by lisa lipsey –
Based on the classic 17th century Spanish novel Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, Man of La Mancha remains one of the most enduring musicals of all time. The original Broadway production won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Since that time, the show has been revived four times on Broadway and appeared on countless stages around the world. Presented as a play within a play, Man of La Mancha falls much in the vein of Shakespeare’s King Lear. It is a poignant story of a dying old man, Don Quixote, who is a noble knight with an impossible dream that is taking over his mind. Alongside Quixote for this journey is his devoted manservant Sancho Panza.
San Diego Musical Theatre has casted one of their go-to local favorites in the lead role of Quixote, Robert J. Townsend. A fine choice, Townsend does an admirable job for San Diego Musical Theatre. You may recall, he was particularly heartening in their 2015 production of La Cage aux Folles as Georges, garnering him a Craig Noel Best Actor Award.
Townsend’s resume includes roles in a Broadway run of Mamma Mia!, the National Tours for Jersey Boys, Camelot, Grease, and Radio City. For San Diego Musical Theatre he has played favorites such as Billy Flynn in Chicago and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, as well as Dan Goodman in Next To Normal. Around San Diego County he’s also played Papa Who in The Grinch… andSweeney in Sweeney Todd.
“The perfect line that encapsulate my message, that I am trying to get through with this character, is when he says, ‘Perhaps it’s madness not to see life as it is, but to see it as it taught to be.’”
– Robert J. Townsend
Townsend has also dabbled in directing, including San Diego Musical Theatre’s recent production of All Shook Up. Townsend is proud to be the director for the Westview Theatre Company, where he is able to guide some of San Diego’s upcoming young talents in developing their performing and technical skills. As always, his favorite production to date is his beautiful family, and their amazing and amusing four-year-old, Chase.
It’s a powerful and wonderful role and Townsend says, “The perfect line that encapsulate my message, that I am trying to get through with this character, is when he says, ‘Perhaps it’s madness not to see life as it is, but to see it as it taught to be.’”
Guest Director and Choreographer Scott Thompson shares, “Man of La Mancha is about unbridled idealism. Idealism in the face of facts that suggest the absolute opposite, cynical point of view. I think that in this complicated modern world, there are lessons to be learned from both the idealistic point of view and certainly the cynical…its lessons are extremely topical as we face these issues of fact, truth and hope in our daily news cycle.”
The Play’s Inspiration: Don Quixote and Miguel de Cervantes
The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, or just Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes was published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. Don Quixote is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age. It is often labeled “the first modern novel.”
The musical Man of La Mancha is not a direct retelling of the novel, whose plot revolves around the adventures of a noble (hidalgo) from La Mancha named Alonso Quixano, who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his mind and decides to become a knight-errant (caballero andante) to revive chivalry and serve his nation, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, who often employs a unique, earthy wit in dealing with Don Quixote’s seeming madness.
The novel has an enduring influence on the literary and arts community, as evidenced by direct references in Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. It has been adapted as a straight play, a musical and for film. Most recently de Cervantes’ brilliance played muse to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a 2018 adventure-comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam.
Man of La Mancha’s Flamenco Guitars Unique in Broadway
Most notable songs in Man of La Mancha include “Little Bird, ”“It’s All the Same, ”“Dulcinea” and “The Impossible Dream. ”Unusual in its time, Composer Mitch Leigh’s score avoided violins and other traditional string instruments (apart from a double bass) instead making heavier use of brass, woodwinds, percussion and flamenco guitars. Music Director Don LeMaster is enjoying the beautiful, Latin orchestrations. “The music accentuates the story of Don Quixote…it is not unlike a supporting actor.”
San Diego Musical Theatre’s production of Man of La Mancha runs through Sunday, October 27 at the Horton Grand Theatre. For tickets and more information call 858.560.5740 or visit them online at sdmt.org.