By the time the stage lights faded and the cast of “Man of La Mancha” gave their final bow, my cheeks hurt from smiling and my hands were numb from clapping.
The Arizona Theatre Company knocked it out of the park so well, the ball rocketed away to Wonderland, much like Don Quixote, the famous literary character at the core of this play. The “Man of La Mancha” begins when a poet-turned-tax-collector is thrown into a prison full of cynics who have been condemned by the Spanish Inquisition.
Scenic designer William Bloodgood perfectly crafts a three-dimensional scene that helps bring the story to life. Perhaps in an effort to reclaim power by imitating their captors, these prisoners inflict an inquisition of their own upon any newcomer.
The newest prisoner is Miguel de Cervantes, who is put on trial by his fellow inmates. The creative playwright pleads his case by telling them the story of Don Quixote, a man from La Mancha whose anguish at the bleakness of reality drove him to imitate the heroic knights of old stories.
Hernández steals the stage as both Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote, with a powerful voice that booms forth from the stage and soars to the farthest corners of the balconies. When he’s not singing, he’s either wooing his love interest Aldonza with a fancy, old-fashioned accent or silencing the theater with passionate speeches about the virtues of madness.
While it might be easy to list Cervantes as the main character, “Man of La Mancha” would be nothing without the colorful cast of prisoners whose long-buried optimism springs to life with the triumphant tale of Don Quixote.
Michelle Dawson gives a breathtaking performance that is equally stunning and heartbreaking as tavern wench and part-time prostitute Aldonza. Dawson’s rough accent and aggressive stage presence slowly melts into wide-eyed hopefulness and passionate fervor as Don Quixote’s contagious optimism chips away at her hardened demeanor.
Two actors who stole the stage were Carlos Lopez as Sancho and Kara Mikula as both Maria and the Housekeeper. Each of them shone throughout the play, but their comedic talents are especially outstanding when Don Quixote receives his knighthood from the befuddled tavern Innkeeper, played with warmth and charm by John Patrick Lowrie.
During this scene, Mikula dramatically plays the cello, adding laughter to the scene with her melodramatic flourishes and overly-intense posture. The moment is made even funnier when Quixote asks the barkeep to make a better knighthood speech. After the barkeep hands the sword to Quixote’s squire, Sancho, Lopez shoves the sword back into the innkeeper’s hand, repeating Quixote’s grievances with a voice that grows higher and squeakier with every new complaint.
One of the most satisfying parts of watching the play is seeing the characters grow from cynical prisoners to talented musicians and actors whose hearts have been filled with hope. Despite the horrific war outside, they have become better people from hearing Cervantes’ fantastical tale.
Dissatisfied with the true ending of the story, the prisoners band together to give Don Quixote and Aldonza a happier ending, drawing inspiration from Quixote’s efforts to make reality more bearable through fantasy.
If I could take a hint from the prisoners and make my own ending, I’d probably make the play longer. Arizona Theatre Company performed “Man of La Mancha” with such triumphant talent and infectious enthusiasm that after I left the theater, I searched for the soundtrack to expand the magic.
“Man of La Mancha” runs through Sunday, Jan. 28 at the Herberger Theater Center. Tickets are available for purchase online.
Contact the columnist at sosulli2@asu.edu
