Man of La Mancha Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

"Man of La Mancha" Soundtrack: Chasing Windmills on Wax.

This Broadway musical was staged in 1965, the basis of which is a novel about the adventures of a clever gentleman named Don Quijote. The author of this creation is the world-famous 17th-century writer Miguel de Cervantes. As for the musical, it has a very interesting history of creation. It began in November 1959, when to American TV audience was shown non-musical play, Man of La Mancha, by Dale Wasserman’s authorship. The main roles in it were performed by Lee J. Cobb, Colleen Dewhurst & Eli Wallach. Unfortunately, there are no preserved records of this film project. All because of the poor quality of the kinescopes of that time. For several years, the program experienced great success on TV. Then the director Dale Wasserman received a proposal from its theatrical counterpart, Albert Marre to turn the play into a musical, which he could show on the biggest stages of the country. The composer of the planned creation was chosen to be Mitch Leigh, lead the orchestra – C. W. Hall. What is interesting – there were no classical string instruments such as a violin in the orchestra. But widely used more exotic musical ones, such as flamenco guitar, a variety of wooden flutes, and others. The first Broadway show took place in November 1965. From this point until its final closure, the audience saw 21 previews & 2,329 regular performances. This is a very respectable figure. Choreographer was J. Cole, lighting – H. Bay. Exhibitions were in the most popular theaters in the country, including the Goodspeed Opera House, Washington Square Theatre, Martin Beck Theatre & Eden Theatre. Musical quickly won the love of the audience, was awarded with a warm reception from critics. In particular, many have noted the remarkable acting of Richard Kiley as a main star. In 1965, the creation received 7 nominations for Tony Award & was able to win 5 of them. In addition to all the other awards, the project managed to receive a reward as the Best Musical.

A First Spin, Late at Night

The needle dropped, and the room cracked open. A lone trumpet blazed like a lantern in a salt-dark cellar, then the chorus shouldered in—rowdy, hopeful, battered. I sat there half-awake, suddenly sure I could lift a tilting windmill with one bare hand. That’s the trick this 1965 cast album still pulls: ordinary living-room air turns medieval, and doubts shuffle off like stagehands who missed their cue.

Production: Raised on Impossible Dreams

Book: Dale Wasserman. Music: Mitch Leigh, an ad-jingle wizard who wanted something grander than coffee slogans. Lyrics: Joe Darion, a poet who liked plain words that land like punches.
The show tried out in a borrowed Connecticut barn, then galloped into the ANTA Washington Square Theatre that fall. They built the stage like a prison cistern—muddy stone, rusty chains—so every chord felt echoed off damp walls. Richard Kiley carried the double load of Cervantes and his dusk-battered knight; Joan Diener scorched the rafters as Aldonza. Producers fretted the set looked gloomy; audiences roared anyway.

Early Roadblocks

• The score ran too short; Leigh wrote "Little Bird, Little Bird" backstage during coffee break.
• An early producer quit, claiming no one would hum flamenco beats on Broadway.
• Kiley nearly lost his voice in previews yet refused an understudy—“The knight doesn’t surrender,” he rasped.

Track Highlights & Scene Echoes

1. “Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)” – Opens like a tavern door flung wide. You can smell sawdust.
2. “It’s All the Same” – Diener spits contempt to a drunken waltz; the strings stumble like patrons.
3. “Dulcinea” – Quixote’s melody floats soft but stubborn, a flower crushed yet fragrant.
4. “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” – Ballad turned anthem. By the final key change, entire theaters leaned forward as if gravity rewired.
5. “Knight of the Mirrors” – Brass fanfare versus icy choir; the moment fantasy cracks and sanity peers in.

Plot & Character Breakdown

Story in a Sentence

Cervantes, tossed into a Spanish dungeon, persuades his fellow prisoners to act out Don Quixote—proving stories free us even while chains clatter.

Don Quixote/Miguel de Cervantes – Richard Kiley

A tax collector who brandishes a manuscript like a shield. His make-believe armor fools nobody yet saves everybody.

Aldonza/Dulcinea – Joan Diener

Barmaid, survivor, skeptic. She spits at gallantry until she tastes it and can’t forget the flavor.

Sancho Panza – Irving Jacobson

Professional sidekick, fueled by optimism and a bottomless stomach. His comic timing keeps the dungeon lanterns lit.

Key Scenes

• The prisoners seize Cervantes’ trunk, then slowly slip into costumes—reality dissolves like ink in wine.
• “Golden Helmet of Mambrino” turns a barber’s basin into holy relic; the audience laughs, then checks its own grudges.
• Mirror scene: knights in polished plates corner Quixote, reflecting his ragged face back at him—devastating and tender.

Behind the Scenes & Trivia

“When Richard sang ‘Dream,’ you could feel the pulse in the balcony rail.”—an orchestra pit violinist

“Advertising taught me hooks; Quixote taught me heart.”—Composer Mitch Leigh

• The original cast album was cut live after a matinee, sweat still drying on costumes.
• Studio techs miked Kiley six inches off-axis to capture his sand-paper vibrato.
• Leigh’s trumpet part quotes a Moorish folk tune he overheard in Tangier during naval service.

Musical Styles & Themes

Flamenco guitars snap against Broadway brass, while Gregorian-flavored chorales hover like ghosts of Spain’s older wars. Leigh lets percussion stomp dusty boots, then yanks everything back to hush for Quixote’s soliloquies. Harmonically the score wanders Phrygian alleyways before resolving into luminous major chords—hope surprising itself.

Critical & Fan Reactions

Opening-Night Buzz: Papers hailed a “folk epic in chains” and predicted the anthem would join “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in the great American hummed-while-doing-dishes canon.
Fan Lore: College dorms in 1966 blasted the LP, claiming it cured exam dread. Fifty-something theater ushers still tell me they sneak a fist pump when the overture hits that trumpet reprise.
Longevity: Multiple revivals, a 1972 film, countless high-school productions where cardboard lances wobble yet spirits soar. The cast album never slipped out of print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 1965 cast recording on streaming services?

Yes—major platforms offer a remastered stereo transfer, complete with original liner-note essays.

Are all stage numbers on the album?

Almost. “Moorish Dance” appears only as an instrumental; minor dialogue trims keep the runtime vinyl-friendly.

Best track for newcomers?

Start with “The Impossible Dream,” then circle back to “It’s All the Same” for contrast.

Does the record differ from the 1972 film soundtrack?

Quite a bit—the film rearranged song order and cast Peter O’Toole, whose songs were dubbed.

Any hidden easter eggs?

Listen during the reprise of “Dulcinea”; a backstage cough slipped into the final mix—Leigh kept it for “human texture.”

Technical Sheet

• Release Date: December 1965
• Genre: Broadway/Spanish-Folk Fusion
• Label: Kapp Records
• Runtime: 54 minutes
• Recording Venue: Webster Hall, New York City
• Chart Peak: Top 20 on Billboard Cast Album list
• Grammy: Best Original Cast Album