Even as “Don Quixote” turns another century older, there’s something timeless about its prose. The way that Miguel De Cervantes used this chivalric parody to create what would become known as the novel is unprecedented. The amusement and heartache exist side by side as one wonders if its titular lead is in fact a hero or a fool. When adapted to the stage, it’s difficult to imagine a proper way to do its themes justice. However, the Tony-winning Man of La Mancha has found an intriguing loophole that allows its framework to still be in place while expanding with one of the most enjoyable songbooks of the Mid-20th century.
What’s as reliable is Rose Center Theater’s track record with performing quality versions of classics. Their recent run of Man of La Mancha proved to be another example of what local theater can do with nothing more than an enthusiastic cast and a few props. In fact, the central plot almost insists on limitations. It’s only there that the true magic really emerges. With a singular location (a prison where characters are held during The Spanish Inquisition), there is room to expand one’s mind. It doesn’t need more than one’s willingness to believe in a little fantasy to push things into new and exciting directions.
At the center is not Don Quixote but creator Miguel Cervantes (Chris Caputo). He’s a poet who is on trial for heresy with his renowned novel. The only thing is that he must convince a jury of his peers who have never seen a novel let alone believe that what he’s saying holds substance. Before their eyes and the audience, a bald man with no facial hair dons the iconography and becomes our hero. It’s theater 101, but it helps to build the myth of someone who is only a hero in his own mind. As he seeks volunteers to help bring the show to life, things become more intriguing and the suspension of disbelief becomes easier.
Credit must be given to Rose Center Theater for having a top-notch ensemble. What starts as a stage of wandering actors slowly molds into something concrete. Each takes to a corner, sitting on floors and ledges, awaiting their cue to assist Miguel in his quest to create fantasy. From his treasure box emerges the props and soon the story comes to life. Whether designed within the world as improvisation or actual narrative is tough to say, but it all has a rich spontaneity that works off of the leads, notably Miguel and his assistant Sancho Panza (Cliff Senior). However, to stop there is to ignore how well the ensemble works together.
Caputo does an excellent job of selling the myth, especially in the titular opener that finds actors donning sheets while pretending to be dancing horses. The confidence in his voice sells an epic in the making, drawing the viewer in and wondering what he’s going to say. Senior is a wonderful sidekick as he manages to play the bumbling fool whose higher pitch voice offsets the grandiosity with a sense of pratfall comedy. He’s more self-effacing and comes from an older style of comedy, but what the show manages to do very well is capture through his limitations a character who is struggling for his own lot in life. He likes Miguel, but what is he doing to better his life? Senior brings pathos to his role, managing to wink at the audience at times without resorting to predictable posturing.
With all of this said, the real standout of the show is Melissa Cook as Aldonza. Whereas Miguel and Sancho get to have a broader personality, Cook is forced to embody her role with strength and weakness. She is the victim of sexism, often seen more as a prize than a self-efficient person. In that way, she’s more tragic than Sancho. However, it’s throughout the story that her character has the most subversion. She is Don Quixote’s fairest maiden, but not without a fight. She is rough, but mostly because she has to be. It’s only when the story becomes burdensome for her that she suddenly lets out some of the strongest singing in the cast. The way she carries pain in every melody adds weight. It turns any artificiality into something real, making you realize that art can house actual emotions.
All in all, Man of La Mancha is one of those stories that manages to withstand the test of time. It may be simpler than more contemporary work, but it captures its source material beautifully. Rose Center Theater also manages to bring out the best in the community theater aspects of the show by celebrating the art of performance. It’s at times winking and playful. Others it manages to capture a deeper emotion that one wouldn’t expect from an oddly complicated figure. Better yet, they do so with a near-barren stage, only using what’s necessary to convey the quest of a man who may or may not have done anything with his life.
As usual, Rose Center Theater is very much a group worth watching out for. Every outing has brought certain intrigue and this may rank as one of their most accomplished. It may not look like it, but just embodying the material with curiosity allows for something greater to bloom. It also helps that the cast is talented with Caputo and Cook delivering some excellent singing that elevates these portrayals into well-rounded representations. By the end, the question as to whether Don Quixote was actually a hero hasn’t really been answered. It’s left for the individual viewer to determine. However, if you’re someone who believes in the power of literature and imagination, then it’s likely that this will win you over in some small way.
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