PCPA's 'Man of La Mancha' reaches the unreachable stars in Solvang

A few unobtrusive raindrops punctuated the opening scenes of the Solvang Festival Theater premier of Man of La Mancha by PCPA The Pacific Conservatory Theatre, helping to transform the character of the outdoor venue to match with the dank, subterranean dungeon portrayed on stage. The scene came alive with the disheveled and dejected looking ensemble cast, the hopeless prisoners kept there, whose squalor was interrupted by a procession of armed guards, the enforcers of the Spanish Inquisition.

click to enlarge PCPA's 'Man of La Mancha' reaches the unreachable stars in Solvang
PHOTO COURTESY OF LUIS ESCOBAR/REFLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY
MAN WITH A DREAM: David Studwell owns the show as Miguel de Cervantes and his title character Don Quixote in PCPA’s production of 'Man of La Mancha.'

The guards, and the Captain of the Inquisition (Peter S. Hadres), brought forth Miguel de Cervantes (David Studwell) and his servant—later known as Sancho (Leo Cortez)—forcing their descent into the deep of despair. As soon as the shiny-helmeted guards and ominously robed captain leave, sealing an iron gate, Cervantes and his servant are surrounded and subsequently dispossessed of all they hold, including a large, bound manuscript.

The tussle interrupts the peace of the alcove’s alpha, simply known as the Governor (Erik Stein), who bellows out from below, and bursts into the scene from a grate in the floor, both surprising in his towering posture and his sudden ascension from an even deeper chasm in the wretched chamber. He informs Cervantes that though he awaits trial with the Inquisition, he must first face a trial by his peers, the other prisoners, with the Governor acting as judge.

A wild-haired and cold-eyed prisoner (Andrew Philpot) brings forth the charges, after thumbing through Cervantes’ manuscript, that the author and poet is an idealist, an artist disconnected from reality who makes fetish of fantasy. Hoping to save his manuscript from becoming kindling, Cervantes begs to offer a defense, but in the form of a play.

This is how one of Broadway’s most famous plays-within-a-play begins, as Cervantes quickly applies white to his beard and dons the costume of Alonso Quijana, the old man who goes forth as the seemly mad knight-errant Don Quixote, the title character of real-life Cervantes’ famous novel, proudly declaring himself with rousing song. Studwell immediately takes over the stage with the transformation, filling the evening air with his voice and piercing all with the gleaming of his brilliant eyes.

Don Quixote and his servant Sancho journey forth through the imagined Spanish countryside, with the former dueling windmills and making castles out of inns. Cortez and Studwell’s playful back and forth as the idealistic knight and his faithful yet confused servant is fantastic, vaudevillian in nature, yet doesn’t shy away from the bigger ideas being addressed. It’s when the two make it to the inn that their respective outlooks are put to the test.

click to enlarge PCPA's 'Man of La Mancha' reaches the unreachable stars in Solvang
PHOTO COURTESY OF LUIS ESCOBAR/REFLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY
A BOLD VOICE: Don Quixote professes his undying, chivalrous love for the barmaid Aldonza, who gets bold character and powerful voice from Julie Garnyé.

The prisoners join the production as the grungy customers of the inn, with PCPA resident artist George Walker acting as the group’s leader Pedro, who sneers while strumming a guitar with impressive dexterity. Pedro and his crew are hounding the barmaid Aldonza (Julie Garnyé), groping and harassing the young woman, who sings “It’s All the Same,” disconnecting herself from the disgusting and dehumanizing reality of selling her body. Garnyé gives Aldonza bold character, using her powerful voice to its potential.

The Governor jumps in to play the innkeeper, who is mistaken as Lord of the Castle by Don Quixote. The innkeeper and his wife (Kitty Balay) are perplexed by the crazy old man as he speaks the lofty language of centuries past, but no one is more surprised by Quixote than Aldonza, as the old faux knight declares his undying, chivalrous love, dubbing her with new name in the song “Dulcinea,” and later sharing his vision of an undying quest in “The Impossible Dream.”

The recorded score produced by music director Matthew R. Meckes accompanies the production poignantly. An orchestra of local musicians artfully performed the score with flourish and flavor, showing no age or tarnish in the 50-year-old music. The solid tonal bedrock gives the singers fantastic foundation over which to soar, truly reaching the unreachable, eliciting goose bumps and tears.

The lighting design of Jennifer “Z” Zornow both highlights the nuance of the dark and ominous set by Jason Bolen, while shining glimmering beams of truth and beauty over the imagined play, driving the point home that though these people are shackled and caged, they cannot be bound in imagination and heart.

PCPA's 'Man of La Mancha' reaches the unreachable stars in Solvang
CATCH THE SHOW: PCPA The Pacific Conservatory Theatre presents its production of Man of La Mancha through Aug. 16 at the Solvang Festival Theater. Cost is $29.50 to $39.50. More info: 922-8313 or pcpa.org.

The collaboration of all, from the choreography of Michael Jenkinson, the costumes by Eddy L. Barrows, and even the fight choreography by PCPA artistic director Mark Booher, all come together seamlessly under the direction of Mark Herrier, PCPA alum and successful Broadway, television, and film actor. All the combined elements radiate a passion that punctures the mundane veil, shooting each actor into the stratosphere of creative expression, and anyone there to witness it has no choice but to be borne along with them, past the unreachable stars.

Arts Editor Joe Payne is always on the quest to find truth, beauty, and meet his deadlines. Contact him at [email protected].

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