Review: A Legend is Reimagined in Octavio Solis' QUIXOTE NUEVO at South Coast Repertory

American Playwright Octavio Solis's evocative QUIXOTE NUEVO—a new, undeniably unique modern-day-set original play "inspired" by the Miguel de Cervantes classic novel Don Quixote—has been honored with the prime spot of being the first production of South Coast Repertory's 60th Anniversary Season. This production—now continuing performances in Costa Mesa through October 28—will mark the first time this play is being mounted at the Tony Award-winning theater, where Solis has been a longtime legacy playwright where many of his earlier works have been launched or produced.

In a smart, practical move, this season-opening SCR production—in association with Portland Center Stage and Seattle Rep—is essentially a direct transfer of the same well-received production that was recently at the Denver Center Theatre Company, featuring most of the same acting ensemble and is similarly helmed by director Lisa Portes.

On the immediate surface, the play is a feast for the senses—combining elements of reality and fantasy much like the mental state of the play's main character. Its stunningly gorgeous set, designed by Efren Delgadillo, Jr., is a sight to marvel as soon as you step into SCR's main stage before the play even begins.

These mostly realistic-looking rock-and-sand-and-sky environments become even more vivid when paired together with Helen Q. Huang's eye-popping costumes and mesmerizing puppets (yes, puppets!), and Pablo Santiago's striking, vista-enhancing lighting designs, all of which have been beautifully recreated here in Costa Mesa from its Denver production.

The play also incorporates the stirring original music and sound design by David R. Molina, which gives the play—set in the present day—an authentic, timeless Tejano-flavored soundtrack that extends the idea of the narrative being both emotionally grounded in realism but also magically bathed in fantasy.

This palpable tug-of-war between reality and fantasy (an echoed kindred spirit from Cervantes' novel) is the core conflict that comprises QUIXOTE NUEVO, which, by proxy, becomes a springboard for worthy discussions and debates around top-of-mind issues that include respectful and dignified elder care, socio-economic disparities, conflicted religious beliefs, romantic relationships, and, most notably—especially for the broader Latinx community in America—immigrant rights (and the inalienable human rights everyone is entitled to, regardless of legal status or country of origin).

The play, as one would expect, tries to tug at audiences' heartstrings in its own valiant quest to sway minds into seeing that basic human decency should, naturally, rule the day, no matter which side of the political aisle or generation gap owns your loyalty.

The exploration of these "Big-Picture" themes, of course, is unequivocally well-meaning and is certainly worthy of inclusion—and, for the most part, Solis accomplishes that task in QUIXOTE NUEVO to great, deeply-searing effect. There are many scenes in the play that truly portray—in very emotionally heartbreaking form—the tragedies of being treated and looked at as an "other."

But what becomes somewhat jarring and slightly confounding in the play, however, is the sudden inclusion of oddly-placed, sophomoric humor that has been generally sprinkled in between these very important, very serious themes.

While I often welcome the presence of comedic relief moments to break up dramas that are wholly serious, some of the comedy in QUIXOTE NUEVO feels kind of cheap and seemingly coming out of nowhere.

On many occasions, my friend and I instinctively exchanged befuddled looks, and we wondered aloud if these more comical moments were done on purpose or were meant to be more winkingly sardonic (we were still kind of unsure by the play's end, especially after witnessing an ick scene moments earlier that involved the consumption of a saloon "pickle").

For all its good intentions and important messaging, this mostly engaging play is occasionally hampered by these highly contrasting, unnecessary bits of juvenile humor—delivered in a specifically affected cadence—that give the play a slight grade-school level presentation vibe, carried over by many of this ensemble's acting mannerisms that feel like the play's target audience should be sitting in a school gym auditorium or a "story hour" at the local public library.

Funny and amusing as some of these moments are, some of these bits can also, at times, be a bit cringe-y, and many are even dangerously close to crossing that threshold that makes way for the depictions of some unfortunate, unflattering stereotypes that sort of bashes many of the play's noble intentions.

Fortunately, while, yes, these moments are plentiful, they are otherwise fleeting and don't completely tarnish the play and its overall message.

But, I mean… I get it. The play is shaped mostly from the imaginings and possible hallucinations of its central character, and therefore, perhaps, the mood and method of presentation is a direct reflection of that sense of chaos and erratic behavior. But, then why are some of the characters who are supposed to be much more in tune with reality so… um… strange?

Again, to be clear: QUIXOTE NUEVO is not simply just a straight, American-set modern update of Cervantes's legendary Spanish tale, despite the many blatant references and direct parallels it has to that earlier 17th Century tome. Rather, this new, sometimes purposely meta play—set in the fictional US/Mexico border town of La Plancha, Texas—centers around retired college professor Jose Quijano (played with commendable gusto by Herbert Siguenza), who, unfortunately, at the time of his introduction, is showing clear signs of late-stage dementia. He is now progressively avoiding his reality, instead increasing his belief that he must live out the outrageous fantasy worlds found in his favorite books, particularly Cervantes's hero-centered novel.

"Truth hurts like a MOFO," he bellows, which for us is the first subtle sign that perhaps the delusions he entered into are by choice rather than circumstance.

Always seemingly present in Jose's mental breakdowns that only he can see is a mysterious shadowy figure, Papa Calaca (the excellent Raúl Cardona), who follows him around like the Grim Reaper waiting to collect a doomed soul. The haunting figure sings his taunts and narrations with ferocious fury, often wickedly amused by Jose's irrational rants.

Obviously in need of constant supervision, Jose has been taken in for the time being by his older sister Magdalena (the versatile Laura Crotte) who, naturally, worries for her brother's health and safety, particularly as his ailment becomes steadily worse with each passing day, which has increased the frequency of his erratic, often self-harming behavior.

The logical solution—in exhausted agreement with her brother's psychiatrist Dr. Campos (Maya Malan-Gonzalez) and her church's pastor, Padre Perez (Sol Castillo)—is to forcibly send him off to an assisted living facility to be looked after full-time by actual medical professionals.

This, of course, doesn't sit well with Jose, who feels he's still capable of living on his own, despite evidence to the contrary—and a reluctance to comply with his pharmaceutical regiment. His doting niece Antonia (Viviana Garza) empathizes for her uncle, who also feels the direct care of family is the more humane solution, even though Jose continues to be quite a handful for their household.

Jose, it turns out, was once a noted literary scholar. The ex-academic is particularly enamored with Cervantes's epic Don Quixote tale, which involves a chivalrous knight-errant's madness-induced adventure quest to rescue a damsel in apparent distress—something Jose imagines is his duty as well.

With his looming transfer to a facility coming, Jose escapes during the night into the wild open desert to make good on his own Don Quixote-like quest, and along the way—just like Don Quixote—dons a suit of armor (Jose's is made of junk parts) and even finding his own "steed" in the form of a stolen tricycle with a horse skull mounted between its handle bars.

Pretty soon, Jose happens upon and recruits his very own "Sancho Panza" sidekick in the form of amiably adorkable Manny (scene stealer Ernie González, Jr.), the local mobile peddler of frozen treats, who kindly gets on-board to help Jose in his "quest" by going as far as even complying with his new master's delusions of grandeur, mainly out of pure respect for his elders.

Meanwhile back at home, Jose's family is understandably worried about his latest disappearance. So, too, is Manny's prissy wife Juana (Alexis B. Santiago) who hasn't seen her hubby or his ice cream cart in a while either.

As we learn more about Jose's background (which includes a heartbreaking lost love that still haunts him even in his old age), the citizens in his current periphery (as well as us, the audience) is left to question whether this immature attachment to the Don Quixote myth is simply a means for Jose to have a harmless fantastical escape from the harshness of his impending reality, or is it, more likely, an uncontrollable, delusional madness brought on by a combination of medical dementia and a long-standing feeling of guilt he has harbored all these years over that past paramour—who (spoiler alert) happens to be an undocumented immigrant?

Touching and tragic while also amusing (though, at times, oddly immature), QUIXOTE NUEVO is an intriguingly engaging play overall, filled with creative theatrical touches that certainly held my attention, even with all the extensive monologuing its characters do (but with that said, the impressive all-Latinx nine-member cast also take on multiple distinctive roles throughout aside from their main focus, which deserves some kudos).

Like its tragic main character, this largely impactful play can be quirky and eccentric—but also can be deeply somber and heartbreaking beneath its protective goofy surface. Of-the-moment modern references notwithstanding, the play touches on very relevant issues that still resonate now as they did decades ago, which says a lot about where we remain as a society when it comes to both treating our elders and our foreign-born neighbors.

[This review has been edited for errors]

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Photos by Jenny Graham for South Coast Repertory.

Performances of Octavio Solis's QUIXOTE NUEVO, directed by Lisa Portes, continue at South Coast Repertory through October 28, 2023. Tickets can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

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