I, Don Quixote

Last night, my friend Clark and I caught a performance of Man of La Mancha at Musical Theatre West. As always, it was an incredible, Broadway-caliber show featuring performances from Davis Gaines as Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote and Lesli Margherita as Aldonza.

I saw a production years ago with Robert Goulet in the title role, but had forgotten that the show isn't really about Don Quixote. The story actually focuses on Miguel de Cervantes after he's thrown into a Spanish prison awaiting a trial by the Spanish Inquisition. In order to keep the other prisoners from raiding his trunk filled with costumes and props for his plays, Cervantes decides to prove his worth by re-telling one of his stories to his fellow inmates. He proceeds to show the inmates the power of imagination to lift the spirits even in the darkest of places.

For a Thursday night, the theatre was packed, and we were all treated to an excellent production.