Director, actor realize dream of staging 'Man of La Mancha'

By Alice T. Carter
TRIBUNE-REVIEW THEATER CRITIC
Sunday, February 2, 2003

For director Ted Pappas and actor Brian Sutherland, the Pittsburgh Public Theater's production of "Man of La Mancha" is the realization of several not-so-impossible dreams.

Pappas, who serves as the theater's artistic director, has long wanted to stage "La Mancha."

"This is one of American's greatest musicals," he says. "Thirty years after my introduction to its beautiful music and messages, I'm finally getting the chance to direct the show with a brilliant cast, a terrific orchestra and wonderful designers."

Dale Wasserman's action-packed story and Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh's soaring score, with its theme song "The Impossible Dream," are familiar from the musical's frequent productions by area high schools and theater groups: Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera most recently produced it in 1995, and Pittsburgh Musical Theater did so in May 1999. In addition, many people have seen the 1972 screen version that starred Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren as Don Quixote and his fantasy love, Dulcinea.

The story unfolds as novelist Miguel de Cervantes, imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition, attempts to save the manuscript of his 1605 novel "Don Quixote" from being destroyed by his fellow prisoners by convincing them of its value.

He begins telling them the story of the delusional gentleman who imagines himself a knight on an irrational quest. Seeking to right the world's wrongs, the Don mistakes windmills for dragons and idealizes a tavern serving wench as an unblemished maiden. As the story progresses, the prisoners are enlisted to assume the roles of the characters, and Cervantes becomes Don Quixote.

"That it's done often is a testament to how it moves and speaks to people," said Pappas last spring when he announced his intention to do the musical as part of the 2002-03 season. "Its message of hope and inspiration is never out of fashion, but never more appropriate than today."

The musical was certainly an inspiration for Sutherland, whom Pappas cast to play the Cervantes/Don Quixote role.

Sutherland is a New York actor whose Broadway credits include "Steel Pier," the 1997 revival of "1776" and a stint as Alonzo in "Cats." Area audiences might have seen him when he played Richard Henry Lee in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's 1996 production of "1776," or when he came through town in a touring production of "Cabaret" with Joel Grey.

Back in the late ’70s, when Sutherland saw his first production of "Man of La Mancha," he was a student at the University of New Hampshire and not yet set on a career in theater.

But seeing Richard Kiley as Cervantes/Quixote in a touring production of "Man of La Mancha" changed all that. Kiley's performance convinced him to become an actor. "To stand center stage and sing that glorious song ('The Impossible Dream'), what's better than that?" Sutherland asks, obviously rhetorically.

"It was just thrilling. I wore out the recording" Sutherland says.

At the time, Sutherland knew he was far too young for the part.

"Cervantes claims to be almost 50 … and Don Quixote is portrayed as much older," he says. "I had to tuck it (the role) into my back pocket until I was old enough."

Asked what kept him interested in doing this part for so long, Sutherland answers: "What's not to like? They don't write them like this for leading men. It's a tour de force. I can say that and mean it. … It has long appealed to me on two levels — beautiful poetry and heightened, almost classical, language. It's lots of fun to tear into."

And he's as fond of playing Cervantes as he is of Quixote.

"What's brilliant is I see them as different manifestations of the same psyche."

Of Cervantes, he says, "What he is fighting for are very drastic stakes beyond his own death." In fighting to save his manuscript, he's trying to create a legacy and hoping there will be a record of how he refused to succumb to despair. "Quixote is Cervantes' creation to cope with a world gone a bit mad, but I think (he's) gone sane. He sees things in a crystal-clear-solution-light that sounds sane."

Sutherland also thinks it's an apt choice for contemporary theater.

"It's a brilliant choice for Ted to do. In the aftermath of 9/11, the weightiness of its issues takes on a relevance. It's a hard time to ruminate on whether we are in the world, and to cope with large, troubling questions," Sutherland says. "It has a very hopeful message that feels good to me and, I would expect, most people — 'Do not surrender hope to despair' — which I think I feel every day in so many ways, small and large."

Presumably, Broadway producer David Stone and his associates agree with Pappas and Sutherland. Their Broadway production of "Man of La Mancha" opened in December with Jonathan Kent as director and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Cervantes/Quixote.

Sutherland, who has seen the Broadway production, says its has "New York proportions — mammoth, gargantuous."

The production being staged at the O'Reilly is "more about imagination and theatricality — a play within a play — and we're hoping the audience will respond to that."

Many actors about to embark on a role are reluctant to watch another actor do the part, fearful that they will be intimidated or tempted to make similar acting choices when they create the role.

Not Sutherland.

Watching Mitchell perform the role was just one more step in his research process.

"I researched it from every angle," he says. "I wanted to see how other people think about it. … Oh, yeah, I steal from everybody."

'Man of La Mancha'