‘Man of La Mancha’ provokes and delights in Little Theatre production

By Lynn Felder Winston-Salem Journal May 4, 2019

“Man of La Mancha” debuted on Broadway more than 50 years ago, during a time of political unrest and cultural upheaval in the U.S. That year, the Voting Rights Act passed, the Vietnam War was accelerating, Medicare and Medicaid were established, and Bob Dylan went electric.

The same musical opened to a packed and appreciative house Friday night against the backdrop of voting rights battles, another war somewhere, health care squabbles and Dylan still touring.

How can this musical feel so fresh when our ideals have undergone so many stalemates? It’s a sneaky show, really. It leaves us racked with sadness, reeling from ambiguity — and humming “The Impossible Dream.” Oh, and it’s pretty funny, too.

I think that’s the answer. The music is gorgeous, timeless — placeless too. Composer Mitch Leigh borrows from flamenco and classical guitar to transport us to Spain or Morocco or … La Mancha. Then he brings in the trumpet and the haunting clarinet, the ethereal piccolo, the vast and sweeping implications of the French horn.

Dale Wasserman based “Man of La Mancha” on his own non-musical teleplay, “I, Don Quixote” (1959), distilled from the 17th-century Cervantes novel, and Joe Darion wrote the lyrics.

The orchestra, led by David Lane is fine, but a sound technician is needed to turn up the vocal mics. Too often the very good band overwhelmed the singers.

The lead actors are spectacular, seemingly born to play these parts.

Chuck King, as Cervantes/Don Quixote, brings one of the finest voices in community theater to the role. When he swings into the first big number, “Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote),” with Ken Ashford as his squire/sidekick Sancho, you know that you’re in for a rollicking ride. The song is just rousing, and you’re ready to join Don Quixote on his quest, regardless of how wrong-headed and deluded it may be.

Ashford is splendid as Sancho, playing the comic servant with a raspy whine, twisted lip and twinkling eyes. He gets to shine on “I Really Like Him” and “A Little Gossip.”

Christine Gorelick is terrific as Aldonza/Dulcinea. It’s a tough role physically as she is handled by the Muleteers, a band of rough men; and emotionally, as she is whipsawed from hardened scullery maid to the object of Quixote’s adoration back to disillusioned viragos and ultimately idealist. Her introductory song, “It’s All the Same,” with the Muleteers is a bawdy delight.

Act I ends with King’s full-throated rendition of “The Impossible Dream,” and it’s impossible to resist his lure of delusion.

The ensemble players are all good, lively actors and singers, and the chorus numbers are gorgeous to hear.

Mark Pirolo directs and draws fine performances from everyone.

There are disturbing scenes: Dulcinea’s abduction and Quixote’s “cure,” with spectacular costuming, credited to Tara Raczenski.

The show is full of inspiration and terrible ambiguity, with a particularly seductive argument for idealism over pragmatism.

But when the full cast blend voice and band on the final “Impossible Dream,” it’s easy to see why “Man of La Mancha” — a show about a crazy old man with delusions of glory and nobility — won five Tonys in 1965 and why it still moves audiences today.