By Shari Barrett
Man of La Mancha, with book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, and music by Mitch Leigh, takes place in the sixteenth century when poet, playwright, and part-time actor Miguel de Cervantes has been arrested together with his manservant Sancho Panza by the Spanish Inquisition, charged with foreclosing on a monastery. The two have brought all their possessions with them in a large trunk, which the other prisoners attempt to take for themselves. When he objects, a mock trial is set up and Cervantes asks to be allowed to offer a defense in the form of a play based on his latest manuscript which he will act out along with all the prisoners.
Cervantes (triple-threat performer Richard Bermudez) takes out a makeup kit from his trunk, and with the assistance of Sancho (perfectly cast Reggie De Leon) Cervantes transforms himself into Alonso Quijana, an old gentleman who has read so many books of chivalry and thought so much about injustice that he has lost his mind and now believes he should go forth as a knight-errant, renaming himself Don Quixote de La Mancha. He and Sancho take to the road to find new adventures, singing “Man of La Mancha” as their two “mules” pull their cart along the bumpy road.
And what an adventure it is – full of mischief, dreams, imaginary battles, put-upon women, fanciful interpretations of reality, and characters portrayed by the ragtag assortment of prisoners awaiting their fate along with Cervantes. Staged on a multi-level brick-walled set beautifully designed by Patric Larson and magnificently lit by Paul Black with an astonishing assortment of blended rainbow colors, the ensemble moves a wooden table and benches into all the various locations of Don Quixote’s travels. Costume design by Sonia Y. Alvarez sets the mood by visual communicating class differences to a tee.
When the two travelers reach an inn, which Don Quixote mistakenly believes is a castle, they are welcomed by the innkeeper (outstanding bass Berto Fernández) and his worrisome wife (Aviva Pressman), but of course it is the sexy wench Aldonza (Monika Peňa) who catches Cervantes’ attention. Bermudez’s lovely rendition of “Dulcinea” will have you believing she is the lady of his dreams, although she is not the sweet and pure woman he imagines her to be. But in Quixote’s mind, facts are the enemy of truth and she is the virginal woman of his dreams.
Meanwhile, Antonia, Alonso Quijana’s niece (Tatiana Monique Alvarez), has gone with his housekeeper (Analía Romero) to seek advice from the local Padre (Rudy Martinez), who wisely realizes that the two women are more concerned with the embarrassment her uncle’s madness may bring them during “I’m Only Thinking of Him.”
There are many characters who enter Cervantes’ story during Don Quixote’s travels, perhaps most notably a traveling barber (Sebastian Alejandro Guerrero) who enters singing the lively “Barber’s Song” and whose shaving basin becomes Quixote’s “Golden Helmet of Mambrino,” which he proudly wears adorned with Aldonza’s filthy dish rag. Other actors of note during the mock trial are its prosecutor, a cynic called The Duke who is chosen to play Dr. Carrasco (Louis Pardo), Antonia’s fiancé, and menacing head Muleteer Pedro (Elijah Samuél Reyes) whose treatment of Aldonza angers Don Quixote to action.
The long-running success of the musical, which has been translated into many languages and presented around the world, owes its longevity to its message that it is not wrong to believe in your dreams and the world would be a better place if we all strived to make it the place it should be rather than the place it is, highlighted by Bermudez’s showstopping rendition of “The Impossible Dream” at the end of Act 1.
Kudos to director James Vásquez, choreographer Shani Talmor, and music director/conductor Ryan O’Connell for their collaboration on bringing one of the best books and score in Broadway history so fully to life at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Produced by Musical Theatre West, performances continue through March 1. Run time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are available by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org. Students with valid ID rush tickets are $15 available at the Box Office one hour prior to showtime. More information, a full line-up of performances, and additional details can be found at https://musical.org.
Arrived and Ready! Here’s the first draft of my review: What’s a writer to do when the ghosts of the real people you are writing about keep appearing and befuddling your brain? Such is the case in the world premiere of Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia written by Beth Hyland and directed By Jo Bonney at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood Village. This tragicomic thriller explores creativity, obsession, and our ghosts that refuse to be ignored.
The action centers around Sally (Midori Francis), a once-celebrated novelist grappling with writer’s block and being overshadowed by her husband Theo’s (Noah Keyishian) rising literary fame. To counteract her inability to finish her novel, Sally seeks solace and inspiration in the iconic Boston apartment once inhabited by Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes (Marianna Gailus and Cillian O’Sullivan). But when eerie encounters begin to blur the line between inspiration and madness, Sally is forced to question what’s real, what’s imagined, and what her art may truly cost her, including her marriage to Theo.
Hyland’s impeccable writing and director Bonney’s pinpoint focus keep the action moving at the fast pace needed to keep you guessing about what is real and what is imagined. Assisting in the artistic brilliance is the movable scenic design by Studio Bent which allows swift changes between Sylvia and Ted’s apartment in Beacon Hill, Boston in 1958 and when Sally and Ted move in present day. In fact, so starling was the first transition done in blackout that audible gasps filled the audience who, like me, started to question exactly what they were seeing or perhaps imagining!
All four actors are to be commended for their absolute dedication to bringing their characters to realistic life, even during scene changes done in full view of the audience. But it’s easy to figure out only Sally can see the spirits of Sylvia and Ted when they visit, even if Theo is on the stage at the same time. So are they really ghosts of the famous people haunting Sally or is her vivid imagination driving her to a suicide attempt and then back to the mental hospital from which she recently was released? It’s a question never really answered, allowing us to decide for ourselves exactly what is going on in Sally’s mind.
This examination of ghosts, poetry, and feminism is enhanced by Lap Chi Chu’s lighting design that douses the stage in blood-red, especially when something evil or threatening is taking place. Original Music & Sound Design by Lindsay Jones fills the space with various types of soothing or rock/pop music, with time period perfect costume design by Samantha C. Jones including a shirtwaist dress and pedal pushers for Sylvia.
Similar in subject matter to Paranormal Activity at the Ahmanson about a haunting affecting a wife and husband differently and Lifeline currently at The Road Theatre about learning to work at a suicide prevention hotline to assist callers to not take their own lives, this play will garner your attention from start to finish and keep you guessing at the outcome. And along the way, expect a few laughs to relieve the mounting tension! After all, the battle between the sexes across generations is the universal platform upon which memories that last a lifetime occur.
Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia continues through March 8 on Wednesday &Thursday 7:30 p.m., Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday 2 and 7 p.m. in the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles 90024. Run time is 1 hour 40 minutes without an intermission. This production contains sexual content, profanity, and discussions of miscarriage, depression, and suicide and is recommended for ages 12+ And if you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about self-harm or suicide, there is help available. Call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
