Brown gives new life to `La Mancha’

After watching Ronald L. Brown play Don Quixote in the Jeriko Entertainment touring production of “Man of La Mancha” Saturday at the Maine Center for the Arts, I feel a little like chasing windmills myself. And, take my word for it, I’m not a person who thinks chasing windmills is an inherently good thing. I know that too much imagination can be deemed personally irresponsible in 1993.

But Brown gave such a powerful and sophisticated performance in the lead role that, like Quixote’s sidekick Sancho, I wanted to throw in the towel on reality and live in the inspired, thrilling, colorful world of this completely impractical knight. Well, I wanted to for at least the time it took for the play to be over.

That is, after all, the dilemma that is thrust upon us in this musical remaking of Miguel de Cervantes’ satirical mix of epic tragedy and pastoral romance about an impoverished country gentleman who roams the world on a gallant mission to right all wrongs.

Never mind that his timing is off, that the days of chivalry — maidens, dragons, Great Enchanters — are dead, that it’s the Renaissance, the “modern” world of utility and productivity.

The original text, written in 1605, tells the story of Alonso Quijana, who, from too much reading, forms a passionate rebellion in his heart against the evils of humanity. He sets aside his sanity and sallies forth as Don Quixote, a knight errant intent on generosity, safety and valor for all.

Dale Wasserman’s musical story, written in the 1960s when idealism enjoyed a lively revival, is told by Cervantes himself, imprisoned and awaiting trial for crimes against the state. As he waits, his cellmates conduct an underground trial in which Cervantes has been accused of being “an idealist, a bad poet, and an honest man.” He pleads guilty, but claims the right to present his case in an entertaining charade, enlisting the motley jury as co-performers.

This is where the lanky Ronald L. Brown took over the stage. Before the audience, he transformed his body and being from a well-groomed, intelligent tax collecter to Don Quixote, a singularly noble man with an aged but sturdy body and a mind unflinchinly faithful to a pure vision of beauty.

As Quixote, Brown’s gestures, voice, and particularly his eyes were infused with an intelligence, too, but of a quality quite rare in the modern world. He gave Quixote moral grandeur, not because of the codes of chivalry (which are ultimately sentimental and inappropriate to an enlightened world), but because of his manner of greatness, and above all, his devotion to beauty and love — no matter how sappily ideal. Brown caught it fully and consistently both in song and action. Although there were many lovely performances in the production, Brown’s was truly a work of art, carrying a show that is so dated that it could run straight into a windmill and never be missed.

It is nice to be reminded that there’s nothing wrong with adding “some measure of grace to the world,” (as Quixote says he tries to do) but “Man of La Mancha” is basically a piece of theater history. With greatly loved numbers such as “The Impossible Dream,” “Dulcinea,” and the title song, the actual music has some glorious staying power, and the script is littered with clever ditties and little morals about life. That’s to say nothing, too, of the remarkablly alluring role of Cervantes-Don Quixote.

But director Vincent Curcio went a bit too far with the character of Dulcinea, and this is where the musical falls short of being one of the greatest shows ever. Whenever Susan Nock, who played the double role of Aldonza-Dulcinea, was onstage, she was poked, prodded, humped, fondled, beaten, and finally gang raped by muleteers. Like Quixote, a medieval man who denies the realities of a changing society, “Man of La Mancha” is outmoded, and needs a more sensitive touch than Curcio gave to this otherwise exciting production.