by Alex Brooks
The Capital Rep has opened a new production of Man of La Mancha starring Hoosick Falls native Kevin McGuire. The remarkably talented cast also includes David Sutton of Hoosick Falls as the Padre.
Man of La Mancha has been an audience favorite since it first opened in the late sixties in New York. It ran for over three years on Broadway and won many Tony Awards. The song at the center of it, “The Impossible Dream,” has been recorded by countless different singers over the last forty years, and is familiar to almost everyone.
Though few make it all the way through the novel Don Quixote, the character, with his fanatical idealism and his chivalric insistence on seeing the best in everyone that he meets, is familiar to us, and remembered in the word “quixotic,” meaning excessively idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical. But if in the popular mind he is seen mostly as a nut, hopelessly out of touch with reality, a good production of this play reminds us that Cervantes found much to admire in his protagonist, despite his foolishness. This plays out most vividly in the transformation he brings to Aldonza, who he insists on calling “Dulcinea”
His refusal to see her as a low-born strumpet, as everyone else does, is met
with laughter and scorn from all, including Aldonza herself. But it ultimately changes the way that she sees herself, and this transformative power of his idealism and imagination is at the heart of what makes this musical profound and moving.
McGuire does a good job of walking the fine line between getting laughs for Quixote’s antics, like asking why there were no midgets on the battlements of the castle to announce his arrival, without portraying him as a total buffoon. We are frequently reminded in this play that there is plenty of evil in the world, and Quixote’s honesty, bravery, and willingness to stand up against it, however foolishly, commands admiration.
Robert Anthony Jones in the role of Sancho Panza is endlessly entertaining, mediating between Quixote and the real world with a droll good humor. McGuire and Jones have good chemistry – the repartee between them is fast-paced and amusing. The rest of the cast is uniformly strong. From Joe Phillips’ Ernest Borgnine-like turn as the barber whose shaving pan is stolen for Quixote’s helmet, to Shannon Rafferty’s very expressive turn as Sancho Panza’s donkey, there are fine bits of acting and musicianship turning up throughout the play. David Sutton has grown tremendously as an actor and a singer. He more than holds his own among a very talented group of professional actors. His powerful yet mellifluous voice is shown off to great effect in both solo work and ensemble singing in this show.
The set is beautifully done, and so many details of this production have been given thought and creativity, like the sound of the big upper door being unbolted, which signals with great authority the transitions in the play. Music Director Adam Jones has worked wonders with the small production musical resources, highlighting the voices themselves and using himself on electric pianos at the back of the stage and cast members playing a variety of instruments on stage.
The Capital Rep is an intimate theatre, and being so close to the action makes for a very compelling experience. If you are only going to one show in the next month, this probably ought to be it. The show will be playing through December 17, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30, Friday and Saturday at 8, and Sunday at 7. For tickets and information, call (518) 445-7469 or visit www.capitalrep.org.