did not have any notion of what to expect. I can only say the her songs on the album did not disappoint me either. I say this is a great album for any fan of Man of La Mancha and the musical theater.

It Grows On You
This new Broadway Cast Recording of "Man of La Mancha" is actually a bit better than one might expect. Though the original score has always been somewhat overrated, it nevertheless provides enough pleasantries for the attuned listener. And while this recording may have its flaws, and they are by no means insignificant, it still offers a fresh take on an old warhorse of a show. To begin with, Brian Stokes Mitchell is really rather wonderful as Don Quixote. As any Broadway afficianado knows, Mitchell has the vocal chops to perform the role ably (he sings the living daylights out of "Impossible Dream"). The marvel here is that his phrasing is so right and in key with the character that the ghost of Richard Kiley never hovers. He makes the role his own. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio may be a bit of a mixed blessing, but she ultimately acquits herself surprisingly well. While her singing is a bit wobbly at times, the rough edges and harsher tones actually fit her character. Aldonza shouldn't be all sweetness and light, and Mastrantonio doesn't sing her that way. The surprise here is that her basic instrument is so supple and technically proficient that she is able to do justice with an extremely demanding role. Her rendition of "What Does He Want of Me" is exquisite. Unfortunately, its her line readings that do damage. Mastrantonio has a habit of interpreting her characters in extremes, and here her line readings have all the subtly of a brickbat. At times she seems to be projecting to the back row of the theatre across the street. As Sancho, Ernie Sabello is an adequate, conservative choice for the role, but the evident deterioration in his voice is a constant distraction, and he sometimes sounds like he got to Spain by way of Flatbush Avenue. The supporting performers are uniformly fine, and though the orchestrations are a bit thin and reedy at times, there's a liveliness to this recording that's hard to resist. Ultimately, the value of this recording will be based on whether or not you enjoyed the musical in the first place. Me? I've listened to the Original Cast Recording with Richard Kiley once. This new cast album hasn't left my CD player in two weeks. Says something, doesn't it?

Brian Stokes Mitchell heads the Broadway revival cast
Since the original Broadway cast album of "Man of La Mancha" is one of my all time favorites it was probably impossible for the 2002 Broadway Revival Cast to even come close and while it has its moments, due mostly to the performance of Brian Stokes Mitchell, it is just not in the same league. My verdict is not based on "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," because I actually like what Mitchell does with the Broadway classic, but rather on "Aldonza" and the "Final Sequence: The Death of Alonso Quijana." Those two tracks on the original cast album are two of he most powerful moments I have ever heard on such albums; I am not talking about seeing them in performance on stage, but the effect they had on my just listening to them on the record (and then on the cassette and then on CD).

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does a nice job on "What Does He Want of Me?" but does not capture the raw rage of Joan Diener's "Aldonza," an amazingly adult song for a 1960s musical. Nor is the tearful chemistry there as Aldonza tries to will Don Quixote back to life. All the live performances of "Man of La Mancha" I have seen have suffered in comparison as well, so I am pretty consistent (and, yes, I usually enjoy traveling companies and community theater musical productions, so I am not being elitist here). But those two tracks are the heart and soul of this musical so they really do make all the difference in the world as far as I am concerned.

Apart from those two critical points in the production, the rest of the songs are fine. We do get all of the music this time around, which includes the "Opening," "The Knight of the Mirrors," "I'm Only Thinking of Him (reprise)," as well as more of the dialogue from the "Final Sequence" and "Finale." But the chief attraction remains Mitchell's vocals as he infuses new power into all of his songs. The story remains interesting because Dale Wasserman manages to take the two quite different parts of Cervantes "Don Quixtoe" and make them work together, which is one of the reason that whenever I taught the classic novel I made a point of playing the original cast album for the class.