Brian Stokes Mitchell

Man of La Mancha has long been one of my favourite shows. I've seen several productions of it, and it never fails to thrill me. I love the score, I love the story, and it just speaks to something inside me. So I was very excited to hear that it was coming back to Broadway. And then I heard that Brian Stokes Mitchell would be starring. Stokes is one of my favourite actors, and I think the finest voice on Broadway today, but I had never managed to see him perform live in anything. I had just missed him more than once (I will be kicking myself forever that I didn't see him in Ragtime in Toronto) so I was determined that this time would be different. Add to that the news that Terrence Mann was returning to Les Miserables, and the excuse of my finishing my masters program and starting a new job to celebrate/justify the expense, and another Broadway trip was inevitable!

I absolutely adored this production, from beginning to end. Stokes was incredible - it goes without saying that he can sing that score like no other, and I think we would all still be there applauding his Impossible Dream if he hadn't gone on with the scene ... the only other time I've seen a reaction to a number like that was after Nathan Lane's Betrayed. Although I wasn't sure I always agreed with his interpretation of Quixote (he played him a bit too much like a doddering old fool at times for my liking), he certainly created a convincing character and maintained it throughout (although there were times when all character fell away and he just turned downstage center and sang ... not that I'm complaining, since I was sitting ten feet away from him :-). I liked that he really made an effort to separate the three characters he played ... Cervantes was different from Quixote, who was different from Alonso Quijana. This was definitely a star turn - the entire production rested on his shoulders, and he was more than up to the task. Incredible. Stokes was also supported by an amazing cast. I was particularly impressed with Stephen Bogardus as The Duke/Carrasco, another of my favourite roles (although I'm always disappointed that Carrasco doesn't have more singing, and Bogardus would have been terrific in that respect too). I've wanted to see him in something for a long time, and absolutely loved him here. I really liked his portrayal of the Duke getting caught up in Cervantes' story despite his efforts to resist and his suspicions about what Cervantes is really up to. I was more hesitant ahead of time about Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Aldonza - although I don't *dis*like her in the films I've seen her in, I've never been a big fan. And her singing is certainly not as strong on the MoLM cast recording as the rest of the cast. However, by the end of her first scene she had completely won me over - she was absolutely terrific in this part. A pretty straightforward interpretation of Aldonza, but that's ok, because she absolutely nailed it. She has a new fan in me. Ernie Sabella as Sancho was exactly as I expected - he was very good, but it was definitely Ernie Sabella. I never forgot I was watching a particular actor, which I definitely did with the other leads. The supporting cast was also very strong. I was disappointed to have an understudy for Mark Jacoby as the Padre, another actor I've heard about forever but never seen perform live. However, it was kind of fun that his understudy was Jimmy Smagula, who will be familiar to Rosie O'Donnell fans, since he appeared on her show several times and she really promoted his career. Unfortunately, his performance was nothing to write home about, although that's not all his fault - the person who staged the singing of To Each His Dulcinea (one of the most poignant and beautiful songs in the musical theatre canon, let alone this score) with the Padre standing 3/4 of the way up on the back of the set should be shot. The muleteers were great, and I'm now completely in love with Bradley Dean, who played Anselmo. An absolute cutie, and I loved his singing of Little Bird, Little Bird. Gregory Mitchell as Pedro was another standout - he was very menacing and his costuming and wig accentuated that - he swooped around the stage like some kind of vampire bat ... very chilling and very effective. And speaking of the set - wow, wow, wow! The picture to the right doesn't really do it justice, but I will say that my jaw dropped more than once. They really made great use of it, too - the muleteers were constantly climbing on it and because it was made of metal it had a really chilling clanking sound that evoked the prison every time they touched it.

Stephen Bogardus as Sanson Carrasco Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Aldonza/Dulcinea Ernie Sabella as Sancho The incredible set

I really only have one overarching criticism of this production, and that was that they opened it up too many times to include "the world beyond the prison," while to me one of the most compelling parts of the entire concept is that they create this entire story and whole new world *within* the prison. It was really cool the first time the set opened up and showed the sun, but it also snapped me out of the moment and I lost the sense of oppression and bleakness that the prison set had so effectively created. I was also distracted by the elaborate and obviously costly costumes - I kept thinking to myself, "and where, exactly, did the prisoners get that fur-lined cloak?" However, that kind of thing comes down to a difference in interpretation, and I'm willing to accept those sorts of things as long as they're done well. I'd much rather see a brilliant production that I don't agree with than a half-assed one that doesn't challenge me to think about or re-interpret the piece at all.