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Man of La Mancha-Reviewed

Posted by rich on November 17, 2011 By State, Capital District, Cool Things to Do, Event List, Events, New York, Theatre

Man of La Mancha
The Capital Repertory Theatre
http://capitalrep.org/
Nov. 11-Dec 17

The holidays are upon us. Treat yourself to an early present: Man of La Mancha. If you see one show this year, it must be this one.

“To dream … the impossible dream …
To fight … the unbeatable foe …
To bear … with unbearable sorrow …
To run … where the brave dare not go ..

Imagine it is the 16th century, and you are Miguel de Cervantes with your sidekick, Sancho, and you find yourself jailed in a dungeon with the worst of the worst to stand trial during the Inquisition. You did a quick bout as a tax collector, and accidentally foreclosed on a Monastery, not the best thing to do during the Inquisition. Arrested and thrown into the dungeon, Miguel learns he has two trials to stand, one for the Inquisition, the other by his fellow inmates. In his defense, he conjures up an unfinished manuscript with the props of knights, and reenacts the magical tale of the greatest knight of all, Don Quixote. And he took his fabled box of tricks and swords, and had himself anointed knight while falling for the graces of the lovely Aldonza.

”To right … the unrightable wrong …
To love … pure and chaste from afar …
To try … when your arms are too weary …
To reach … the unreachable star …

Kevin McGuire comes into his own as Don Quixote, in what can only be described as a spectacular performance second to none. But he doesn’t do it all alone. The entire cast of Capital Rep’s La Mancha works together like a well-oiled machine to bring together a performance that culminated in a standing ovation. Kevin McGuire looked the part. He played the part. He was the part.

But could he sing the impossible Impossible?
He could. The song we had all been waiting for. And we heard it not once, but twice.
As he was led away to stand trial, his fellow inmates gathered around him and chanted The Impossible Dream in voices that gave you goose bumps head to toe.

”This is my quest, to follow that star …
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far …
To fight for the right, without question or pause …
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause …”

But if Kevin McGuire took himself to the top, he did bring with him wonderful company.
Anne Fraser Thomas also gave a wonderful performance with some of the best dramatic acting we’ve seen in a long time. The passion in her character combined with an operatic voice moved the audience.

David Anderson Sutton, the Padre, proved he could hold his own among the best. We will see more of him.
It is hard to find fault with this production. I wish there was more Shannon Rafferty, who had the voice of an angel. I could have listened to her sing all day. She needs a lead role to let the world hear her magical voice.

”And I know if I’ll only be true, to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm,
when I’m laid to my rest … “

I may go see La Mancha again. The Impossible Dream is, after all, a favorite song that I will have going through my head over and over again. It is almost the holidays.

And anyway, I need to buy myself an early present.

”And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach … the unreachable star …”

Lyrics by Joe Darion
By: Rich