REVIEW: MAN OF LA MANCHA—Musical Theatre West @ Carpenter Performing Arts Center
- TheShowReport
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
A rapturous, high-octane journey filled with thumping hidalgo nobility, heartfelt sentimentality, unpretentious valor and visionary fervor.
FEBRUARY 13-MARCH 1—LONG BEACH
MAN OF LA MANCHA is a landmark 1965 musical by Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh, and Joe Darion that won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Known for the song "The Impossible Dream," it originally ran for 2,328 performances, premiering at the ANTA Washington Square Theater before moving to Broadway's Martin Beck Theater.
It has seen multiple Broadway revivals, including in 1972, 1977, 1992, and 2002. AND now Cervantes and his ineffable Don Quixote have been transported to Musical Theatre West’s popular stage at Carpenter Performing Arts Center, making the transition with remarkable spirit and affection.
This new staging of MAN OF LA MANCHA, directed by James Vásquez, fueled by the burnished baritone of its appealing star, Richard Bermudez, makes quite the compelling case for the enduring merits of his famous tilter-at-windmills.
The show begins in a 16th century Spanish prison (a terrific set by Patric Larson) during the Spanish Inquisition, that looks straight out of a Piranesi engraving. At the top of a long set of stairs we are mesmerized by the sight of a man, lit by long, searing shards of light, descending the steps into the dark bowels of a vermin-infested dungeon. Cervantes and his valet have just been tossed into the prison after taking his job as a tax collector too seriously and foreclosing on a monastery.
In this portentous tribunal environment, Dale Wasserman’s whimsical conflation finds the self-described poet and writer awaiting his turn on the rack of the Inquisition, and impersonating the man who imagines himself to be his hero, Don Quixote, in order to earn the tolerance of the brigands he’s sharing the big house with.
It’s a clever concept as Mr. Bermudez’ Cervantes takes on the role of the addled Don Quixote de la Mancha, who suffers from an excess of idealism as he wanders the land in a delusional self-appointed role as knight errant, ardently pontificating his passion for justice and honor, while battling what he perceives as evil and then adopting a slattern named Aldonza as his lady of virgin purity.
Monika Peña, as Aldonza/Dulcinea, gives the guise of the femme fatale a real emotional pulse as the ill-treated wench who represents raw reality and is used to being treated poorly by men, having survived a harsh, traumatic upbringing. She is finally made to glow with self-worth in the light of the knight’s deluded adoration and unwavering belief in her, leading her to embrace her identity as "Dulcinea." Her singing is altogether lovely.
Richard Bermudez is indeed the man of the moment and gives a dominating performance as his Cervantes and Don Quixote morph into each other. Ultimately, both characterizations throb with dramatic life. But he gets lots of help from Reggie De Leon as the shticky but sympathetic Sancho Panza and radiant singing by Rudy Martinez as the padre. There is also good work by Louis Pardo, a tall and rangy acting veteran who plays Quixote’s adversary Dr. Sansón Carrasco, the humorless and compassionless realist. Elijah Samuél Reyes provides a striking stage presence as the brutal leader of a pack of muleteers.
Other quality supporting performances come from Berto Fernández as the governor and the innkeeper, Sebastian Alejandro Guerrero as the barber, Tatiana Monique Alvarez as Quixote’s niece, and Analía Romero as the housekeeper. They are all united by their fine vocal skills to make this a very well-sung and well-acted production.
The production enters another sphere altogether when Mr. Bermudez is singing the catchy manifestos penned by Darion and composer Mitch Leigh — that much-recorded anthem about dreaming the you-know-what as well as the lusty title tune. When Mr. Bermudez is inviting us in lustrous song to share the knight’s quest for noble sacrifice, he’s persuasive indeed: The robust beauty of this dark-rum voice is enough to keep anyone clinging to the most preposterous of visions.
Without question, the score, and indeed the show, has always been a distinct crowd-pleaser, and will decidedly stir up for most some dormant desire for escaping into a world of comforting fantasy. That said, the production definitely contains the essential oil of its original zip, remaining one of the best Broadway-style turnouts ever. How it could have been better, I cannot imagine.
MUSICAL THEATRE WEST PRESENTS: MAN OF LA MANCHA. Written by DALE WASSERMAN; Music by MITCH LEIGH Lyrics by JOE DARION; Original Production Directed by ALBERT MARRE; Director JAMES VÁSQUEZ; Music Director/Conductor RYAN O’CONNELL; Choreographer SHANI TALMOR; Scenic Designer PATRIC LARSON; Lighting Designer PAUL BLACK; Sound Designer DANNY FIANDACA; Technical Director KEVIN CLOWES; Costume Designer SONIA Y. ÁLVAREZ; Wig Designer KAITLIN YAGEN; Props Designers MELANIE CAVANESS & GRETCHEN MORALES; Production Stage Manager CAROLINA ARBOLEDA.
STARRING: RICHARD BERMUDEZ ✦ REGGIE DE LEON ✦ MONIKA PEÑA ✦ LOUIS PARDO ✦ BERTO FERNÁNDEZ ✦ RUDY MARTINEZ ✦ TATIANA MONIQUE ALVAREZ ✦ AYESHA CORTINAS ✦ WES DAMERON ✦ STEPHEN DIAZ ✦ ANDREW DIEGO ✦ DAVID KIRK GRANT ✦ SEBASTIAN ALEJANDRO GUERRERO ✦ CELESTE LANUZA ✦ EDGAR LOPEZ ✦ ALI MÁRQUEZ-QADIRI ✦ AVIVA PRESSMAN ✦ ELIJAH SAMUÉL REYES ✦ ANALÍA ROMERO ✦ NIKKI ELENA SPIES
MAN OF LA MANCHA runs from February 13 - March 1, 2026 at CARPENTER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Long Beach Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7PM, Saturdays at 2PM & Sundays at 1PM, with a runtime of 2 hours and 10 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. For Tickets, visit www.musical.org
CHRIS DANIELS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWER
THE SHOW REPORT
Photo credits: Sujan Creative
4.5/5
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