Westport Country Playhouse has selected two HD videos from its archives of performances captured live on stage for streaming on demand. The playhouse’s 2018 production of “Man of La Mancha,” the Tony Award-winning musical following Don Quixote’s quest for “The Impossible Dream,” will stream on demand from Monday, Aug. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 5. “Of Mice and Men,” the classic drama by Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck, produced at the playhouse in 2008, will stream on demand from Monday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 26. Both productions are directed by Mark Lamos, playhouse artistic director.
Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece “Don Quixote,” “Man of La Mancha” (1965) won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The playhouse production won two Connecticut Critics Circle Awards – Mark Lamos for Outstanding Director, and Philip Hernandez, as Don Quixote, for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. The story of Quixote’s battle for good and the love of his ideal maiden, Dulcinea, was written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion.
Area critics reviewing the playhouse’s “Man of La Mancha” said, “Truly a musical for our times; well-conceived in every way.” – Hartford Courant; and “Don’t miss this exceptional revival of one of the all-time great musicals.” – WICC.
“Of Mice and Men” is based on Steinbeck’s 1937 tale of two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, who wander from one California town to another during the Depression in search of the American dream. One of the few plays to be adapted by the novelist himself, this version is true to the book and filled with the drama that shot the story to instant acclaim.
Reviews for the playhouse’s production of “Of Mice and Men” included, “Westport’s potent production has a vitality and sensuality.” – The New York Times; and “A handsome revival; tastefully spare, sensitive, and unsentimental staging.” – Variety.
Tickets for streaming individual productions start at $25. The playhouse box office staff will provide instructions on how to watch virtual content by logging in at westportplayhouse.org.
