Mike Brown
Jace Nichols (Cervantes/Don Quixote) and Chaz Ingraham (Sancho Panza) in Man of La Mancha.
Many people have heard the signature song from Man of La Mancha; “The Impossible Dream,” and most people can tell you that Don Quixote was famous for jousting at windmills. But unless you are a devoted fan of musical theater, you probably aren’t familiar with the rest of the gorgeous and challenging music that fills the show about the errant knight; after all, La Mancha composer Mitch Leigh and lyricist Joe Darion are hardly household names. Experiencing the entire collection of music performed exquisitely — from ballads, to traditional folk songs, to operatic quartets to bouncy melodies played for laughs — is the best reason to see Four Seasons Theatre’s production of Man of La Mancha, playing through August 6 in Shannon Hall at the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Director Wendy Jones Hill, herself an accomplished performer who has graced many stages in Madison throughout her long career, has assembled a cast of remarkable voices, including performers who seem to be fulfilling bucket-list tasks, singing parts they were born to play. Chief among them is Jace Nichols as Cervantes. Thrown into prison to await judgment from the Spanish Inquisition, he plays out the story of a book he’s written — Don Quixote — for a crowd of other prisoners, in hopes that they will not condemn him as well. Intent on telling his story, he enlists his friend and servant to play the idealistic knight’s faithful companion, and casts the rest of the prisoners in necessary roles as the story unfolds.
As the noble but delusional knight, Nichols is an imposing figure with a deep, rich baritone that goes on for days. From the lyrical love song “Dulcinea” that he mistakenly sings to an ale house wench, to the rousing anthem “Man of La Mancha” where he proclaims his mission, to the well-known “Impossible Dream,” Nichols imbues every note with warmth and power. His phrases fill the entire theater as if he was finally releasing notes that had been resonating within him for years. It is easy to be swept away by his elegant serenades.
Similarly, Meghan Randolph is surely checking a box on her resume by playing what she describes in her bio as the “dream role” of Aldonza/Dulcinea. An incredibly attractive part for women in musical theater, the fierce and feisty whore is a world away from a Rodgers and Hammerstein heroine. Gritty and in your face, Randolph sings defiantly of being abandoned in a ditch by her mother who left her to die as an infant. A prickly and hardened pragmatist, Aldonza is then undone by Don Quixote’s kind words and odes of love.
Mike Brown
Meghan Randolph (Aldonza) sings "What Does He Want From Me" from Man of La Mancha.
As the founder and executive director of Music Theatre of Madison, Randolph spends more time behind the scenes now than she does onstage, which is all the more reason to rush to this production to see her embody the hard and heartbroken Aldonza. The role shows off Randolph’s tremendous vocal range. She toggles between spitting out bitter verses as if she were hurling musical indictments and gentle elegiac pleading with Quixote to call her “Dulcinea” once more. Her easy mastery of the top of the soprano scale is also breathtaking.
Another standout is the knight’s relentlessly optimistic servant Sancho (a refreshing Chaz Ingraham), who may not believe in all of his master’s visions, but is more than happy to accompany him on more misadventures. Cast against type, the young and wiry roguish servant sends his clear tenor out to the rafters in songs that both honor Quixote’s mission and accept his eccentricities with warm affection.
With the extraordinary Tom Henson as the Innkeeper, the delightful Joe Green as the Barber and the luminous Anna Pfeffercorn as Antonia, the cast truly benefits from a deep bench of talent, even in relatively small roles. And backed by an 18-piece orchestra, featuring gifted guitarist Steve Morgan, the vocals are bolstered by textured musical tapestry that never overpowers the performers.
As a concert, the production is a complete success. As a compelling piece of theater, it falls somewhat short. The story plods along at a painfully slow pace, with little emotion exchanged by the characters onstage. And for someone about to face the inquisition, Cervantes/Quixote displays little energy or urgency in his storytelling. Blocking that largely consists of bringing single performers to center stage to sing directly to the back of the house doesn’t help fortify the drama onstage. Clumsy fight choreography also fails to up the emotional ante of any of the conflicts.
That said, it is important to note that due to a scheduling conflict, I saw a dress rehearsal of the production in a largely empty auditorium. The energy and intensity of the performances may well change considerably in front of a full house. Borrowing a bit from Sancho’s philosophy, it is easy to forgive the shortcomings of the production because the musical journey is a satisfying adventure.
