Review: Arizona Broadway Theatre Presents MAN OF LA MANCHA

When Dale Wasserman was writing his stage adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1963) and the book for the musical MAN OF LA MANCHA (1964), America was in the throes of a countercultural assault on the establishment. As he noted in his Preface to Man of La Mancha, theatre was following suit, absorbed in alienation, moral anarchy, and despair. However, he chose, as he put it, to "plow squarely upstream" against the prevailing tide and compose a work that was an "espousal of illusion as man's strongest spiritual need, the most meaningful function of his imagination." Wasserman imagined Miguel de Cervantes as The Man of La Mancha, and Don Quixote the illusion that feeds the soul.

Today, in times that strain our idealism, MAN OF LA MANCHA offers a welcome emotional uplift and reminder that "only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible." (Unamuno)

In Arizona Broadway Theatre's spirited production of the musical, James Rio is the force providing that uplift, fulfilling Wasserman's vision. As he dons the accoutrements that transform him from engaging narrator to a tilter of windmills, Rio embodies the duality that defines Cervantes-Don Quixote. There's no indulging in sentimentality here. Rio, with a rich baritone voice, is soulful, delivering a Cervantes that is erudite and pragmatic and a Quixote that is starry-eyed, vulnerable, and determined to save the day ~ at whatever cost.

While awaiting the verdict of the Inquisition for foreclosing on a monastery, Cervantes must withstand a trial by his fellow-inmates. Lest he lose what worldly possessions remain to him, he conjures up a play depicting the misadventures of a character of his own creation ~ the knight-errant, he of the woeful countenance, Don Quixote. With his trusty sidekick Sancho Panza (Andy Meyers playing the perfect foil), Quixote sallies forth into danger and fateful romance (visualizing the salty and sassy barmaid Aldonza as the saintly Dulcinea (Jessica Medoff).

Kara Thomson's grand scale recreation of a foreboding dungeon demands an equally robust production. While the pacing of the show lags at times and the choreography falters, the overall effect of Joseph Martinez's direction is a stirring reminder of what may be possible when we dare to reach for the stars on behalf of a heavenly cause.

The confines of the cavernous jail become the Church of Wasserman-Cervantes-Quixote, and the classic music and lyrics of Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion create an irresistible intimacy between ensemble and audience. As the Padre, Matthew Ruff (with a beautifully reverential and soulful voice) captures the Spirit of the musical as he intones the words of The Psalm (130), a supplication to the Lord for mercy.

MAN OF LA MANCHA runs through November 11th.

Photo credit to Scott Samplin