Written by Dale Wasserman. Music by Mitch Leigh. Lyrics by Joe Darion. Directed by Ben Hart and Brandon James. Music Direction by Walter “Bobby” McCoy. Choreography by Jason Faria and Alyssa Dumas. Lighting Design by Kelly Gibson. Sound Design by Andrew Cameron. Properties Design by Gretchen Gray and Elise Marshall. Costume Design by DW. Set Design by Ben Hart and Brandon James. Presented by Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, through March 5.
By Linda Chin
For Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s 2023 Season, “The Impossible Dream!”, the Artistic Direction Team (Ben Hart, Brandon James, Alyssa Dumas) have curated an octet of titles thematically bound by their protagonists’ quests for love and acceptance, freedom, and justice. The Rep’s season opener Man of La Mancha is a musical telling of the quest of Don Quixote, one of the most iconic dreamers known to humankind. Although Cervantes’ 17th-century novel (which has been translated into over 50 languages) has broad appeal, the original 1965 production won 5 Tonys (including Best Musical) and enjoyed a successful Broadway revival in 2002, and “The Impossible Dream” (also widely translated) is an iconic number in the musical theater canon, it is not oft-produced by NE theater companies. Some consider the show dated, and difficult to stage, and there are flaws and inconsistencies in the score and book. Seacoast Rep’s rousing rendition overcomes these challenges and demonstrates that this musical is timeless, accessible, and universal.
The storytelling begins when you enter the theater. Set in Spain after the Spanish Inquisition, the stage has been transformed into a dungeon/prison. Cast members are costumed in muted tones of gray, and an actor-musician strums on his guitar, to eerily calm effect. A floor-to-ceiling barbed-wire fence wraps the stage’s perimeter, enclosing the prisoners/performers within. Given that the story is about being dually trapped, by one’s body and one’s mind, and about “dreamers” being confined in cages, I became aware that this production of Man of La Mancha would be unlike others I’ve seen.
The show begins with new prisoners – Miguel de Cervantes and his loyal manservant – and a trunk thrown into the space. With a change in the community’s dynamics, the mood grows hostile; the other inmates threaten to destroy the contents of the trunk. To protect his possessions – most importantly a set of manuscripts – from being burned, Cervantes proposes to act out the story of Don Quixote’s quest. Cervantes pulls out a make-up case and dons a gray beard and wig to play the aging, mad knight. Sancho plays his faithful squire, and other prisoners are “cast” in featured roles.
Kudos to the production team for their contributions to seamless storytelling. The acting and vocal prowess of the entire company make this production soar. Directors James and Hart made wonderful casting choices, especially in the four principal roles – Shaina Schwartz as Cervantes/Don Quixote, Gabriel Silva as Sancho, Tobin Moss as Shadow Sancho, and Alexandra Mullaney as Aldonza. Non-traditional casting does result in outstanding actors being able to perform dream roles that may previously have been deemed impossible.
Man of La Mancha both raises the bar (and our anticipation) for the rest of Seacoast Rep’s 2023 season and sets a new standard for future productions of La Mancha by other theater companies to emulate. We left the theater with increased hope for what is possible. For tickets and information, go to: https://seacoastrep.org/
