Don Quixote Arrives on the Stark Stage

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director Jon R. Moses, will present Man of La Mancha on the Stark Stage January 3-22.

Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ seventeenth century masterpiece, Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha is one of the most honored musicals of the American theatre.

With a book by Dale Wassermen, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion, the story follows failed author and tax collector Miguel de Cervantes, who is imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition, along with his manservant Sancho Panza. Cervantes must persuade his fellow inmates not to destroy the few possessions he brought with him in a trunk, which includes his unfinished novel, Don Quixote.

To save his manuscript, Cervantes performs as Don Quixote in front of his fellow inmates. Donning a costume and makeup from his trunk, he turns into an old knight and engages the other prisoners with his adventures.

Man of La Mancha began as a non-musical play for written for television by Wasserman and aired on CBS’ DuPont Show of the Month, starring Lee J. Cobb and Colleen Dewhurst. Years after the broadcast, Wasserman was approached by director Albert Marre to turn the play into a musical.

After opening off-Broadway at a theater in Greenwich Village in November of 1965, Man of La Mancha moved to the Martin Beck Theatre and two subsequent theaters before its final curtain in March 1971 after 2,328 performances.

The production won five Tony Awards in 1966, including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Richard Kiley), Best Director (Albert Marre), Best Score (Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion) and Best Scenic Design (Howard Bay). Man of La Mancha made Richard Kiley an international star.

Man of La Mancha performs January 3-22, 2023 on the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets start at $45. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online.