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Simply put, if you don’t like musicals, “Man of La Mancha” is not going to change your mind.
The Landmark Musical production has that sort of hammy blood-and-thunder attitude that musicals are known for. Most of the singing carries an operatic vibrato, which makes it hard to understand the words, and most of the spoken dialogue is delivered flatly, accompanied by stiff pointing and stagy gesturing.
It’s an old style of musical, the sort that spurred the creation of the edgy and experimental for decades, attempting desperately not to be ‘your daddy’s musical.’
Despite being exactly that sort of musical in which your daddy, and granddaddy, might partake, “Man of La Mancha” makes use of one of the greatest characters ever created, Don Quixote, one pitifully comedic and powerfully profound figure, much like the completely historical “Emperor of America” who roamed around 19th century San Francisco.
Joshua Norton I, look him up.
“Man of La Mancha” uses a bit of an odd frame story: Miguel de Cervantes, author of “Don Quixote,” is thrown into jail and immediately assailed by the prisoners. They create a trial for Cervantes, mostly so they can be jerks to him, and Cervantes’ legal defense takes the form of making the prisoners act out the story of “Don Quixote.”
Mostly just ‘cause.
It drives home the idea of Don Quixote’s subjective reality when you have a play within a play, which is in turn about a man pretending, effectively making the fantasy three levels deep.
Inception, beware.
Yet it becomes frustratingly overt when Cervantes needs to directly explain to the audience the importance of subjective reality: delusion rebranded as hope. It takes away the audience’s opportunity to think about the ideas presented in the play. Unless you dislike having to ponder new things, because then you’re in luck; you’ll be told exactly what you should think about it. The text has no ambiguity, and its source material is very specific to make sure you know it too.
Technically, there is certainly a sense of spectacle in the Rodey Theatre, and there is an epic quality to the set’s verticality. The staging cleverly plays with the theatrical metaphor, with props occasionally being delivered to actors from the orchestra pit, and Cervantes transforming into Don Quixote onstage, makeup and all.
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The windmill, the most visually striking and likely famous image of “Don Quixote,” is, however, a pathetic sight when it appears: An unimpressive stick appears representing a single blade and is flapped around vaguely, then it’s gone.
The production wavers between quaint and extravagant, and it doesn’t always work.
There are a few other bewildering choices: the vague racism of the Moors, which brought to mind the opening of Disney’s “Aladdin”; the fact that only one actor has an accent and the Spanish is pronounced as whitely as possibly; and a curious slow-motion fight scene, complete with actors speaking like sluggish record players.
Perhaps it was there to remove the need to choreograph an actual fight.
Most of the performers are strained or odd, but there are many who shine. Bryan Daniels, playing a duke and Carrasco, is in an unfortunately small part of the play, but is clearly made for musicals.
Daniela Deuel, too, playing Antonia, has a small role and immediately draws attention.
Jack Nuzum, playing Cervantes and Quixote, nails the regal posturing and earnestness that make him easy to root for and produces many smiles.
Tasha X. Waters performs well as Aldonza/Dulcinea, the female lead, though she has a distracting tendency of half-exiting the stage, only to turn around and deliver more lines.
There is also a dark moment of sexual assault in the play, which surprises no one, since the roughnecks constantly and consistently physically accost Aldonza. There is probably not a single scene where she appears with the rowdy goons that every single man doesn’t forcibly touch her at least once.
Really, if you like “South Pacific,” “Annie” or “Oklahoma!” you may well love “Man of La Mancha.” There was even a standing ovation, though the median age of the audience was about 75.
It’s a musical’s musical. So be sure you know what to expect.
Man of La Mancha
Directed by Paul Ford
Music direction by Wojciech Milewski
UNM’s Rodey Theatre
Fridays and Saturdays at
7:30 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m.
plus, Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Runs through Dec. 8
$20-24 general
$2 discount for students and seniors
Email mcochnar@comcastnet or call 453-8844 for reservations.
