BWW Reviews: MAN OF LA MANCHA at The Cumberland County Playhouse

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams - this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness - and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!" - Don Quixote

The Cumberland County Playhouse has taken on Man of La Mancha, with direction by Britt Hancock, and associate direction and choreography by Leila Nelson. When you enter the Adventure Theatre the first thing you notice is the striking set (design by John Fionte) which has a very industrial, or steam punk feel. It immediately lets you know that you won't be getting a typical production of Man of La Mancha.

The costuming, by Rebel Mickelson, was not really for the time in which the show was written to be set. It was more of a mix between that time period and a 30s or 40s era. It was intriguing and creative and drew together with the set design nicely. One of my favorite costumes was that of the Knight of Mirrors.

Set during the Spanish Inquisition, Man of La Mancha is a look a morals, our view of ourselves, our view of others, and the world as a whole. Three different stories intertwine and connect, giving the audience an interesting look at reality as we know it.

The title role of Don Quixote has always struck me as a complex role to play. After all, the actor must play, essentially, three roles. Miguel de Cervantes, a failed actor/tax collector who has been imprisoned and is to be tried by the Spanish Inquisition, is who we meet first. Followed by his personal characters of Don Quixote, a noble man who wants to defeat evil, become a knight, and win the heart of his love Dulcinea, and Don Quixote's true self, Alonso Quijana, a commoner who has convinced himself he IS Don Quixote.

Jason Ross takes on the title role of Don Quixote and plays each level of the character (or characters, as you will) with such distinction that you sometimes wonder if Mr. Ross is actually three different people. His Miguel de Cervantes is plagued with morals that have gotten him thrown in prison, but has such a good front of bravery as he simply puts off the inevitable judgment of his prisoner peers and the Spanish Inquisition. His Don Quixote screams of bravery and very much some of the same morals as Miguel de Cervantes, but he is plagued with the inability to see things as they are. He only sees the best. He only sees what he wants to see. But Don Quixote's alternate, and true, personality, Alonso Quijana is simply a feeble person who doesn't wish to see the world through his own eyes.

Don Quixote's sidekick, Sancho, was played by Greg Pendzick. I love that it's obvious from the beginning that Sancho knows that Don Quixote is crazy and is in fact Alonso Quijana, but he doesn't care. He admires Don Quixote and follows him blindly. Pendzick makes Sancho slightly awkward and maybe even a little nerdy, but uses that to show how much Sancho loves to be needed and longs for adventures that he gets when he's with Don Quixote.

Lauren Marshall plays Don Quixote's love, Aldonza. Aldonza is nothing more than a woman of questionable morals and works in a roadside in. But from their first meeting, Don Quixote sees her as Dulcinea, a true lady, and refuses to see her as anything else. Marshall takes Aldonza through all the emotions possible for a character as multi-layered as Aldonza. Aldonza knows what she is, and accepts it for what it is, essentially fighting Don Quixote's view of her for most of the show. As time goes on, Aldonza begins to love being seen for something more than is expected of her and she learns to care a great deal for Don Quixote. Watching the transformation of a woman from not believing in herself to learning to believe a little more is so magical. It makes you want to see the best in everyone, so that they may have a chance to be someone new as well.

The ensemble is rather large for such a small theatre, but it makes the show very immersive and beautiful. There is always some sort of action going on around you, no matter where you are sitting in the theatre. Every isle way is utilized and every entrance into the theatre is used at some point. It makes the show feel intimate and makes you feel like you are living the story with the characters.

Perhaps the best known song of the entire show is "The Impossible Dream." It is truly a lovely song and takes a soaring voice to do it justice, which Jason Ross did wonderfully. But I think my favorite song of the entire show is "Knight of the Woeful Countenance." The entire scene seems to sum up the show for me. It's simply giving a title to a man who wants nothing more than to be something he isn't (in this case, a knight) and it shows how wonderful it can be to simply let people see things the way they wish. Don Quixote is overjoyed by his title, given to him by a "king," who is nothing more than an inn keeper, and the inn keep does what he can to give Don Quixote that little bit of joy.

It always amazes me to see how truly deep the themes of this show run. There are many things that run through the show, but the one that seems to shine through the brightest for me is the ultimate question: Is it better to see the world as it truly is, or how we wish it was? Perhaps I'll never know which is better, but it is certainly a question to ponder, especially with the world as it is today.

Man of La Mancha runs through September 27th at The Cumberland County Playhouse. You can get your tickets on their website or by calling 931-484-5000

To post a comment, you must register and login.