[NEohioPAL]Shaker Heights High School presents MAN OF LA MANCHA (information and summary)

[Carpenter, Scott]

Shaker Heights High School Presents Man of La Mancha


As their biennial musical production, the award-winning Theatre and Music
Departments of Shaker Heights High School present Man of La Mancha, December
4-7, 2002, at 8 p.m., in Shaker High's Large Auditorium. 

A story within a story, Man of La Mancha tells of the novelist Miguel de
Cervantes y Saavedra, thrown into prison during the Spanish Inquisition, as
he defends himself from the other prisoners by means of an "entertainment."
He spins the tale of a country squire named Alonso Quijana who, overwhelmed
by the evil that men do toward men, abandons his sanity and sets out into
the world as a knight errant, dubbing himself "Don Quixote of La Mancha,
champion of the oppressed and righter of wrongs." 

Based on a play by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by
Joe Darion, Man of La Mancha opened in New York in 1965 with Joanie Diener,
a 1947 Shaker High graduate, creating the role of Aldonza. The musical ran
for more than 2,000 performances before being made into a film, featuring
Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren. Among its many tuneful and memorable songs
are "The Impossible Dream," "I, Don Quixote," and "To Each his Dulcinea."

The Shaker Heights High School production is directed by James Thornton,
head of the Theatre Arts Department, with music under the direction of
Robert Schneider, head of the Music Department. The cast includes
singers/dancers/actors, an orchestra, along with stage crew and theatre
support. Approximately 100 students are involved in the production.

"The musical offers a major challenge to young performers," according to
Thornton, "While providing a vehicle for hope. Coming out of a very dark and
cruel episode in history, Man of La Mancha is a story that needs retelling
today."

Shaker Heights High School is located at 15911 Aldersyde Drive, near Lee
Road and South Woodland, in Shaker Heights. Shaker Heights High School Large
Auditorium is wheelchair accessible.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior adults. You may
obtain tickets by calling the Shaker Theatre Box Office at 216/295-4287 or
by downloading an order form.