Hurry! There’s still time to catch Broadway musical Man of La Mancha, which ends its 40-performance run in Beijing on Sunday, January 20. Directed by and starring Joseph Graves, the story follows writer Miguel de Cervantes of Don Quixote fame as he faces the destruction of his world-famous manuscript in prison. Along with his servant Sancho (starting to sound familiar?), Cervantes involves the other inmates in re-enacting the events of his opus, thus setting up Man of La Mancha as a play within a play.
Man of La Mancha has a pedigree reaching back to all the way to 1965. The initial run earned the musical five Tony Awards, and was made into a film starring Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren. One of the play’s musical numbers, ”The Impossible Dream,” has been covered by more than 100 artists, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Cher, Jennifer Hudson, and Placido Domingo.
The Beijing run features Chinese actors performing in English. A few months from now, director Joseph Graves has plans to stage a Chinese-language version of the play using the same cast. Click here to see photos from the performances.
So what are you waiting for? Go check out the English version while you still can!
Performed in English with Chinese subtitles. RMB 180-880. Wed-Sun 7.30pm, Mon-Tue off. Nine Theater (400 028 2577)
Photo courtesy of Seven Ages Productions
