Don Quixote Rides Again

30 years after its Miracle Theatre debut, Man of La Mancha is back

By Tina Wyngate

Is there anyone who has not heard the song “The Impossible Dream?” It has to be one of the best-known tunes in the American songbook, and while melodramatic for this day and age, is guaranteed to raise the hackles on your neck. “To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to bear with unbearable sorrow, to run where the brave dare not go…” I mean really, how can you not want to puff up your chest, and go do something noble?

That is the quest of Don Quixote, brought to life in spectacular fashion in the current production of “Man of La Mancha” by Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. It is the story of a man inspired to sally forth in the name of truth and justice, imbued with an excessively romantic, impractical vision of upholding virtue in a sordid world.

The original book, written by Cervantes in the 1500s, still resonates today. It is a microcosm of all our struggles against the injustices of the world and the inherent unfairness of life. It is also a dark exploration of what it means to live a decent, honorable life, and whether it’s worth the price. The choice is whether you stand up to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, as Hamlet would say, or give in to the baser instincts.

Those instincts are writ large in the plot of “Man of La Mancha.” Unlike the book, which chronicles the journeys of an obsolete knight errant across the countryside (and who doesn’t know the scene of Don Quixote tilting at windmills?), the play is set inside a prison during the Spanish Inquisition. The character of Cervantes, along with his side kick, is thrown into prison, awaiting trial for heresy. Inside, the prison gang wants to burn his most precious possession,
the manuscript to Don Quixote.

Instead of surrendering the book without a fight, Cervantes asks for a “trial” of sorts – the ability to put on a drama based on his book, using his fellow inmates to act out the parts. The Cervantes character, played superbly by E.L. Losada, becomes the mad Man of La Mancha and leads the cast in the tale of this noble, doomed persona.

Along the way is the excellent score by Mitch Leigh, with showstopper tunes like “I, Don Quixote,” “Dulcinea,” and of course “The Impossible Dream.” These and the other songs are performed not only by the actors, but also by the excellent theater band under the direction of Bruce Barnes, which occupies the orchestra pit front of the stage.

The original play was performed on Broadway in 1966, and won a slew of Tony awards, including Best Musical, Best Composer and Lyricist, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Scenic Design, and Best Direction of a Musical. It also won the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical that year.

While I never saw the original musical, what takes place on stage at Actors’ Playhouse feels like nothing short of a full-blown Broadway production. The set is a marvel, an exquisitely detailed reproduction of a Spanish prison. It serves as a grim backdrop to what is clearly a desperate scene, of prisoners waiting to be taken for torture or execution. They rise to the occasion of Don Quixote’s play and gladly take on the roles of the characters therein (a special shout out to
actors who played the donkeys). Be forewarned, however; there are some rough scenes in this adaptation of the original book, and some rough handling of Aldonza, the Man of La Mancha’s idolized Dulcinea, aka the tavern prostitute.

The Actors’ production of “Man of La Mancha” is what musical theater is all about. It takes you out of yourself into another world. A great musical, with a profound message, Actors’ Playhouse’s “Man of La Mancha” is nothing short of brilliant. The voices of its cast are strong and redolent, with breakout performances by Losada as Quixote, and Gaby Torteldo as Aldonza (aka Dulcinea).

What makes this performance extra special is that the Actors’ Playhouse production is also the reprise of its first stage performance in Coral Gables 30 years ago, when it was just a fledgling company trying to save the magical Miracle Theatre – talk about the impossible dream!