![]() ![]() Bo Tindell’s lighting additionally gives the set an ominously darkened, adventure-trodden appearance that is visually inviting where the characters move with intent and sometimes get into convincing hostile skirmishes choreographed by Daniel Solis. These nicely align with the period costumes (e.g., long garments, billowing skirts, armor) on loan by The Theatre Company as well as the wigs by Michon Gruber-Gonzales. His incredible staging incorporates an old-world feel, with the use of stone, a rotating center stage, makeshift wooden ladders, and a staircase that comes down like a drawbridge. The inimitable Chuck Ketter is back as both director and stage designer. John LaLonde and Monika Peña in the Candlelight Pavilion’s 2020 production of “Man of La Mancha.” Photo credit: Adam Trent Sansón Carrasco, and the Padre embark on trying to rectify Quixote’s mental health and deliver him back to a state of “normalcy.” The Candlelight Pavilion’s presentation of “Man of La Mancha” sensitively looks at the juxtaposition of Quijana/Quixote’s self-delusion against the compassion and wonder that rises to the surface of his boundless ingenuity – which is in some ways more human-seeming than the staid alternative. Inside, a common woman named Aldonza, who is regularly harassed by a group of “muleteers,” is perplexed by Quixote’s refusal to judge her, but to see her in the most innocent light, dubbing her his “Dulcinea.” However, while in the midst of this adventure, Quixote’s niece Antonia, her fiancé Dr. ![]() Quixote forges on as a principled man, a living time capsule from the Middle Ages, focused on defeating his arch-nemesis, the “Enchanter,” and earning his knighthood from an Innkeeper, whose inn is mistaken for a castle. A mock trial for Cervantes’ possessions (among them a manuscript) is set up by “The Governor,” and as a means of defense, Cervantes sets out to redeem himself and keep his manuscript by telling the narrative of one Alonso Quijana, an ordinary and humble man with a fecund inventiveness, who categorically believes himself to be the knight errant Don Quixote, who, with sidekick Sancho Panza at his side, sees grandiose visuals in place of the real-life quotidian, where battle is to be nobly fought and honor is to be valorously won. The fine line between genius and madness is most apropos here, as audiences become immersed in a story within a story that features the original author of this work, Cervantes himself, as the protagonist who introduces and enacts the legend of Don Quixote de La Mancha.īearing no reflection to the scribe’s real life, the character Cervantes, a poet and tax collector, and his manservant find themselves in a prison during the Spanish Inquisition because Cervantes put a lien on a monastery. Running through February 22nd at the Claremont-based dinner theater, “Man of La Mancha” - which features music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion - is as relevant as it’s ever been as a cure to modern-day mundanity, with a premise that is lush with imagination. Gary Reinschmidt, John LaLonde (both in foreground) and company in the Candlelight Pavilion’s 2020 production of “Man of La Mancha.” Photo credit: Adam Trent
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