Man Of La Mancha

If you're not familiar with the story, I suggest reading the synopsis on Wikipedia to contextualise my comments; when you have a spare half hour. It's an elaborate one, and as such the landscape of CLOC's production is rich for the analysing.

Shaun Kingma has assembled a team of exceptional standing, both in casting and production, and  and has woven from the elements a bold, effective piece that shies away from nothing, and pays respect to tradition without bowing to carbon copy interpretation. The staging is solid without being pompous, and the production flows with just enough pace to keep it from bogging down in heavy subject or laboured delivery. For the most part, the word that kept recurring to me was 'integrity'; attention to detail, a real Spanish guitarist, a real whip cracker, a grounded naturalism underscoring a story of delusional madness.

Perhaps unconventionally I want to jump straight to the performance of Zak Brown as Cervantes / Don Quixote, the man himself. Brown is an unassuming actor with no trademark style, from my observation of several of his performances. I mean this not at all as a criticism; on the contrary. He is like a clean canvas or empty vessel through which an authentic character always emerges, whose mannerisms and physicality seem not to stem from anything default or habitual, but are entirely the product of intelligent characterisation. Don Quixote, a mammoth role for any actor, is no exception. Brown flows easily between the introspective and quietly conflicted poet Cervantes and the boldly theatrical and lovably deluded Quixote. All subtleties of pathos and comedy are expertly delivered, and Brown never stumbles into the risky territory of overplaying a madman. Here I suspect equal credit tis due to both actor and director. Brown endears Don Quixote to the audience, such that when the doctor speaks of 'curing'  his madness, the line 'May the cure not be worse than the disease' resonates powerfully. Also, if you like your leading men to sing the guts out of the big number without breaking character to diva it up, look no further. Brown's 'The Impossible Dream' is nothing short of stunning.

Zak Brown is supported admirably by a cast of strong players, the most featured being Adrian Carr as Sancho and Rosa McCarty as Aldonza. Carr's Sancho is well-tempered comic relief, while also being childlike and lovable. I do question, however, the choice to have Sancho played with a New York accent. I appreciate that suspended disbelief comes into play in a piece such as this when to do it truly authentically, the characters would not only be speaking in Spanish accents, but speaking Spanish. We all know that in Les Mis the lovely ladies of France weren't cockney, yet that accent works for that scene when the text is delivered in English. Despite this, in Man of La Mancha I found the New York accent unsettling for Sancho for two reasons; Firstly, the rest of the cast either use neutral English (in the case of Don Quixote and most of the supporting characters) or  Spanish accent (in the case of Aldonza) whereby Sancho's accent stands out like the proverbial. A little of the integrity is lost here. Secondly, in my opinion the accent renders Carr's performance too reminiscent of his character in Assassins last year, and I'm sure he is an actor of far greater range. Still, to quote Sancho himself, 'I like him. I really like him.'

Rosa McCarty as Aldonza sings the role impeccably. I enjoyed the subtleties of her characterisation in her more introspective scenes. I felt however that she lacked some of the required Mediterranean brashness in 'It's All the Same', her introductory number. I suspect that the fierce fiery energy I was wanting in that number got buried beneath the jaded emotion of the lyric. Yet when it came to the performance of 'Aldonza' early in Act II, McCarty comes out  all guns blazing, which shows that she had the fire all along. Perhaps it could be  amped up a little in her first big number. Otherwise, I relished her performance.

Barry Mitchell as the Padre is a delight to behold, particularly in the very first instance when Cervantes is selecting him to play the role within the role. Mitchell has comic timing in spades, and the ability to shine like a beacon in a pivotal supporting role like this without pulling focus. He is what I would call a generous performer, and perfectly cast in this instance.

The rest of the supporting characters also deserve credit; Richard Perdriau as the Innkeeper and Governor has a likeable upbeat energy, and is convincing in both roles. As The Duke and Dr Carasco (a character 'who carries his own self-importance as though afraid of breaking it') Gerard Lane brings a strong physical presence and certain ominous overtone to his performance, a stark contrast to Perdriau's brighter tempo. Likewise Amanda Stevenson as The Housekeeper is warm and funny, whereas Frederica Cunningham's Antonia is more stoic and reserved. Alana Kiely gives a gorgeous Elfin colour to her portrayal of Fermina. As the Captain of the Inquisition Simon Evans has a voice and presence that makes you sit up and take notice. And Timothy Oon lights up in his cameo role as The Barber; a very watchable performer with a bubbly appeal. This constant balancing of light and shade in a show that could easily have been bleak and monotonous I believe underpins the success of this production.

Mark George, the authentic Spanish guitarist, creates a wonderful mood on stage with his virtuosic playing, and is also convincing as a member of the exceptional male ensemble. This is one of the strongest ensembles I've witnessed; a grounded masculinity which provides a rock solid foundation for the piece. The ensemble do great credit to Tamara Finch's choreographed movement (the torment of Aldonza scene is particularly effective) and Tyson Legg's musical direction. The music as a whole is breathtaking. Every soloist delivers in style and technique, which is credit to them individually, but as a whole Legg must take credit for the sumptuous balance of solos, ensemble and orchestra, none of which I could fault. Due respect also then to Alan Green and all at Greenland Audio for enabling every word and nuance to be heard.

The integrity of this production is framed by an outstanding set, courtesy of Graham McGuffie and team. I never thought I'd describe a cold, grey dungeon as beautiful, but it truly is. The drawbridge in itself deserves its own standing ovation, and Stelios Karagiannis' lighting illuminates the action with expert balance and subtlety. Costumes by Melinda Peebles and Nancy Matthews dress the show's aesthetics with again superb integrity, as do Karen Warrington's props.

I don't believe I have ever witnessed humans playing horses on stage before, where it wasn't at least a little laughable. Hats off to the designer of the horses' heads, to Shaun Kingma and the cast, for pulling off a difficult challenge, and succeeding admirably.

I suppose one has come to expect a certain degree of quality from a CLOC production. Certainly there is a lot to be said for having the resources to stage a show with beautiful sets and costumes. Again, CLOC have delivered on this front. But the clothes certainly do not make the Man of La Mancha (Woeful pun. Please forgive), and beneath the aesthetics is a rich tapestry of talent which is far more than the sum of its parts. Man of La Mancha is almost epic in its complexity, and yet the integrity and creative vision CLOC have employed in this production makes it not just accessible but top notch entertainment.

Man Of La Mancha runs until the 2nd October.... see 'What's On' for more information. 

Julia Sutherland is one of the founding members of Theatre People, and for many years was a very active theatre person. Julia has recently returned to the theatrical fold performing in Songs For a New World and RENT, coming soon to a Besen Centre near you. While absent from the theatrical stage for some years, Julia was dipping her toe into the murky waters of comedy and cabaret, performing her one-woman shows Winter Solsister, Word, Miss Guided Confessions, Mini Cabs, Wicked Little Town and A Little Miss Guided. Before all this, Julia was a theatre addict, and her habit drove her to play roles such as Mary Magdalene in JC Superstar, Velma in Chicago, Fantine in Les Miserables, Carol in Oleanna, Claudia in Birthrights, Marta in Company, Ronnette in Little Shop, and various Woman 2 roles in shows such as Godspell and The World Goes Round. Julia also  choreographed productions of Cabaret, Hot Mikado, A Slice of Saturday Night and several concerts. Julia is now convinced that no amount of rehab will cure her love of all things theatre, and is thrilled to declare herself a theatre person once more.