Amazon.com

Man of La Mancha, the show that introduced "The Impossible Dream" to the world (and lounge singers everywhere), was the hit of the 1965 Broadway season. Richard Kiley is magnificent in his career-defining performance as the deluded wannabe knight Don Quixote. His leading lady Joan Diener sings the role of the kitchen wench Aldonza with just the right balance of dignity and vulgarity. Irving Jacobson turns in a fine comic performance as the Don's faithful squire, Sancho Panza. The score, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, was revolutionary in its time. The orchestra had no violins--just brass, woodwinds, percussion, and flamenco guitars. Man of La Mancha is one of Broadway's most inspiring musicals and it well deserves its high reputation. --Michael Simmons ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Richard Kiley in a Classic Broadway Musical
Whenever I listen to the final track of this original cast album, when Aldonza reprises "The Impossible Dream" and begs the title character to remember his quest and Don Quixote struggles to his feet one final time, always brings a tear to his eyes. There are few moments from Broadway that I can listen to that have such as an effect ("Is Anybody There" from "1776" and "Memories" from "Cats" are the others). This is a powerful music, surprisingly adult in its treatment of the characters and the subject matter: Joan Diener's "Aldonza" is powerfully brutal in its depiction of her life. Richard Kiley singing "The Impossible Dream" is a Broadway standard, but there are other memorable songs as well: Quixote's "Dulcinea," the Muleteers "Little Bird, Little Bird" and the funny/beautiful harmonious medley "The Barber's Song/Golden Helmet." This reworking of Cervantes in "Man of La Mancha" is interesting, because although it relies primarily on episodes from Part I of "Don Quixote," its spirit is more in keeping with the tenor of Part II of that classic novel. Consequently, this musical can make for an interesting class discussion for students who have worked through the novel(s). One of the nice touches on this CD is that a couple of lines are added to the spoken introduction to "Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)". My final word would be that listening to this original Broadway cast album is FAR superior to every watching the absolutely wretched film version.

AN INCOMPARABLE MUSICAL..GLORIOUS IN EVERY WAY!
This is one of the all time best musicals. The music and lyrics have yet to be rivaled by any other musical. There is not one bad song. The cast does a magnificent job. When one hears Richard Kiley sing, he does so with such feeling that it makes one weep. Whether it be " Man of La Mancha', "Dulcinea", or "The Impossible Dream", one cannot help but be affected. Juxtapose his songs to the earthy "It's All the Same' and "Aldonza" or to the light and whimsical "I Like Him" and "A Little Gossip", and no wonder the show was such a long running hit. Every song is terrific!

Having been fortunate enough to have seen "Man of La Mancha" when it was on broadway, I can attest to the powerful effect that the music had on the audience. This is a wonderful recording that brings back memories. It was a memorable cast, and this CD is a memorable recording which no music collection should be without, as it is positively glorious!

a great musical!
Richard Kiley and Joan Diener, both have great voices. "Man of La Mancha." is a must have for any musical theatre fan. The songs are great and inspiring. It's very moving. It deserves al the stars it can get.

5 stars are not enough
When I was a kid we had an 8-track in the station wagon and exactly two tapes: this, and the soundtrack to Oliver. And yet twenty-some years later, I still love this music, every note of it. Has a more stirring show tune than Man of La Mancha ever been written? Or a more evocative overture? Does anybody else remember when "The Impossible Dream" was a sort of theme song for the 1969 Mets? Don't we all know someone for whom the line "why do you live in that dream that you're in/covered with glory and rusty old tin" seemed to have been written? and to think they added that song in tryouts.
Buy the 2001 remastering if you can; it has eliminated annoying echoes (a very vinyl-like artifact) that plagued the earlier cds (which were wonderful anyway, especially at the price). The new version also has informative liner notes.

Man of La Mancha - the Movie
Great Disappointment - have seen the play 4 times, but not the movie. The Soundtrack is terrible - Peter O'Toole can't sing. Recommend the original play version - 5 star. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sitting in the balcony at the final preview of this 1964 Jerry Herman show, still very much in school and long before my career as a critic began, I knew somehow that I was witnessing theatrical history. Even as that callow youth, I was certain that Carol Channing had been born to play the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, the meddling turn-of-the century New York widow who had been adapted from Thornton Wilder's straight play The Matchmaker. Channing has proved me right by playing the role ever since, of course, miraculously only improving with age. Beyond Dolly herself, however, the musical emitted a synergistic exuberance (at least five years before we used the word "synergy"). The supporting cast, including David Burns, Eileen Brennan, and Charles Nelson Reilly, were terrific. Herman's tunes and lyrics were sublimely crafted both to create their characters and stand alone. (The title song took on a life of its own.) The show's designers, librettist Michael Stewart and director Gower Champion, combined to transport the audience to 60 years earlier in little old New York. This wasn't all just my opinion: Hello, Dolly! won a record 10 Tonys. The original cast recording can still take you to that other time and place, even if you didn't see the original show. But, at the risk of offending my inner adolescent, the 1994 revival, naturally starring Channing, was even better--both on stage and on disc. --Robert Windeler ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Molly Gallagher Levi?
Well, fellas, RCA Victor has given us the "Broadway Deluxe Collector's Edition" of "Hello, Dolly!" and its almost a "wow." The new remastering is a slight improvement over the original CD release, but the small error in "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" hasn't been fixed. I suppose after 39 years the mistake is part of "Dolly!" cast album mystique. However, it shows the lack of attention to detail that mars this new edition. (Sony has it all over RCA in this respect.) On page 10 of the album's new booklet the title character of the musical is identified as Molly Gallagher Levi. Adding insult to injury, the "M," the first letter of the first word of the paragraph, is about four times larger than the other letters. Yes, it's fun to hear the Mary Martin, Pearl Bailey and Ethel Merman tracks, but they are hardly rare recordings. What about the "lost" "Dolly!" songs, tunes that were discarded from the show on its rough road to Broadway smashdom? "Hello, Dolly!" will always be a five-star cast recording and the highlight of this new edition is the brand new -- and totally captivating -- Carol Channing interview (tracks 20-26). The 1964 original cast recording (on LP, original CD and now deluxe CD) remains a five-star achievement because you can't improve on its "opening night" freshness and energy. However, I had hoped this new "Deluxe Edition" would be a bit more deluxe. It demands color photos and an interview with the great Jerry Herman!

The epitome of 1960s Broadway
HELLO DOLLY! is not the best musical Bradway has ever produced. It was not even the Best musical of the 1960s - but it has that brassy broadway sound that many people associate with the Great White Way.

This remastered original cast album sounds just fine, but then so did the previous Cd release. The "Bonus Tracks" provide welcome samples of Pearl Bailey, Mary Martin and Ethel Merman in the role, but the part still belongs to Carol Channing.

Jerry Herman's score remains a delight and the cast delivers the songs with gusto.

The packaging is awful!

WHY would RCA Victor resort to such ugly, generic packaging for this product which has been a best-seller for them for 40 years now. A cheap cardboard sleeve with a 16 page booklet glued in. The boolet for the most part simply reprints the liner notes from teh previous CD release. The disc sits in a tray opposite the booklet. This is not a good way to store Cd's at all.

It is the packaging that reduced this from a 5-star item to 4 stars.

Happily, nothing can dim Carol Channing's performance.

A single CD that is a collector's delight!
This CD is a special treat for those of us who love classic Broadway musicals like "Hello, Dolly!" The CD contains all of the songs on the original LP and CD. The cast sings with all their might and the result is a wonderful recording; the CD has excellent sound quality! I got goosebumps when listening to the title song with Carol Channing! GRIN "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and "Elegance" are rousing numbers; "Ribbons Down My Back" is a beautiful tender ballad.

There are quite a number of wonderful extras: a 10 minute interview with Carol Channing; two songs performed by Mary Martin in the 1965 London production of this stage musical; and two more songs performed with Pearl Bailey when "Hello Dolly!" was done with an all black cast in 1967 on Broadway. Of special note are two recordings of Ethel Merman singing songs written specially for her when she was picked to be the original Dolly (she turned down the part). Ms. Merman put these songs out on a 45 rpm record since she was not part of the original cast recording on January 19, 1964 (three nights after opening night on Broadway).

The liner notes are extensive and the listener is treated to some great photographs, too. (These pictures, though, are in black and white; and the notes could have been a bit more attractively packaged. I agree with the reviewer who notes that this CD could have had better packaging.)

All in all, this is an excellent audio CD recording of the original cast with splendid extras. A must for musical lovers and fans of the ladies who played Dolly over the years!

One of the top musical comedies
This recording is a very good example of what might be the best Musical Comedy ever made. David Burns does a good job with what little he has to sing. I remember Charles Nelson Reily from Match Game on T.V., and his performance is a truly great one. But the true star here is Carol Channing. Her performance glows back there in 1964. A few weeks ago,I was watching the 2004 Tony awards. Channing awarded someone with a popular rapper(cannot quite remember his name). They did a rap version of "Hello Dolly"
It was HILLARIOUS. Even 40 years cannot take away Carol's special something that made this such a great show. Get this and enjoy it until you wear it out!!

Channing Charms with Jerry Herman Musical
HELLO, DOLLY! is not really among the truly great American musicals--but that isn't to say that it doesn't offer a rollicking good time, as the original cast recording amply demonstrates. Based on the comedy THE MATCHMAKER by Thornton Wilder, the play is the story of professional busybody Dolly Levi--a widow of the early 20th Century who dabbles in private lives for both profit and pleasure, often working as a matchmaker for those whose love lives seem beyond all hope. On this particular occasion, she dabbles in a number of lives, making the course of true love run smooth... for both others and herself.

The Jerry Herman songs are jewels, and with the music tailored to her eccentric talents star Carol Channing works wonders with them. "I Put My Hand In" is a true delight, a near-patter song that Channing tosses off as if the complex lyrics were pure stream of consciousness, and on her lips "Before the Parade Passes By" becomes a classic show-stopper. Channing's performance of "So Long Dearie" is charmingly wicked--and one need hardly mention the wonders she works with the title tune.

But even though this is truly Channing's show from start to finish, she isn't the only talent in it--and the rest is quite fine. David Burns is appropriately blustery, and "It Takes A Woman" is a classic of comic musical numbers; Eileen Brennan sparkles; and Charles Nelson Riley, of all people, proves that his talent on stage far exceeded the stereotypes of his various television appearances.

The arrangements are bright, and although the state-of-the-art of this 1960s hardly compares to present recording technology, the soundtrack of HELLO, DOLLY! not only sparkles, it actually manages to convey the excitement you inevitably feel when the lights go down and the orchestra strikes up for what you know will be a good, old fashioned knock-out Broadway show. While it's really too much of a star vehicle to be considered in the same league with such classics as SHOWBOAT, THE KING AND I, and the like, it's just too much fun to ignore. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer ... Read more