Our thanks to Outthink for producing another great video clip for us!
Actress Talia Thiesfield explains that the importance of Aldonza from Man of La Mancha is on a par with the roles of Fantine from Les Misérables and Evita’s Evita Perón.
Thiesfield, who plays Aldonza in the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production of Man of La Mancha, says that “these women’s (Aldonza, Fantine and Evita) stories need to be told because they live through harrowing struggles in a graceful and powerful way.” The musical includes scenes in which Aldonza finds herself in terrible, abusive situations. “But,” Thiesfield says, “the close connections formed by the cast made her feel empowered and energized to tell the story of a woman who goes through those situations and comes out knowing herself even better in the end.”
One of the world’s most popular musicals and winner of five Tony Awards, Man of La Mancha, the “Impossible Dream” is based on Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quixote, which itself is considered by many to be one of the greatest literary works of fiction ever published. The musical is a play within a play that follows the story of aging nobleman Alonso Quijana who, as Talia says, “to the public looks like he is losing his mind, but who really may be the sanest of us all.” Backed by his trusty squire Pancho Sanchez, Alonso renames himself Don Quixote and goes off in pursuit of the perfect dream. His adventures and misadventures include dueling windmills and defending his perfect lady.
A poignant musical, Man of La Mancha is moving, thought provoking and highly entertaining. It will warm the heart of everyone who has ever been inspired by the prospect of victory by the underdog against all the odds.