Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is one of the world's most popular musicals; the original 1965 production won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' 17th-century masterwork Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha was originally set during the Spanish Inquisition when Cervantes is in prison awaiting trial. This re-imagined version, directed by theatre department chair and Goodman Theatre Resident Director Henry Godinez, is set in a detention center on the US-Mexico border, where a growing group of migrants from across the world, being held and readied for deportation, are looking for safety and opportunity. Cervantes and his fellow prisoners perform a play-within-a-play, telling the story of the elderly Alonso Quijana, who renames himself Don Quixote and goes on a quest to right all wrongs in the world. The rousing score includes the classic numbers "The Impossible Dream," "I, Don Quixote," "Dulcinea," "I Really Like Him" and "Little Bird."