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2017-2018 Season Preview
This summer, we'll bring you an in-depth look at each of the plays in our 2017-2018 season. In the tradition of this past season's sold-out run of Fiddler on the Roof, this holiday season we'll present a spirited revival of the beloved musical Man of La Mancha!
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MAN OF LA MANCHA
by Dale Wasserman
music by Joe Darion lyrics by Mitch Leigh
original production staged by Albert Marre
originally produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James
directed by Antonio Ocampo-Guzman
music direction by David Reiffel
movement direction by Judith Chaffee
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DEC 1-24/2017
mainstage theater
An energetic revival of the Tony-award winning musical, Man of La Mancha features Boston-area favorite Maurice Emmanuel Parent (The Gift Horse, Ragtime, Cabaret) as the eponymous knight errant, Don Quixote, on his quest to dream the impossible dream. Journey along with us and experience this classic musical adventure with your entire family.
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Single tickets go on sale August 1.
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MAURICE EMMANUEL PARENT
Cervantes / Quixote
(
The Gift Horse, Ragtime, Cabaret
)
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ANTONIO
OCAMPO-GUZMAN
Director
(Master Class, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, ART)
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Announcing the full Man of La Mancha company!
Stefan Barner, David J. Castillo,
Shonna Cirone,
Christina English,
Ute Gfrerer,
Brandon Grimes,
Nile Scott Hawver,
Ricardo D. Holguin,
Paul James Lang,
Michael Levesque,
Cristhian Mancinas-Garcia,
Davron S.
Monroe,
Ivy Ryan,
Nicole Vander Laan, and
Todd Yard
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Dale Wasserman's Quest
How does one set out to adapt one of the most widely-read and highly-regarded classics of Western literature? Miguel de Cervantes' novel, published in two parts between 1605 and 1615, is regarded as the first modern novel, and its author is frequently ranked alongside his contemporary William Shakespeare as one of the greatest writers in history.
Below is an excerpt from a 1997 interview with the show's book writer, Dale Wasserman.
What attracted you about the figure of Don Quixote?
It happened by pure accident, actually. I was in Spain writing a movie when I read in a newspaper that I was there for the purpose of researching a dramatization of Don Quixote. That was a laughing matter because, like most people on earth, I had not
read Don Quixote, but Spain seemed just the right place to repair that omission. So I waded into the novel and came out on the other side of a half-million words convinced that it could not be dramatized.
And why was that?
It’s simply that it covers too great a spectrum of possibilities. One could take a section of it, perhaps, but it’s a protean work. It is all things to all people and I thought it is a little like trying to pour a lake into a bucket. It’s simply too massive to compress.
And how did you proceed at that point?
I got interested in its author, Miguel de Cervantes. I ran across one fact which immediately attracted me and set up a possible affinity. That is, he was first and preeminently a man of the theater—he was a playwright, he was an actor, he was a man who went on the road with his shabby little performing troupe. He wrote thirty to forty plays, perhaps more, none of which were considered to be very good. But, in his love for the theater, his passion for it actually, he never really wavered. And this is what gave me the idea—write a play about Miguel de Cervantes, and blend or cross-fertilize his creation, Don Quixote with his own personality, his own life. Just possibly, then, one could have something approaching a dramatization.
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And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the unreachable star!
Even if you've never seen Man of La Mancha, you've probably heard the song The Impossible Dream.
Recorded on the original Broadway cast album by Richard Kiley, the song has since been covered by countless artists, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Cher. Screen legend Christopher Lee even recorded a heavy metal version for his 2014 album Metal Knight!
What's your favorite version of The Impossible Dream? Head over to our Facebook or Twitter to let us know!
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The song also holds a special meaning in Boston, thanks to its association with the 1967 Red Sox.
Having not played in a World Series since 1946, and having finished in second-to-last place the year before, the Red Sox' historic journey to the American League pennant was dubbed The Impossible Dream by the Boston Globe, and the track was adopted as a theme song by both the team and its fans. Although the team ultimately lost to the Cardinals, the excitement built over that season reinvigorated Boston's relationship with baseball.
“There’s never been anything like it," sports photographer Frank O'Brien told The Boston Globe this year, in a feature commemorating the Impossible Dream season's 50th anniversary. "Absolutely the most important year in the history of the Boston Red Sox."
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Man of La Mancha is just one of the stories we're excited to explore this year; we hope you'll join us throughout our 2017-2018 season of plays chosen to showcase the remarkable RESILIENCE of the human spirit.
Theatre has the power to shed light in dark times, to illuminate and stimulate thought, and to provide a forum for us to come together as a community in conversation. It is our hope that these plays will inspire and engage you as New Repertory Theatre continues to be a place where the vital ideas of our time can be discussed freely and openly.
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Looking for 7-Play or 5-Play Subscriptions?
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To customize your own A La Carte subscription package,
call the Box Office at 617-923-8487
.
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JOHNNY LEE DAVENPORT RETURNS AS
THURGOOD
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY
AT GLOUCESTER STAGE COMPANY!
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THURGOOD
by George Stevens, Jr.
directed by Benny Sato Ambush
featuring Johnny Lee Davenport
267 East Main Street,
Gloucester, MA
A one man play about Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court,
Thurgood
spans Marshall’s impressive career as a lawyer, arguing such landmark cases as
Brown v. Board of Education
.
New this season: New Rep will present Thurgood on tour!
If you are interested in sponsoring a performance at your school or community center, please contact Jan Nargi, Group Sales Associate, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 617-923-7060 x8206.
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From our friends at the
Mosesian Center for the Arts
You’re Invited to Mosesian Gala 2017!
Join us this Tuesday, June 27 for an evening of gourmet food, divine drinks, and enlightening conversation as we honor New York Times Bestselling author of
Being Mortal
and surgeon Dr. Atul Gawande!
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THEATER ADDRESS
Mosesian Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal St, Watertown, MA
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200 Dexter Ave, Watertown, MA
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SUMMER BOX OFFICE HOURS
Monday-Friday 12-5pm
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