Alas, the powers that made movies in the 1960s and 70s didn't often feel compelled to cast singers when they cast the film versions of musicals, so Mr. Kiley's performance was not captured on film, but Peter O'Toole's was. I think I've put the film on my Netflix queue, so someday I'll write about that, but in the meantime I have Richard Kiley to keep me warm and remind me what good Broadway singing can be.
I've also put onto my Netflix list the television production of The Little Prince that Mr. Kiley, and Bob Fosse starred in. I have a vague recollection of seeing it as a child, but between the very manly Kiley and the very unitard-wearing Fosse, I'm sure my pre-pubescent-but-destined-to-be-gay mind was in a whirl.
But back to La Mancha.
I'd forgotten how much I like the ensemble numbers in this show. By that, I don't mean chorus numbers, but duets/trios/etc. From the opening number sung by Quixote and Sancho, through "I'm Only Thinking of Him", to "Little Bird, Little Bird", the writing for small numbers is wonderful and inventive. Of course I have to confess a long and unhealthly love of songs with quodlibet writing. I'm not certain if I'm using that term correctly, but I believe it means when two tunes are put on top of one another, like "Man of La Mancha" with "I'm Sancho, yet, I'm Sancho" over it. Irving Berlin was a master at this type of writing and I can't get enough of it.
What a difficult role Aldonza must be, sometimes belting, sometimes lyric, always with a large range.
The notes for this CD release are interesting, but perhaps overly long. I did like learning that La Mancha began as a camp show, as did Once Upon a Mattress that I listened to yesterday. And that composer Mitch Leigh started with WH Auden as his lyricist!
Man of La Mancha
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Book by Dale Wasserman
Original Broadway Cast Album recorded in 1965
CD release in 2000 by Decca Broadway
Cast: Richard Kiley, Joan Diener, Irving Jacobson, Ray Middleton, Robert Rounseville
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