Man of La Mancha (with John Cullum) at the Muny in St. Louis


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The musical Man of La Mancha has been with us for so long and has been produced in so many venues, amateur and professional, that it's easy to forget just how startling it was when it premiered at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre on November 22, 1965. The relatively small cast, unusual orchestration, sharply raked stage, and innovative dramatic structure of the show set it apart from the other major musicals of the time. Initial response was effusive, both from the critics and, eventually, the theatre-going public. The latter made it one of the longest-running shows on Broadway with 2,329 performances and the former gave it five Tony awards and four Variety Poll of Drama Critics awards.

The current production of Man of La Mancha at the Muny demonstrates vividly just why the show won all those trophies, and why it has remained popular for nearly 30 years. The drama, comedy, and (above all) the inspiring message about the importance of "achieving the impossible" by "attempting the absurd" (to cite the Miguel Unamuno quote that inspired Dale Wasserman to write the show in the first place) come through loud and clear. If you're a fan of this play, you won't want to miss this one.

For those of you who have somehow managed to miss seeing Man of La Mancha, it's a highly-fictionalized account of an episode from the life of Miguel Cervantes y Saavedra, author of Don Quixote. Thrown into prison for attempting to apply the law to the Church (still a risky proposition), Cervantes entertains his fellow inmates with the story of Quixote, eventually inspiring them to share some of his and the Don's idealism. The resulting play within a play works surprisingly well, but puts a great burden on the actors to bring us into Quixote's fantastic world with only minimal props and the prison cell as a backdrop.

The Muny cast handles the demands of the show with great skill. Broadway and television veteran John Cullum is a compelling and powerful Cervantes/Quixote, with a powerful voice and terrific stage presence. Darryl Ferrer is his Sancho Panza, a role he played in the 25th-anniversary revival of the show on Broadway, with the late Raul Julia. Ferrer has a kind of Buddy Hackett quality in his comic scenes and is also in fine voice. Rounding out the trio of leading roles is Ann Crumb as the whore Aldonza, who Quixote sees as his lady, Dulcinea. She gives us all the fire and passion anyone could want in this role, and then some.

There's great work from the supporting cast as well, including Chev Rogers (a Muleteer in the original Broadway cast) as the Governor, David Holliday as the comically befuddled innkeeper, and David Wasson as the Padre, handling the difficult "To Each His Dulcinea" with great sensitivity. Ted Forlow does a very funny cameo as the Barber and Tony Gilbert is a strong Dr. Carrasco, the cynical antagonist of both Cervantes and Quixote.

The production has been brilliantly staged by Albert Marre, who directed the Broadway original and whose wife, Joan Diener, was the original Dulcinea. I'm a bit sorry he didn't follow his original practice of performing the play in one continuous act, without intermission, but I imagine the Muny would frown on the loss of revenue from the refreshment booths.

Man of La Mancha continues through this Sunday (July 9th), weather permitting, on the Muny stage in Forest Park. Call 314-361-1900 for ticket information. It's a splendid production of a classic of the musical theatre, and its message is refreshingly out of synch with the prevailing cynicism, greed, spite, and short-sighted materialism of the 1990s. Once again: don't miss it.


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