MAN OF LA MANCHA Tour Plays Spencer Theater on January 21

"Man of La Mancha," inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century masterpiece "Don Quixote" about a seemingly mad and foolish knight, is a magnificent play-within-a-play that changed the face of musical theater forever. The original 1965 Broadway production ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the principal song, "The Impossible Dream," became a standard and part of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. The stage musical was then made into a hit box office movie in 1972 starring Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren, and has been revived four times on Broadway, rightly becoming one of the most beloved works of all time.

The unforgettable tale is back on the road in a new, multi-city national tour by Columbia Theatricals that includes a stop at the world-class Spencer Theater, on Tuesday, January 21, at 8 p.m. The award-winning director Jeffrey B. Moss leads a cast of acting pros, with veteran stage and screen performer Jack E. Curenton starring as Don Quixote, Jessica Norland as Aldonza and stage & TV performer Rick Grossman as Sancho, along with a supporting cast of 20 and a live orchestra. "Man of La Mancha" asks us to enter the mind and the world of the knight errant as he pursues his quest for the impossible dream -- to restore chivalry and right all wrongs. Set in Spain during the Inquisition, the tale features the writer Miguel de Cervantes as a failed playwright who has been thrown into a dungeon in Seville to await trial for an offense against the Church. Prior to appearing before the Catholic authorities, however, he's forced to face a kangaroo court of his fellow prisoners - thieves, cutthroats and trollops - who try stealing his meager possessions, including an unfinished manuscript. Begging to save it, the old man proposes a form of an entertainment: together with his faithful manservant, Cervantes will reenact the chivalrous adventures of Don Quixote with his fellow prisoners outing out the characters met along the road. In the process, the thieves and trollops are transformed into finer human beings. "Man Of La Mancha" is a gripping, remarkable charade filled with knights, ladies and a loveable nut for a hero that reminds us that we may see good and innocence in a world filled with darkness and despair. It is indeed a hilarious and heartbreaking story for all ages. Excellent seats are available for $69 & $66. Call the Spencer Box Office at 575.336.4800 or visit www.spencertheater.com for tickets. A pre-show chicken, cheese or beef enchilada buffet ($20) will also be available to the public in the lobby at 6 p.m.

Go to www.spencertheater.com for tickets and more information about all the season's shows. Or call 575.336.4800 to request a season brochure.

Get your season tickets now! Call the Spencer Theater at 575.336.4800 or go online to

www.spencertheater.com.