Don Quixote rides again: Commonwealth Opera stages 'Man of La Mancha' at the Academy of Music

By Phoebe Mitchell
Staff Writer

Published on May 09, 2008

More bony, hollow-faced scarecrow than shining knight, Don Quixote is one of literature's strangest heroes, a middle-aged country squire who makes it his quest to conquer the evils of the world. With his loyal sidekick, Sancho Panza, riding beside him, Quixote finds adventure, both real and imaginary, in his travels, where he encounters windmills he thinks are giants, an inn he believes is a castle and a scullery maid/prostitute he fashions into a virginal damsel in distress.

Quixote will ride onto the stage of the Academy of Music in Northampton this weekend as the "Man of La Mancha," the final production this season by the Florence-based Commonwealth Opera of Western Massachusetts. Set in 16th-century Spain, the musical is based on the well-known work, "Don Quixote," by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.

Ron Luchsinger, artistic director of Commonwealth Opera and "Man of La Mancha," said he is a big fan of the musical.

"It has a great consistency in the score ... everything fits together," he said. The original 1965 Broadway production, known for tuneful songs like "Dulcinea" and "The Impossible Dream," ran for 2,329 performances and won five Tony awards.

The musical presents a play within a play, beginning with a scene of Cervantes in jail, arrested by the Inquisition. To avoid having the manuscript of his book destroyed by his fellow prisoners, Cervantes invites them to enter his imagination, where they can follow the adventures of Don Quixote.

Soprano Mara Bonde of Concord, who will perform the part of Aldonza (aka Dulcinea), said when she saw the musical during its Broadway revival some five years ago, she "fell in love with the show."

"The story is very timeless, said Bonde. "It tells a story that appeals to everyone." A South Hadley native who attended Mount Holyoke College, Bonde performs throughout the United States and Europe, in operas, symphony performances and musicals. She last performed with Commonwealth Opera in its production of "Kiss Me Kate."

The Commonwealth Opera production also features Anthony Leathem of Hartford in the role of Cervantes (and his invented character, Don Quixote) and Antoine Dolberry of New York City as Sancho Panza. Leathem has performed in productions by the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, including "Orpheus in the Underworld" and "The Merry Widow." Dolberry, who studies at the Hartt School of Music, started his musical career at age 10 in the Boys Choir of Harlem.

The unreachable star

So what makes this story about an old, delusional man so compelling that it continues to intrigue readers and fill seats at musicals?

"Don Quixote is a fascinating hero," said Luchsinger. "He's a hopelessly optimistic hero who remains undaunted" in the face of the brutality, sadness and suffering he encounters on his journey.

That adventure includes Quixote's disastrous attack on windmills, which he believes are giants, his devotion to a lowly kitchen maid and part-time prostitute, Aldonza, whom he defends as a virginal lady, and his battle against the Knight of the Mirrors, who Quixote believes is his mortal enemy. While the odds are stacked against him from the beginning, Quixote's refusal to give up his ideals and his dreams, eventually inspire those around him.

The story's "about life's absurdities," said Luchsinger, "but it teaches us to have hope and a positive outlook ... despite the horrors of the human condition."

Quoting Quixote's well-known observation - "Facts are the enemy of truth" - Luchsinger said taking part in Cervantes' tale, either as a performer or as an audience member, "is a very hopeful, very transforming kind of process."

"You leave feeling really good," said Bonde, not only because of the inspiring tale, but because the musical has a number of beautiful songs in addition to the popular "To Dream the Impossible Dream."

Luchsinger, who is in his second season as artistic director of Commonwealth Opera, said in recent years the company has continued to attract increasingly well-known performers such as Bonde. He has directed and continues to direct a range of productions around the country, where his work brings him in contact with many talented singers and musicians.

"There have been a lot of singers in the past couple of years who have been eager to join us," he said, especially young, upcoming performers who are happy to try new roles. The company also has thrived because of the fine singers and musicians that live in the Pioneer Valley area.

"There's a great mixture of talent here," he said.

Luchsinger said he is looking forward to the Opera's fall season, which will include performances of "Madame Butterfly," in celebration of its creator Giacomo Puccinis' 150th birthday, "Carousel" and "Three Penny Opera."

There's one other reason, Luchsinger encourages people to attend this weekend's performances of "Man of La Mancha."

"It's a great Mother's Day gift," he said.

Commonwealth Opera's presents "Man of La Mancha" May 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. and May 11 at 2 p.m. at the Academy of Music Theatre, Main Street, Northampton. Tickets, ranging from $20 to $50, are available by calling 587-0067. More information is available at www.commonwealthopera.org.