“Man of La Mancha,” through May 17; CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, Davis Center for the Performing Arts, 525 N. 400 West, Centerville; 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday;, $17-$22 (801-298-1302 or centerpointtheatre.org)
CENTERVILLE — “Should I trust my eyes when my heart knows better?”
The Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote, the immortal romantic character the author created, see truth over reality and beauty in the heart of a sassy trollop.
At the CenterPoint Legacy Theatre staging, the majestic “Man of La Mancha” is faithfully staged with a pair of towering lead performances, and audiences are inspired to continue searching for aspects of life that elude grasp.
The seasoned performers Rhett Richins and Adrien Swenson have a point to prove and bring all this passion to mesmerize on this community theater stage.
With Richins in the title role, viewers feel like better people for knowing his three characters. In the play-within-a-play, the author Cervantes portrays the delusional Alonso Quijano, who believes himself to be Don Quixote de La Mancha. It’s a demanding character to portray, but Richins is in firm control to fully and easily inhabit each of these identities.
With a booming baritone and exceedingly fine acting talents, Richins commands the stage. His “I, Don Quixote” is resolute and his “Dulcinea” tenderly sweet. Then there’s a single soaring moment when he nails the big number: the lounge singer standard “The Quest,” popularly known as “The Impossible Dream,” which Richins amazingly makes sound fresh.
As Lady Dulcinea, the dulce Swenson deeply impresses and gives a lovely performance as well. It’s a convincing transformation from Aldonza, a low-born serving wench, to the woman of Quixote’s dreams. Vocally, she handles the challenging score and shines in her acting.
Swenson is tough and feisty, but she also finds moments to show the character’s vulnerability and sweetness. “It’s All the Same” and “What Does He Want of Me?” are contrasting ballads, and each is sung with aplomb.
The production, directed by Jennie and Josh Richardson, strengthens the essential characters and treats the sturdy work for what it is: a musical built on drama.
What many may not realize is the musical combines Cervantes' biography and the romance he created. It's an ingenious tale that opens in a dungeon where “political prisoners" have been thrust to await the Inquisition. The prisoners amuse themselves by having a mock trial for each newcomer, and the defense of Cervantes, who foreclosed on a church, is playacted by him and his cellmates.
There are choppy moments as the drama gets into gear with the ensemble finding its footing and following a temptation to overact. Also, an intermission was inserted at some point in the show's history, which takes the steam out of the drama, and the beginning of the second act drags.
The reasons to see this staging are Richins and Swenson, who are two of the area’s finest talents and here show that they are forces to be reckoned with.
As “Man of La Mancha” approaches its 50th anniversary, it's clear the stirring musical will continue to entertain 50 years from now.
Content advisory: offstage rape, brief crude violence