‘Impossible Dream’ come trueBy Paul Kolas Telegram and Gazette Reviewer STURBRIDGE— Stageloft Repertory Theater has done wonders in using its cozy stage to make the musical “Man of La Mancha” seem as larger-than-life as its titular Knight of the Woeful Countenance. Not only that, but Dale Wasserman’s distillation of Miguel de Cervante’s epic classic novel of the Knight Errant Don Quixote’s quest for “The Impossible Dream” generated an unexpected emotional wallop in Saturday evening’s shrewdly fashioned production. Set in the 1600s during the Spanish Inquisition, Cervantes is imprisoned for his politically incendiary writing, has his papers held ransom by his fellow inmates, and is given a mock trial to give cause why they should be returned to him. From this premise springs a story within a story, a reenactment of Cervantes’ famed adventures of his alter ego, the delusional Don Quixote, who jousts with windmills and perceives village inns to be castles. At his side is his loyal and endearing servant, Sancho Panza, who plays along with his master’s grandiose fantasies even as he acknowledges the reality behind them. In this inn resides the tempestuous serving maid Aldonza, whom Don Quixote envisions to be his beloved Dulcinea, and whose honor he has pledged to defend with his life. Aldonza has been hardened by the men who toss her back and forth with nothing more than carnal motives in mind, and she can’t fathom a man who is pure of heart, especially one given to flights of fancy. What gives Stageloft’s colorfully sung and acted production a considerable dose of poignancy are the admirably lived-in performances of its three main leads. There is a believable, inviolable integrity to Todd Darling’s Cervantes/Don Quixote that makes antiquated chivalry infinitely preferable to the teeming venality surrounding it. If this is lunacy, then we should all be so crazy — which is very much Cervante’s point. And Darling has a strong and confident voice that makes one believe in “The Impossible Dream” when he sings it like the indomitable anthem it is meant to be. He does a stirring job of belting out “Man of La Mancha” too. JeremyWoloski is a delight as the playful, cherubic Sancho, and when asked by the “Villagers” why he follows Don Quixote so faithfully, stumbles his way expertly into the simply stated musical reply, “I Really Like Him.” But the heart and soul of this production, the performance that lingers in the mind, and heart, long after one has walked out of the theater, is the searing and emotionally bruising revelation of Diane Pollard as Aldonza/Dulcinea. Somehow, this reviewer was reminded of the dynamics between Mary Magdelene and Jesus Christ in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Magdelene and Aldonza are both prostitutes, and have trouble reconciling their feelings for men they can’t understand. Magdelene’s lament, “I Don’t Know How To Love Him,” can very well apply to Aldonza’s awakening feelings for Don Quixote. Pollard goes deep into her character, showing with every stare of uncomprehending defiance and strained shout of weakening emotional resistance, a wonderfully defined internal tug of war. To watch her evolve from a cynical and bitter woman to one opening up to her Knight Errant, to finally believe in him and to love him, is to be convinced, as he is, that she is indeed his Dulcinea. She sings “It’s All the Same,” “Aldonza” and “Dulcinea” with a deeply touching, throttled intensity. Standouts in the supporting cast include Bruce Adams as Dr. Carrasco,
Harry Pearson as the Governor/Innkeeper, Neal Martel as Pedro, Peter
Arsenault as Jose, Robert C. Latino as the Padre, Hannah Datz as Antonia,
and Stacie Beland as Maria. A very nice prelude was to have the cast
of Inquisition prisoners slowly walk out on stage and fill the prison
room with individual bits of business, a guitar playing Spanish music
in the background, before the director, Edward Cornely, addressed
the audience. It was deft touch that portended an enchanting evening.
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