Man of La Mancha

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Man of La Mancha

Westchester Broadway Theatre, Elmsford, NY, April 12, 2016 

Reviewed by Chip Deffaa for Cabaret Scenes

Paul Schoeffler as Don Quixote and Gary Marachek as Sancho
Paul Schoeffler as Don Quixote and Gary Marachek as Sancho

Man of La Mancha, which is playing at the Westchester Broadway dinner theater through May 1st, is one of the better productions I’ve ever seen there—and warmly recommended. Paul Schoeffler (who’s appeared on Broadway in Rock of Ages, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Nine, and Sunday in the Park with George) is an excellent Don Quixote. (And I’m not easy to please, having seen this show—with great leading players—in its original Broadway run and its most recent Broadway revival.
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) But Schoeffler’s acting, as well as his singing, are just what you hope for—earnest, strong, sensitive and achingly vulnerable when needed.

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He sings and speaks with utter conviction.  

Some of the supporting players are mere journeymen. But Schoeffler is so compelling, and director/choreographer David Wasson (who’s appeared as an actor in the show some 1400 times over the years) understands the material so well, the production is highly satisfying. I was pulled in from the start.

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Andrew Gmoser’s lighting is superb. The way he lights the opening scene, heightening the drama of the shadowy figure descending the staircase, sets the tone brilliantly.

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The score by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion is, needless to say, filled with riches. So much memorable melody. And the lyrics seem to grow organically out of Dale Wasserman’s libretto.
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Kudos, too, to the six-piece orchestra, under the direction of Patrick Hoagland, which does a surprisingly good job of evoking the music many of us know so well from cast albums.  

The soaring idealism of this show—which I took for granted when the show originally debuted in the 1960s—feels very much welcome at this time. During the intermission, the people at the table next to me began talking about Donald Trump and the coarsening of American politics. I was very much eager to return to Don Quixote’s world.

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His fantastic desire to see the best in others, and to fight courageously for the right, despite the odds, spoke even more strongly to me now than when I saw productions of the show in past years. Powerful theater.

Man of La Mancha runs through May 1.

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Chip Deffaa

Chip Deffaa is the author of 16 published plays and eight published books, and the producer of 24 albums. For 18 years he covered entertainment, including music and theater, for The New York Post. In his youth, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is a graduate of Princeton University and a trustee of the Princeton "Tiger" magazine. He wrote and directed such Off-Broadway successes as "George M. Cohan Tonight!" and "One Night with Fanny Brice." His shows have been performed everywhere from London to Edinburgh to Seoul. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, NARAS, and ASCAP. He’s won the ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award, the IRNE Award, and a New Jersey Press Association Award. Please visit: www.chipdeffaa.com.