Review: MAN OF LA MANCHA Captivates

The Omaha Community Playhouse opens its 2015-2016 season with MAN OF LA MANCHA, the multiple-Tony Award winning musical based on the novel Don Quixote. Written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, the story tells of Miguel de Cervantes and his imprisonment during the Spanish Inquisition. Cervantes enlists his fellow prisoners into the telling of Don Quixote, knight errant, and his escapades as he fights for valor. I caught the preview last night and I have to warn you-it would be a mistake to miss this one.

I was immediately taken captive by the set and the random milling about of characters prior to the start of the show. Jim Othuse pulls off his usual magic. Wooden platforms, barrels, a fire pit, and an incredible staircase suspended by heavy chains that is raised and lowered to accommodate the passage of prisoners and guards transform the stage into an otherworld. Georgiann Regan's costumes are a perfect blend of somber tones and raggedness that are inexplicably beautiful. Jim Boggess expertly leads a stellar orchestra that creates musical mystery. This visual and auditory feast is delicious.

MAN OF LA MANCHA is filled with quips and aphorisms that make you laugh...then they make you think. Don Quixote, superbly played by Cork Ramer, is a wise man in the guise of a fool. You question whether he is a mad man or a sage. He tells us, "too much sanity may be madness," as he lays down the melancholy burden of sanity. "Appearance is not reality," Don Quixote says, and "never condemn by what thou knowest." The one-liners read like the book of Proverbs. Don Quixote's view of life is pure and noble. See inns as castles and shaving basins as golden helmets. He inspires us to think the best of people, whether they are muleteers or priests, prisoners or innkeepers. He entreats his friends to care for their enemies and to give without restraint.

One of the several traits of a knight errant, according to Don Quixote, is affability. This is where Cork Ramer shines. He is truly likeable. As his congenial sidekick, Sancho, sings, "I Like Him," we find we do, too. Noel Larrieu, who plays Sancho, is equally likeable for his ability to light up the stage with his smile. Sancho looks on the bright side. He is loyal. He is a true friend. He is there to go along with Quixote and pick him up when he falls.

Don Quixote's fair maiden, upon whose beauty he dare not gaze, is the whore Aldonza. He sees her rags as gossamer and her commonness as royalty. Jennifer Gilg portrays Aldonza with a wide range of emotion, showing us her tormented self-loathing and her glimmerings of hope as she wonders if Don Quixote could actually see something more in her. Her transformation throughout the show is appealing.

The entire cast is solid. There isn't a mediocre singer in the bunch. Performance wise, I especially enjoyed Judy Radcliff (housekeeper), John E Jones (Padre), and Samantha Quintana (Antonia) with Steve Krambeck (Dr. Carrasco) singing, "I'm Only Thinking of Him." The range of their voices, styles, and personalities is compelling as they meld into a sweet and spicy piece of musical irony. Jennifer Gilg's rendition of "What Does He Want of Me" tugs at the heart. And the showstopper, as expected, is Cork Ramer's inspirational "The Impossible Dream." Ensemble numbers are colorful with lots of movement, great use of props, and lovely harmony...and at times chilling harmony as in the closing of "Knight of the Woeful Countenance."

Hilary Adams does a stellar job directing this treasure. I could go on and on...but I'll save us all time with this: "Call on thy own wisdom." See this show. Be inspired to be a better person. Be transformed while you are thoroughly entertained. There are no losers in this quest.

MAN OF LA MANCHA runs September 18 through October 18.

Photo Credit: Colin Conces

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