The errant knight Don Quixote is in town in Matunuck.
- Republished by permission from South Kingston Patch.com.
The impoverished storyteller Cervantes is thrown into a dungeon with his squire and friend Sancho Panza. The other inmates immediately threaten the pair with a trial and start stealing their belongings. When they attempt to destroy his unfinished novel, Cervantes begs to give his defense to save the book. He begins to act out the story of Don Quixote and soon has the prisoners in rapt attention, taking them out of their dreary existence and into a better, more noble fantasy world.
The set is impressive and well used, as the play flip flops between reality and Don Quixote's world. An amazing drawbridge opens ominously whenever the guards are coming to get one of the prisoners for inquisition. Through lighting and theatrical smoke the dankness and dampness of the dungeon is conveyed. The costuming is well done and the transitions between roles, when the prisoners join in telling the story, is seamless.
Bruce Winant as Cervantes/Quixote is outstanding. He is never over the top crazy as Quixote, playing him more as sweet and charming, if a little off-kilter. This Broadway veteran has a beautiful voice and is a joy to listen to during the musical numbers. Robert Anthony Jones is funny as the comic sidekick Sancho Panza. In his solo “I Really Like Him” he tries to explain to the kitchen wench Aldonza (Quixote's love interest Dulcinea) why he hangs around with Quixote. “I like him” is all he can really come up with and the audience agrees.
We recognize that Don Quixote is not all there, but he's harmless and we like him. Christine Rowan makes a fine Aldonza/Dulcinea although she could use a little harder edge. The choreography and movement is well planned for the small space and handled well by the entire cast.
The struggle to find the middle ground between the stark reality of one's world and the total delusion of another's is well played out through the character of Aldonza, who is brutally treated by the men in her world and dismisses Quixote as a crazy fool because he sees beauty and goodness in her and wants to treat her well. The audience has to judge for themselves whether it is noble or foolish to hope for a better world.
This is an enjoyable production with excellent direction by Aimee Turner, the Artistic Director of the Ocean State Theater Company.
Man of La Mancha runs through July 16th. Tickets are $39-$54 and available online or by calling the Box Office: (401) 782-8587.
