Repertory Philippines' 'Man of La Mancha' is a quest for the modern age

This is a review of Repertory Philippines’ "Man of La Mancha," which runs until June 28 at REP Eastwood Theater in Quezon City.

Back in college, books and stories molded my idealism.

I felt that windmills rotating like cogs on a wheel can be disrupted, given our studies with the likes of Shakespeare, Rizal, and Cervantes.

It seemed apt then that a decade after graduation, I got to revisit one of the books we took up by watching Repertory Philippines’ latest rendition of the "Man of La Mancha."

The "Man of La Mancha" is a Broadway musical from author Dale Wasserman and composer Mitch Leigh, with lyrics by Joe Darion.

The musical is adapted from a teleplay, which was in turn inspired by de Cervantes’ magnum opus: the 17th-century novel "Don Quixote," often credited as the world’s first modern novel, and stands as one of the best pieces of Western literature.

A popular musical, "Man of La Mancha" has been performed by Repertory Philippines multiple times in the past, in 1987 and in 2005. This is their third iteration and from the get-fo, the setup proves different.

A modern-day immigration cell looms over the entire stage, with prisoners of different nationalities detained inside its cramped corners.

Coming down from the audience area, officers in modern battle gear escort a weary Miguel de Cervantes (played by Nonie Buencamino) and his assistant (played by Marvin Ong).

For director Nelsito Gomez, the modernized change was intentional.

“I kind of like going into the past, melding it with the now and seeing how we can confront the issues and the problems of the present,” he said at a media briefing after the show.

The Spanish Inquisition being ICE agents and the detained prisoners being of different backgrounds and ethnicities allows this production to pulse into universal beats of desperation and transgression, going hand in hand with the text.

But not everything remained compact and claustrophobic.

As soon as the detained characters question Cervantes about a box of clothes and an unfinished written work (the book Don Quixote), he brought with him, he defended his beliefs as if on trial for his very existence.

He then explained his defense the best way he knows how: By telling the story of a portion of "Don Quixote."

The story becomes a meta-narrative real quick, a nod to the actual book itself.

Gomez and crew (on set: Julio Garcia and Patrick Jusay, costume: Hershee Tantiado, lighting: D Cortezano, and sound: Kabaitan Bautista) made sure to highlight this quirk in the story with their own manipulation of the stage.

The cramped detention walls open up to reveal the house band in the background. The clothes are pulled out of the box and used as costumes for the detained prisoners to act out Cervantes’ story.

Cervantes himself, playing Don Quixote, jumps between narrating and acting out the story.

Buencamino’s run as Quixote is the foundation on which the whole cast stands. His charming play between foolish idealism and methodical madness allows for a humbling and deeply human performance.

Valued players Katrine Sunga (kitchen wench and Quixote’s love Aldonza) and Ong (Quixote’s squire Sancho) are strong supporting characters to Buencamino’s bombast. Both help each other provide a sense of realism through the text.

Sunga’s Aldonza is portrayed as a tragic figure. For Sunga, Aldonza at one point believed in Quixote. “But then, the world still destroyed that belief,” she said. One scene between her and a group of muleteers she was nursing was particularly disturbing.

On the flip side, Ong’s Sancho has a lighter pace. “My interpretation of him is he's not dumb at all. He's actually very smart,” he said. Ong uses that as the character’s strength while tempering Quixote’s delusions.

Given the equal responsibility both characters provided to Quixote, a sense of gender bias lurk beneath the surface. Objectification of the female remain pervasive, which seem to form a hiccup towards the end of the storytelling, when Aldonza’s tragic experience feels glossed over and rushed.

Among other featured players, Steven Hotchkiss as Padre, Tarek el Tayech as the Governor and Innkeeper, and Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante as Quixote’s niece Antonia stood out for their charismatic and enjoyable performances.

Another star of the production is the music, with musical director Farley Asuncion and vocal coach Arman Ferrer applying a Spanish flair to timeless songs. These add an extra dimension for the actors to work with.

During the post-show media discussion, Gomez addressed how this rendition can draw parallels with the modern concept of misinformation, especially after the character Quixote said “facts are the enemy of truth.”

It is this blurring of lines that become the strength of Gomez and of this production. And quite easily, this transforms old texts into modern-day realities, making the themes relatable and the characters a reflection of modern struggles.

When Quixote charges through a windmill after mistaking it for a dragon, it was made to be comical. But ultimately, it rang true, the same way that the character Cervantes inspire the detained immigrants to keep dreaming the impossible dream.

Centuries since the real Cervantes published his book, idealists remain an alluring trope from Cyrano to Samwise Gamgee.

And no matter how quixotic this charge for idealism may be, it remains much needed in these times of madness.

Repertory Philippines’ Man of La Mancha runs until June 28 at REP Eastwood Theater in Quezon City. Tickets are available via Ticketworld & Ticket2Me. — LA, GMA News