By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO– What’s there not to like about a musical with a playlist that includes: “Man of La Mancha” (“I Don Quixote”), “I Really Like Him”, “Little Bird, Little Bird”, “Golden Helmet of Mombrino”, “To Each His Dulcinea”, “Night of the Woeful Countenance”, “A Little Gossip” and “The Impossible Dream” just to name a few in the Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh (Music) and Joe Darion (Lyrics) Tony award- winning “Man Of La Mancha”? After sixty-five years, the music, lyrics and book still satisfies.
And what’s there not to be impressed about the fact that Cygnet Theatre founder and artistic director Sean Murray is taking on the role of the Don once again after an eleven-year hiatus since playing the same character he played at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach when he was artistic director?
The only difference between than and now that this reviewer found was the amount of makeup needed to transform the younger Miguel de Cervantes to the dreamer Don Quixote. Yes, it happens right in front of our eyes.
Winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, the production ran for 2,328 performances on Broadway and has played in countries as far away as Hungary and has been translated into no less than eleven languages and nine different dialects of Spanish. It has been revived four times on Broadway and I can’t count how many times I have seen it either at the Civic Center downtown as a touring show or in any number of our local theatres. And if you don’t know all the words to the quintessential “Impossible Dream” you could ‘name that tune’ after about the second note.
The story of Don Quixote (Murray is terrific) is a play within a play. It is set during the Spanish Inquisition. Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes is arrested by the inquisition after an attempt to collect taxes on the church resulted in foreclosure. He is thrown into the dungeon for high crimes. As soon as he arrives in the dungeon, the other prisoners want to try him and burn his books, which he holds dear.
He pleads for their indulgence not to burn his books until after he finishes telling them the story of his famous character, Don Quixote de La Mancha, knight errant and his long time sidekick Sancho Panza (Bryan Barbarian casts a huge shadow as Quixote’s loyal servant). If after he tells his story they find him guilty, then so be it. At least he will have considered having a fair trial. And so the play within the play starring Don Quixote begins.
It never ceases to amaze watching the change from simple storyteller to knight errant using props from an old trunk that belonged to Cervantes that was tossed into the dungeon after he made his entrance. Slowly and meticulously, in front of our eyes, a rather young man is transformed into a somewhat mad knight who is on an adventurous quest to follow his dream while weaving an unbelievable story of chivalry and innocence to a ruff and tumble group including Aldonza (Erika Beth Phillips) the rag tag stable girl that he renames Dulcinea (“To Each His Dulcinea”).
With a cast of thirteen (with most playing dual roles) the story unfolds with two dueling Spanish guitars played by actors David Kirk Grant and Lucas Coleman who also double as characters in the prison. David Kirk Grant is the Innkeeper and Coleman is one of the Muleteers.
In no particular order an impressive Jason Maddy plays the Duke/Dr.Carrasco. Kürt Norby, who is more than up for the task with a fine pair of chops, is the Padre who along with Kate Whalley and then later Maddy sing an amusing quartet “I’m Only Thinking of Him/’ In the play she is Antonia, Quixote’s niece. Whalley won the Craig Noel Award for her role as Louise in Ion’s Gypsy. She’s going places.
Fine support comes from Linda Libby who plays the Inn Keeper’s wife and Quixote’s housekeeper and is a little over the top, but fun to watch nonetheless. Maddy, David Kirby Grant (who was excellent in Parade), Kürt Norby along with Murray and Barbarian backed a strong group of musicians led by Shane Simmons to give the musical most of the muscle it needs.
One of the more difficult roles to fill both in look and in tone is that of Aldonza/Dulcinea. It is she who captures the eye of Don Quixote who sees her purity as opposed to the slugs in prison who look upon her as the dungeon whore. Taking on that role is Erika Beth Phillips who unfortunately lacks the down and lusty look of the weather beaten tart, but more importantly doesn’t make the cut vocally.
Set designer Sean Fanning’s effective set with a long drawbridge that comes down with a bang each time the inquisitors enter into the dungeon is very imposing. That and the backlights of lighting designer Michelle Caron’s blinding spots at the top of the stairs help create a frightening look. Jeanne Reith’s costumes look like they came right out of burlap bag factory for the prisoners and contrast with the fine velvets outside the prison walls. Colleen Kollar Smith’s choreography and Ross Goldman’s sound design help put the glow on this dream.
Hats off and Happy Tenth Birthday to Murray and partner Bill Schmidt on 10 years of livin’ the dream and making it come true for those of us who are following along.
If you’ve not see the show before this is a good time to see it.
If you are a dreamer like this reviewer, see it again. It will conjure up all the feelings you had for it the very first time.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through Aug. 26th
Organization: Cygnet Theatre Company
Phone: 619-337-1525
Production Type: Musical
Where: 4040 Twiggs Street, Old Town San Diego
Ticket Prices: $34.00-$59.00
Web: cygnettheatre.com
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic who may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com