Average Rating: 
Rating:  - As good as in 1974
I first heard (and saw) Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in the role of Aldonza in November 1974, when our high school did a production of La Mancha and she played the role. She was phenomenal, both vocally and dramatically, and, without trying, stole the show from both the actor playing Cervantes/Quixote and the one playing Sancho. While some of her high notes are now a little less certain than they might have been (25 years can do that) back then, her passion, gutsiness, and chest voice is amazing. Mitchell does a fine job with Quixote--and comparisons with the wonderful Richard Kiley are irrelevant. Ernie Sabella does nice comic work with Sancho and who cares if all the notes are perfect--it's not that important. Supporting roles are sung beautifully, especially Mark Jacoby as the Padre, and the inclusion of some dialogue adds to the dramatic value, as does the opening with mournful Spanish guitar and singing.
Rating: - An album I wanted to like more than I did
I would like to give this album five stars, but it neither does justice to the original nor to the current stage production, which I enjoyed. This is mainly because the CD is poorly directed, produced and recorded--as though it were done in haste. That is unfortunate, as the album does have some wonderful moments, and the stage production deserves a better legacy.First let me say that this is an album you don't want to listen to in headphones--especially really expensive ones--because the flaws in the recording will leap out at you. There is the piccolo in "I, Don Quixote" that is annoyingly shrill, and an obvious edit in one of the numbers (I'll leave it to the listener to discover which). Worst of all, there is distortion from clipping on all of the loud passages (especially during "The Impossible Dream") which is simply inexcusable. It is as if the engineers had no idea how to set the correct level for "belters" like BSM and the woman who so spectacularly opens the show with the Gypsy number. The poor directorial choices on the album are numerous. "Do it over" must not have been heard any time during the sessions. A dialogue coach was sorely needed, as several of the actors sound like they are reading the script for the first time (delivery ranges from merely stilted to downright amateruish). BSM's stentorian dialogue works well on stage, but is out of place here. And why does Aldonza sound like a modern New Yorker? Then there is the singing, which is all over the map. Ernie Sabella, a credible Sancho, takes some odd breaths when he belts "I'm Sancho, yes I'm Sancho." The Muleteers sound more like a chorus from "Naked Boys Singing" than lusty vagabonds. And Mark Jacoby, who has one of the most beautiful and distinct voices on Broadway, can't seem to hit the high notes in "I'm Only Thinking of Him." It is painful to hear him reaching for the "der" in the words "I understand" among some other gaffs in the number. This is unfortunate, as the women who accompany him turn in one of the album's best performances. Why wasn't his part done over? And the choral harmony at the end of "Golden Helmet" sounds almost improvised. A couple other performances on the album are better left unmentioned. Despite its faults, this album is not without its charms. Mastrantonio, whose singing voice can be uneven, gives a stirring and impassioned rendition of "Aldonza" that I have come to prefer to the original. Mitchell, whose glorious singing almost makes the distortion on the album forgivable, gives us a truly beautiful "Dulcinea." He also sings the hell out of "The Impossible Dream," breathing new fire into a song that had nearly gone stale. Other standouts include "Little Bird, Little Bird," and Jacoby's dirge during the final sequence. There are also some nice instrumental performances sprinkled throughout (especially the guitar). While I certainly wouldn't give this album five stars or even four, it does have moments that redeem it from garnering two stars. It's just a pity that it doesn't fully reflect the stage production, which I'd give a solid four stars.
Rating: - Wonderful show, unfair critics.
I feel all the critics writing negative reviews of this show are being quite unfair to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. I watched "Man of La Mancha" from orchestra seats at the Martin Beck theater on December the 19th of last year, and let me tell you I saw the superb talent of this woman up close. Mastrantonio brought a great deal of emotion to her role, esepecially in the song "Aldonza." Only those of you who can sing with such power and such an octave and repeat the performance 8 times a week has a right to be so critical. The show was amazing, and the idealism found in Cervante's writing is not lost in another revival of the adaptation. Brian Stokes Mitchell gave a perfect performance and the songs are just beautiful. Everyone who had a role in this production did a great job and it inspired those audience members to the point where tears were in our eyes and romance was in our hearts. Obviously this world is way too cynical for the likes of Don Quixote.
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