Joan Diener

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Joan Diener (February 24, 1930 – May 13, 2006) was an American stage actress and singer known for a wide, three-and-a-half-octave range and for originating the role of Aldonza in the original 1965 Broadway production of Man of La Mancha.

She was born in Columbus, Ohio, and studied psychology at Sarah Lawrence College, where she began acting while a student. Her Broadway debut was in the 1948 revue Small Wonder, followed by Season in the Sun in 1950. Diener won a Theatre World Award for her performance as Lalume in Kismet, a role she played after meeting her future husband, director Albert Marre, in 1953.

Diener and Marre married in 1956 and had two children, Adam and Jennifer. She reprised Lalume in London and appeared in other projects, including At the Grand in 1958. For Man of La Mancha, she played Aldonza Off-Broadway in 1965 and on Broadway in 1968, later performing the part in Paris and Brussels. She is heard on the original cast recording with Jacques Brel.

In 1966 Diener performed on The Ed Sullivan Show with the Man of La Mancha company. She later filled in as Aldonza during the 1992 Broadway revival after Sheena Easton collapsed. Diener continued to work in theater, including Cry for Us All (1970) and Home Sweet Homer (1975), though not all projects were successful.

Diener also sang in nightclubs, appeared on early television, and worked in regional theater. She died of cancer in New York City at age 76, survived by her husband and two children.