‘Man’ Power A Hollywood Actor With Impressive Credentials Is Quixote In The Latest Offering From The Cda Summer Theatre
When it comes to “Man of La Mancha,” the “man” truly has to be The Man.
He needs to be physically imposing, a seasoned actor and a singer who can sell “The Impossible Dream.” On Broadway, it was the great Richard Kiley. In revival, it was Robert Goulet. On film, it was Peter O’Toole.
The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre found its Don Quixote just down the road: Jack Bannon.
He may be a local resident, but he is also a Hollywood actor with major national credentials. Most people know him from his stints on “Lou Grant” and dozens of other television shows and films such as “Little Big Man.” He is also a highly respected stage actor and the recipient of an L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in Caryl Churchill’s “Cloud 9.” Local audiences have seen his work in “Love Letters,” “Gypsy” and “Company.”
Now, they’ll get to see him in one of the great leading roles in Broadway history, Miguel de Cervantes and his alter-ego, Don Quixote.
“It’s my first time in this role and it’s been great fun,” said Bannon. “It’s a wonderful story.”
The role requires Bannon to engage in brawls and sword fights and also requires plenty of acting depth. Cervantes is a dreamer with a poet’s soul.
As for the singing, that’s something Bannon has been working on with some of his colleagues in the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre. He has proven to be a good singer in other musicals, but he says he does not consider himself to be the second coming of Pavarotti.
“This is not what I’ve done — to stand up and sing songs,” said Bannon. “But the point of the play is that he is telling a story to his fellow prisoners. He is not necessarily a fantastic singer.”
When this show premiered in 1965, “Man of La Mancha” was an unlikely candidate for a long-running smash. It is on one hand more realistic than most Broadway musicals, and on the other hand more surrealistic.
It is the story of Cervantes, the author of “Don Quixote,” who is in prison during the Inquisition. As he reads his story to his fellow prisoners, he begins to believe that he is really Quixote, saving Spain from all of its ills. He can no longer distinguish fantasy from reality.
In his mind, a serving wench named Aldonza becomes the virtuous Dulcinea.
Dale Wasserman’s powerful script was able to make all of this seem plausible and moving. Even more important, the score included one song that soon became one of the biggest hits ever to emerge from a Broadway musical, “The Impossible Dream.”
The show played a phenomenal 2,328 performances, or nearly 1,000 more than “The Sound of Music.”
Bannon said his fellow cast members have been “wonderfully supportive.” The show features Ann Evans as Aldonza and Frank Jewett as Sancho Panza. Other cast members include Bobbi Kotula, Steven Dahlke, Andrew Start, Gary Pierce, Julie Powell, Alex Barnhardt and Michael Muzatko. Roger Welch directs and Deborah Hansen conducts a 16-piece orchestra.
The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre is a professional summer-stock company with a four-show season. The final production, “Paint Your Wagon,” opens Aug. 20.
On Stage The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre production of “Man of La Mancha” opens tonight and continues Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Aug. 13-15 at North Idaho College’s Schuler Auditorium. All shows are at 8 p.m. except the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 4CDA-TIX or (208) 769-7780.