Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Man of La Mancha Also see Susan's reviews of Soon, Freedom's Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War and The Originalist
As the audience enters, actors are already talking or fighting on Allen Moyer's industrial-looking set of latticed walls with a threatening metal bridge overhead. The setting is a Spanish prison in 1594, but it has a timeless, even modern appearance. The 1965 musical by Dale Wasserman (book), Mitch Leigh (music), and Joe Darion (lyrics) uses the imprisonment of author Miguel de Cervantes (Anthony Warlow).by the Spanish Inquisition as the vehicle for an examination of scenes from Cervantes' most famous work, "Don Quixote." When the other prisoners try to take away the author's manuscript, he enlists their help in telling the story of the mad "knight errant" who sees only nobility among the worst elements of society. Warlow has a commanding voice and a majestic presence, seizing the audience's attention throughout and giving "The Impossible Dream" the power it deserves. Nehal Joshi plays Quixote's friend and squire, Sancho Panza, as a bit of a sad sack, sustained by his dark sense of humor. Most interestingly, Amber Iman reimagines the role of Aldonzathe kitchen slavey and prostitute whom Quixote sees as his idealized "Dulcinea"as less operatic (the original actress, Joan Diener, was a trained soprano) and more soulful, gritty and sustained by bitterness. Paul hasn't slighted the less somber side of the musical. Maria Failla and Rayanne Gonzales find the self-justifying humor as Quixote's relatives, and Nathan Lucrezio charms as an itinerant barber. Even a scene set in a church includes a throwaway sight gag. Choreographer Marcos Santana has created muscular ensemble work for the muleteers, including a visceral (but not explicit) rape scene. David Leong's fight choreography conveys a genuine sense of danger. Musical director George Fulginiti-Shakar commands an intense 12-piece orchestra stationed in a theater box next to the stage.
Shakespeare Theatre Company
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