Magnificence has come to Miracle Mile, and landed at Actors’ Playhouse, with its flawless production of “Man of La Mancha.”
The musical originally premiered on Broadway in 1965 and ran for more than 2,000 performances. That production starred Richard Kiley, and its iconic song, “The Impossible Dream,” has become a classic – not just a classic show tune – but a bona fide classic. The show was most recently revived on Broadway in 2002 with Brian Stokes Mitchell in the titular role.
This is the third time Actors’ Playhouse has produced “Man of La Mancha.” It was the first show they produced after founding the company in 1988 and again the first show staged in their current home on Miracle Mile in 1995. Now, as they celebrate 30 years in their historic theater, the show is once again part of their season.
(Alberto Romeu)
E.L. Losada and Jose Luaces with cast members of "Man of La Mancha" at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre.
This production of “Man of La Mancha” also marks the return of Miami’s own E. L. Losada, a two-time Carbonell Award winner who enjoyed a successful career in South Florida before moving to L.A. Losada began his professional career with Actors’ Playhouse, shaving his head for his ensemble role in “The King and I” in 2002.
On the surface, Losada seems young to play the dual role of author Miguel de Cervantes and his creation, Don Quixote. But Losada’s youth only makes his portrayal more impressive. “Man of La Mancha” is a play within a play, so Losada makes his entrance as Cervantes, a handsome, strapping poet and actor who has been taken to prison to await the Inquisition. But before he faces that wrath, he is put on trial by the other prisoners and uses as his defense his manuscript, the story of Don Quixote.
The magic begins when Losada sings his first song, the timbre of his voice deep and resonant. Then, Cervante recruits his faithful servant Sancho Panza and the other inmates to act out his play, which tells the tale of the elderly Alonso Quixano, and how his delusions turn him into his alter ego, Don Quixote, a knight-errant whose quest for good and righteousness and humble heroism somehow brings out the best in others. When Losada puts on the prop beard and moustache and applies the aging makeup, his body language and voice changes, and he becomes older, more fragile, switching back and forth between young Cervantes and old Don Quixote with aplomb.
“Man of La Mancha” spends most of its time in the world of Don Quixote, as he battles windmills he thinks are monsters and becomes infatuated by Aldonza, a scullery maid and servant at an inn Don Quixote thinks is a castle. Aldonza has been hardened by life and is angry that Don Quixote idealizes and idolizes her, nicknaming her Dulcinea, a name he feels better fits what he sees as her noble status.
(Albert Romeu)
Gaby Tortoledo and E.L. Losada as Aldonza and Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha"
The dark, imposing dungeon set by K. April Soroko lends itself well to all the locations of the musical – the prison, the inn, the outdoors, and Quixano’s home. Eric Nelson’s moody lighting design gives a proper sense of foreboding. Ellis Tillman’s costumes are period perfect. The sound design, by Reidar Sorensen, is crystal clear. Lee Soroko’s fight choreography is a canny mix of dance and combat.
“Man of La Mancha” features an eight-piece band under the direction of Bruce Barnes, and the live musicians add majesty to the show.
Director David Arisco put together a mostly Hispanic cast, which make the performances more realistic. His staging is impeccable, a feat as scenes move in and out of different worlds.
The cast is impressive, handling multiple roles and seamlessly slipping in and out of characters. Jose Luaces plays Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s faithful servant and sidekick as a humorous, humble man ready to follow his master on misadventures. He shines on his big number, “I Really Like Him,” his buoyant explanation of why he follows Don Qixote. Paul Louis-Gonzalez is terrific in his important dual role as the Governor, the lead prisoner who conducts Cervantes’ trial, and the kindly Innkeeper who dubs Don Quixote a knight.
Gaby Tortoledo, equally adept at plays and musicals, really gets to shine as Aldonza/Dulcinea. Tortoledo vividly encapsulates Aldonza’s hard life with just a look or a swirl of her skirts. Her performance of “It’s All the Same” is raw and visceral, enhancing her character’s story arc and ultimate redemption story.
Losado embodies the lead role. He’s dashing and witty as Cervantes, weary, wise, and feisty as Don Quixote, and fragile as Alonso Quixano. And if you’re the type of person who gets teary at the first stirrings of “The Impossible Dream,” and who believes the success of and production of “Man of La Mancha” rests on the way an actor executes that song, you won’t be disappointed. Losada doesn’t merely sing “The Impossible Dream,” he performs it, pouring every bit of his soul into every note. It’s a masterful performance.
“Man of La Mancha” is a must-see production and, with its underlying message of believing in oneself and the part anyone can play in making the world a better place, a surprisingly perfect show for the holidays. It’s gritty and grand, a dark spectacle of optimism, hopes and dreams, and the beauty of following one’s heart.
IF YOU GO
“Man of La Mancha”
Through Dec. 21
Actors’ Playhouse
280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables