The Celebration Independent

Don Quixote, A Tale of an Indomitable Spirit
By Joan Beaujon

The Celebration Players do not take their community theater lightly. They have a history of taking on productions that require professionalism, skill and above all, talent.
Man of La Mancha, their latest production, is no exception to this rule. The book by Dale Wasserman is not an easy one to convey to the audience, as it must be told with clarity and believability.
The story of ‘La Mancha’ deals with Miguel de Cervantes, a failed tax collector and poet. Cervantes has been thrown into a dungeon in Seville with his manservant. The pair has been arrested and awaits trial by the Inquisition for closing a church for non-payment of taxes.
While awaiting trial for this, Cervantes is tried by his fellow prisoners in a kangaroo court, their motive being to rob him of his possessions after finding him guilty (which, of course, they will).
Cervantes’ only possession of any importance or value is a book entitled ‘Don Quixote.’ To save his novel from the fire, Cervantes presents his defense to the inmate judge and jury in the form of an entertainment production. He transforms himself into Don Quixote and his manservant into Sancho Panza, who tilts with windmills to right the unrightable wrongs.
The musical score by Mitch Leigh with lyrics by Joe Darion, requires voices with power and clarity. This was handled well by the cast, particularly Jennifer Lee as Dulcinea. What a talent, both in acting and vocally.
Larry Helms as Cervantes/Don Quixote, stood out as well. His characterization of Cervantes was a bit slow in the beginning, but by the ‘Impossible Dream’ sequence he had the role down perfectly.
Mention should be made of the performances by the Moorish dancing couple. The choreography was done amazingly well with split-second timing in the tumbling, fighting and swordplay. Kudos goes to Kim Keller for her superb work in this department.
Special praise should be given to Bob Amerena for directing so skillfully and for the musical direction of Frank Mathews.
The lighting effects and scenery were once again first class. The teamwork between all involved in this production was clearly evident in its success, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Thanks go to the entire cast and crew for a truly professional and enjoyable night in the theater.
Well done, and as always any play performed by the Celebration Players seems to have the hallmark of a production you definitely don’t want to miss.

  Four Corners Reporter

 Published Thursday, May 12, 2005
Area Version of `Man of La Mancha' Is Community Theater at Its Best

By Michael G. Freeman
The Reporter

CELEBRATION
As soon as the lights went down inside the Celebration High School auditorium and the orchestra began the overture for "Man Of La Mancha," I knew I was going to immensely enjoy this production. A medley of the show's memorable songs -- "Man of La Mancha -- I, Don Quixote," "Dulcinea" and "The Impossible Dream" among them, the melodies instantly carry you away. This is a wonderfully timeless score in a play that's also aged well.

My instincts were right on target. The Celebration Players' staging of this show -- alternately romantic, comical, and even suspenseful at times -- could hardly be improved upon.

Conductor Frank Mathews in particular deserves a lot of credit for the magnificent work of his talented orchestra, which bring the score by Mitch Leigh to such rousing heights.

Anyone with doubts about the quality of community theater these days will be surprised at what a joy this play is to watch.

The play was the brainchild of Dale Wasserman, who adapted his television play, "I, Don Quixote," into a 1965 Broadway musical (it would go down in the record books as the third-longest running musical of the 1960's), and later a 1972 film starring Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren.

The story begins with Miguel de Cervantes, an aging and not terribly successful poet and playwright whose day job -- part-time tax collector -- has gotten him arrested by the Spanish Inquisition after he tried to make the Catholic Church pay its fair share of the tax bill.

Cervantes and his manservant are thrown into an underground dungeon in Seville to await "trial" (more often a polite word for execution.) Their fellow inmates, eager to confiscate Cervantes' belongings, decide to stage a mock trial of their own.

Cervantes, desperate to save his prized possession -- the uncompleted manuscript of a novel called "Don Quixote" -- insists on being allowed to present a defense. So he dons makeup and costume and improvises the story of Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza, transforming himself into his fictional counterpart. Along the way, he has great adventures, tilting at windmills, defeating ruffians, getting his knighthood from an innkeeper, and singing of his life's great goal, "To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to bear with unbearable sorrow, to run where the brave dare not go."

But is Don Quixote the last of the great brave knights, fighting for what is right and honorable .¼.. or simply a nut? The folks at the inn where he stays, including the feisty barmaid that Don Quixote falls for and dubs Dulcinea, must decide that question.

The Celebration Players create a single set, the grimy dungeon where Cervantes and his servant must fend off the cutthroats surrounding them; the inn where Don Quixote romances the lovely Dulcinea is an imaginary one, with the fellow inmates becoming the locals who patronize it. It's a clever device, particularly since our hero is really a lumpy middle-age man who looks like anything but a heroic knight.

In fact, reality keeps slipping into poor Don Quixote's romantic vision of chivalry and nobility. His pragmatic servant Sancho never hesitates to rain on Don Quixote's parade by pointing out the obvious -- say, that the dragon he aims to slay is really just a windmill. And when Quixote proclaims Dulcinea to be "a sweet lady and a fair virgin," the rough drinkers at the inn who know her best roar with obscene laughter.

But it's the music that makes this play so enjoyable. Songs like "I'm Only Thinking Of Him," "Aldonza" and "The Barber's Song" are irresistibly good, and Mathews and his orchestra play them to perfection. It's a stirring score in a larger-than-life tale -- a great combination.

Larry Helms does an impressive job as Cervantes, a rather befuddled old man using his dreams to escape a most unpleasant and grim reality; in the beginning, when he dons his knight costume and begins to sing, "It is I, Don Quixote, the Man of la Mancha," he neatly transforms himself into his majestic hero -- for a while anyway.

Jennifer Lee is just superb as the fiery Aldonza, who can't quite believe anyone would choose a lowly barmaid like herself for such romantic overtures, and her singing is outstanding, although John P. Cortes Jr. and Jason Moreno give her some strong competition in their rendition of "Little Bird, Little Bird."

The real scene stealer, though, was Mike Kaina, who is hilariously entertaining as Sancho. Between his quirky facial expressions and goofy duck-like walk, Kaina is a riot to watch.

First rate in every respect, "Man Of La Mancha" is a terrific production, and frankly, it would be criminal for any local theater lover to miss it.

Michael W. Freeman can be reached at Michael.Freeman @theledger.com