Brian Stokes Mitchell belongs to a rarefied species: a male lead who can steal scenes from his female counterparts in a Broadway musical. As if his impossibly rich and evocative voice weren't enough, Mitchell is a charismatic actor who inhabits his roles with panache. After turns in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime, and Kiss Me, Kate, he is back in the popular 1965 show about Cervantes and his fictional alter ego, Don Quixote. The show has become a bit creaky over the years. The revival probably wouldn't have a chance without Mitchell, and he does turn in a spectacular performance. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Aldonza feels a bit forced--compare the smooth way in which Mitchell's songs flow with her sometimes choppy delivery--but she also possesses a welcome old-timey quality, never more so than in "What Does He Want from Me?" As for "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," well, Mitchell injects something that feels emotionally fresh into the chestnut. And that may be the greatest achievement of all.
1. Opening
2. Man Of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)
3. It's All The Same
4. Dulcinea
5. I'm Only Thinking Of Him
6. We're Only Thinking Of Him
7. I Really Like Him
8. What Does He Want Of Me?
9. Little Bird, Little Bird
10. Barber's Song
11. Golden Helmet Of Mambrino
12. To Each His Dulcinea (To Every Man His Dream)
13. Impossible Dream (The Quest), The
14. Knight Of The Woeful Countenance
15. Aldonza
16. Knight Of The Mirrors
17. I'm Only Thinking Of Him (Reprise)
18. Little Gossip, A
19. Final Sequence: The Death Of Alonso Quijana: Dulcinea (Reprise) / Impossible Dream (The Quest), T...
20. Finale
Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote)
