Some dreams are possible: A glorious ‘Man of La Mancha’ closes Asolo Rep season

If the Asolo Repertory Theatre’s glorious production of the classic musical “Man of La Mancha” is any indication of the kind of work we can expect during the tenure of the incoming Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, audiences have a lot to look forward to over the next few years.

Those who saw his earlier productions of “Sweeney Todd” and “Ragtime” know that Rothstein, who will succeed Michael Donald Edwards in July, is a creatively inventive director who finds meaningful and often surprising ways to get to the heart of the shows he is staging.

“Man of La Mancha” is the 1965 Tony Award-winning musical inspired by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes’ tale of “Don Quixote,” about an aging man who imagines himself a knight determined to right the wrongs in the world.

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In the musical by Dale Wasserman, with now-familiar songs by Mitch Leigh and lyricist Joe Darion, Cervantes tells his story as a theatrical defense in a mock trial held by a group of prisoners awaiting hearings before the Spanish Inquisition. In Rothstein’s version, the prisoners are waiting in a contemporary government holding cell, an industrial space of cinder blocks and tile floors designed by Michael Hoover that is transformed into an inn, a church and the countryside through imaginative projections designed by Greg Emetaz. Without words being changed (except a few extra lines spoken in Spanish), the setting only emphasizes the timelessness of Cervantes’ story.

With costumes by Fabian Fidel Aguilar that turn modern street clothes into echoes of the past, and impactful lighting by Marcus Dilliard, the production takes the audience on a rollicking ride filled with humor, heart and emotion.

What at first seems like a bit of fantasy and fancy, becomes a moving and inspiring story led by a captivating Mauricio Martinez as Cervantes and Quixote and an adorable performance from Aaron De Jesus as his trusty sidekick Sancho Panza.

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Martinez matches his committed and heartfelt acting with a gorgeous and resonant voice. Long before he sings the show’s anthem, “The Impossible Dream,” in a moving and powerful style, he has already won over the audience with his charisma and dramatic flair. The song itself elicited some screams and lots of cheers during Saturday’s opening performance.

“The Impossible Dream” is the heart of the story and Cervantes’ defense against the mock charges of being a bad poet and an idealist. He believes we must always reach further than we think is possible to make the world a better place.

De Jesus matches the determination of Martinez with an impish smile and endearing delivery of the many witticisms that come from Sancho’s mouth, and he is just charming singing “I Like Him” and “A Little Gossip.”

Though he looks at the world through aging eyes – fighting a dragon that is really a windmill or stopping at a small inn he believes is a castle – Quixote also sees the warmth and beauty hidden beneath the bitter and jaded exterior of the tavern prostitute Aldonza. She is played with a good amount of fire and passion by Janely Rodriguez, who makes you see that though Aldonza tries to reject Quixote’s flowery prose, his words have forever changed her view of herself.

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The production also features some effective performances by Javier Ignacio as the stern Pedro, G. Mingo Long as the patient Innkeeper, Rodolfo Nieto as the villainous Duke and Dr. Carasco, Brian Kim McCormick as an understanding Padre and Sydney Chow as Quixote’s worried niece.

They are all beautifully supported by the large orchestra led by music director Jenny Kim-Godfrey, who also did some of the arrangements with her husband, guitarist Jonathan Godfrey, whose own instrumental contributions add a touch of Spanish flair.

Rothstein is also aided by the choreography by Cat Brindisi which is filled with energetic movement, fight sequences, horseback rides depicted in unexpected ways and a sensitively rendered abduction that gives you a new perspective on the sequence.

The production closes both the Asolo Rep season and the 18-year run of Edwards, who has transformed the theater over nearly two decades by raising the quality and caliber of its productions and the variety of guest artists, like Rothstein, who have been brought in to widen our view of the world.

‘Man of La Mancha’

Book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, lyrics by Joe Darion. Directed by Peter Rothstein, choreographed by Cat Brindisi. Reviewed May 13, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Through June 11. Tickets are $35-$98. 941-351-8000; asolorep.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: A moving ‘Man of La Mancha’ closes Sarasota’s Asolo Rep season