Frasier’s ready for the Impossible Dream in La Mancha
HoLLYWooD star Kelsey Grammer is coming to London to joust with windmills in a new production — the first in the West End in 50 years — of the musical Man of La Mancha, which will also star luminous lyric soprano Danielle de Niese. Staging the re-telling of Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote has been a quest for producer Michael Linnit who, as a young agent, represented Keith Michell, the London production’s original star in 1968. La Mancha’s rights, now controlled by the families of Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion (who, respectively, wrote the book, score and lyrics) have been difficult to untangle. But Linnit, with partner Michael Grade, has acquired them for London, Broadway and Australia. ‘There’s a whole bunch of songs — The Impossible Dream is the big one — and I’ve been learning them in my home, in my shower; anywhere I can,’ said Grammer, who will take
the dual lead role of the doddering old knight and his creator, Cervantes. it’s about keeping going, and being in the fight,’ said Grammer, right.
The actor, who starred in Frasier and X-Men: The Last stand, will bring his wife and youngest children with him for La Mancha’s run at The London Coliseum, home of the english national opera, from april 26 to June 8. ‘When i’m going to be away working for a long while, the kids come too. i don’t think there’s enough money in the world that would keep me away from them if it’s over a few weeks. They’re all excited and thrilled to be visiting London.’
He’d heard about Ms de niese being cast as country wench aldonza, who becomes the Princess Dulcinea in the fevered imaginings of the errant knight.
‘That’s exciting,’ he chimed. she’s excited, too. The australian-born opera star, who lives with her husband and son at Glyndebourne, told me that at 18 she played roles in the Broadway production of Les Miserables, and has wanted to return to the musical theatre stage ever since. Lonny Price, the show’s director, travelled to meet her when she was performing La Boheme in Chicago. ‘i’ve never taken my heart out of musical theatre and i want to do more,’ said de niese, who also presented a singing contest on sky arts. Meanwhile, she plans to work with Price on her dual roles. ‘i want to find the real heart of her. There’s more to her than just being a voluptuous sex bomb,’ she said, in reference to how the role was represented by sophia Loren in the film version. Tickets are on sale from this morning via the eno.