Michael Barra as Sancho and Tess Rohan as Aldonza
From West Virginia University's Production
Photo Uncredited

Imperial Theatre:
Official Site

Man of La Mancha:
Wikipedia Information

Man of La Mancha: Sarnia Theatre

by Brian Hay

Man of La Mancha is an ambitious undertaking for Theatre Sarnia. The cast in for the production consists of twenty-one players. The orchestra used consists of eleven musicians and a Conductor. The principle set is the most elaborate used in at least the last few seasons. The material itself presents several difficulties. There are several numbers that call for ensemble singing. Much of the music for soloists demands a broad vocal range. Because of the size of the cast the piece requires an inordinate amount of choreography.

Theatre Sarnia did pretty well with it. The set design is elaborate and effective. The idea for the design which isn't credited in the program) is likely a collaborative effort between the Directors Georgina Ford and Jim Higgins and the Producers Ron and June Pask. It's likely there was input from Stage Manager Andrea Hughes and the people who built and decorated the set as well. Whatever the case, the design, set to resemble a dungeon from the time of the Spanish inquisition, is both appealing to the eye and functional in presenting the material. The costuming, by Jean Simon and several others, suits the period and looks tattered enough to accentuate the squalor the prisoners are supposed to be living in. The lighting, by Brian Austin Jr., is excellent throughout. What he conceived for the final scene between Don Quixote and Aldonza (Dulcinea) was nothing short of brilliant.

The handling of the music was generally good. The orchestra, under the baton of Dan Sonier, was tight. They stayed in sync with each other and with the cast. Most of the principle players had good singing voices but a few stood above the rest. John Reid, who played the role of the mad knight, has a wonderful voice. His light baritone is rich, full and gentle to the ear. His singing is expressive and his control was good. Terri-Lynn Earle has a soprano voice that's particularly rich when she sings in her lower register. Her voice is good in her higher register but a bit wild when she hits her highest notes. It didn't hurt her performance (or the songs) though. It suited the passionate nature of the character. Christian Dempsey, Michael Hillier and Maria Stoesser turned in strong singing performances as well. Christian Dempsey is a wonderfully expressive singer. There's a touch of drama in everything he sang and he stayed in control while doing it. Michael Hillier has a wonderful voice. His diction was a bit stiff at times. He might not have been entirely comfortable with acting while singing but experience would cure that. Maria Stoesser sang like a Nightingale but her control faltered during the extended passages. Again, that's something that experience and practice will take care of. Hopefully all of these people will be involved in the production of more musicals.

The production wasn't without faults. Some of the singing was off the mark. Mostly it was during passages that called for harmony singing between small groups of players. There were short periods when they out of sync with each other. Some of the acting was a bit stiff. Part of the fault might lie with some of the archaic dialogue the performers had to work with though. It's purple prose at its finest. There also wasn't a lot of movement on stage. Some of it was probably to keep the set from seeming too busy. It's even harder when a singer has to move around a lot. With the number of characters involved too much activity would draw attention away from the focal point of the action. It may have been done to help the singers stay on key as well. Singing well is hard (and impossible for most of us). These are hard lines to draw. Most of the time the Directors erred on the side of caution. Still, the production was static at times.

The accomplishment overshadows the shortcomings by a wide margin though. Man of La Mancha is a difficult piece to mount. Dale Wasserman's (who also wrote 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) take on the classic tale by Miquel de Cervates Saavedra demands a wide spectrum of emotion from the two main characters. (John) Reid and (Terri-Lynn) Earle pulled that off well. The music is complex and often difficult for singers. The large size of the cast demands minute attention to detail from all involved. When someone looks lost it stands out. The material itself presents problems. The supporting characters are as shallow as the principles are deep. What to have them doing is a question. The people involved with Sarnia Theatre took these challenges and answered them well.

This is a strong production. If it's indicative of things to come the future of this company will be a good one.

Sarnia Theatre's production of 'Man of La Mancha runs at the Imperial Theatre from Friday November 14, 2008 through to Sunday November 16, 2008 and again from Wednesday November 19, 2008 through to Saturday November 22, 2008. This review covers the performance that took place on Saturday November 15, 2008.