Don Quixote

Prologue

Having read tales of chivalry Don Quixote has a vision of Dulcinea del Toboso. Accompanied by his devoted armour-bearer Sancho Panza Don Quixote sets out to protect the Beautiful Lady.

Act I

Scene one

A holiday crowd has gathered in front of Lorenzo’s inn in Barcelona. Lorenzo’s daughter, Kitri, is flirting with Basil a barber. Lorenzo is furious to see them together: he’d like to have a rich nobleman Gamache for his son-in-law, not a poor barber.

Kitri, however, refuses to marry Gamache. A company of toreadors appear on the square, led by famous Espada. Toreadors are dancing pretending to fight the bull. To everybody’s admiration the street dancer who is in love with Espada is dancing between the knives.

Suddenly Sancho Panza blows a horn to announce the arrival of the knight-errant of la Mancha. Lorenzo is delighted to invite the stranger to his inn. Sancho is teased by the people on the square and Don Quixote rushes to rescue his armour-bearer. Everybody is dancing again. Kitri and Basil are together again. The knight sees Kitri and is struck by her beauty. Is it not her who has haunted his dreams as the beautiful Dulcinea? Don Quixote kneels before her but Kitri leaves with Basil. Lorenzo, Gamache and Don Quixote accompanied by Sancho Panza set out in search of the runaway lovers.

Act II

Scene two

Kitri and Basil have come to a lonely place at a windmill. A gypsy camp has set nearby. The gypsies welcome the young lovers. Sancho Panza and Don Quixote arrive. The gypsies invite everybody to attend a play they are about to perform: a toy-knight sets out in search of adventures and his wife is raped by a cruel moor.

Don Quixote takes the play for real and is anxious to revenge. The improvised theatre is destroyed. The frightened actors and spectators scatter in all directions. The turning sails of a windmill then catch Don Quixote’s eye. They are the arms of giants! Sancho tries to bring Don Quixote to his senses, but in vain.

Don Quixote is attacking the ‘giant’. His clothes get caught on a sail and he is first swung up into the air. Soon afterwards the knight falls down and faints. Monsters and ghosts are around him.

Scene three

The wounded knight has a dream of a magic wood in the kingdom of the dryads. Dulcinea is here too. Cupid sends an arrow of eternal love to the heart of Don Quixote.

But that’s just a dream. Sancho Panza turns his master to reality. Gamache and Lorenzo arrive in search of Kitri and Basil. Don Quixote sends Lorenzo and Gamache on a false trail, but Sancho Panza corrects his master’s ‘mistake’. The chase goes on.

Scene four

Festive crowd is gathering at an inn. Kitri and Basil are happy to escape Gamache and Lorenzo. Toreadors and Espada appear hear too. Beautiful Mercedes is dancing for Espada.

Suddenly Kitri’s father enters the inn. Kitri hides behind her friends but Lorenzo finds the daughter and blesses Kitri and Gamache. Basil is desperate. Death is better than life without Kitri: he decides to commit suicide. Kitri begs her father to bless their love: Basil is dying. Lorenzo hesitates. Don Quixote makes him do this. Basil immediately recovers: his suicide was just a joke. Gamache protests, but is driven out unceremoniously. The feast goes on.

Act III

Scene five

The wedding feast is taking place on the square. Everybody is glad for Kitri and Basil. Don Quixote is the guest of honor at the wedding. But soon accompanied by his faithful Sancho Panza he leaves in search of new adventures.