(STC) announced today that acclaimed Australian actor Anthony Warlow has accepted the role of Don Quixote in the company’s production of Man of La Mancha, under the direction of STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul. Man of La Mancha will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from March 17–April 26, 2015.
“It is a great pleasure to announce that Anthony Warlow will be joining us and sharing his incredible talent with D.C. audiences,” says Alan Paul. “His musical theatre and operatic background is exceptional and he brings tremendous power to the iconic role of Don Quixote. Anthony has one of the richest, most expressive voices in modern musical theatre. I look forward to working with Anthony at the heart of this production and hearing him put his stamp on ‘The Impossible Dream.’” In other lead roles, Amber Iman will play Aldonza and Nehal Joshi will play Sancho.
Anthony Warlow is one of the leading stage actors in Australia, with an extensive body of work that includes originating roles in Australian productions of Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden, Doctor Zhivago and Jekyll & Hyde, as well as revivals of My Fair Lady, Guys & Dolls and Man of La Mancha. In 1988, he garnered international recognition as the preeminent performer of Enjolras in Les Miserables, and performed the role on the Complete Symphonic Recording. Warlow first portrayed the lead in The Phantom of the Opera in the original Australian production, and returned to the role for Melbourne’s 2007 revival and a two-year tour of Australia and New Zealand. He also appeared as a guest at the 25th Anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall in London. His extensive opera credits include The Magic Flute, La Boheme, Tosca, Otello, Tales of Hoffman, La Fanciulla del West and Don Giovanni, as well as significant Gilbert and Sullivan roles with Opera Australia including The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore. He has recorded numerous solo albums, and in 2012 he made his Broadway debut as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks in James Lapine’s revival of Annie.
Amber Iman, who appeared as Nina Simone in the Broadway debut of Soul Doctor, will take on the role of Aldonza in the production. A graduate of Howard University, she has also appeared Off-Broadway in Rent and A Civil War Christmas. Nehal Joshi, who appeared in STC’s Bard’s Broadway concert staging of The Boys from Syracuse, will play Sancho. He recently appeared as Jean Valjean in the Dallas Theater Center’s reimagining of Les Miserables, and has performed in mulitple Broadway productions. Additional casting will be announced soon.
Alan Paul helms Man of La Mancha, one of the most acclaimed adaptations—musical or otherwise—of classic literature. Paul won the 2014 Helen Hayes Award for Best Resident Director of a Musical for STC’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His work spans theatre and opera, and he was a 2013 finalist for the European Opera Directing Prize in Vienna, Austria. In January 2015 he will direct the world premiere of Penny, part of the Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. His production of Man of La Mancha continues to pave the way for classically inspired musicals at STC.
A story of hope and idealism rises from the darkness and despair of a prison cell in Man of La Mancha, carried aloft by some of the most familiar and moving songs of the American theatre. As Miguel de Cervantes presents his tale of knight errant Don Quixote, his journey comes alive in a play-within-the-play, featuring loyal friends, troubled maidens, giant monsters and brave knights. Don Quixote’s quest—filled with humor and poignancy in equal measure—dares everyone to dream “The Impossible Dream.”
Man of La Mancha, book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and composed by Mitch Leigh, will play Sidney Harman Hall, March 17–April 26, 2015. Press Night will be Monday, March 23. To purchase tickets or to learn more, patrons can call the box office at 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.
About The Author
