On March 19 we marked the fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, the supposedly quickly-in-and-quickly-out military action. While the United States argues about how best to honor and support the troops, and whatever your stand on the actual war itself, perhaps we should contemplate the role of the warrior. Two excellent Los Angeles area productions give contrasting, seemingly contradictory views of the men in arms.
In Glendale at A Noise Within, Man of La Mancha gives us an elderly man. Alonso Quijana imagines himself the knight Don Quixote. He battles windmills and asks for chaste love from a slatternly kitchen maid, Aldonza, whom he calls Dulcinea.
Based on Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's novel, this musical (book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion) begins with Cervantes (Geoff Elliott) in jail, waiting to appear before the Grand Spanish Inquisition. He convinces all the inmates to help him enact his novel in order to save his only manuscript from the fire they want to make to keep themselves warm.
Cervantes plays Don Quixote. His servant plays Sancho Panza (Alan Blumenfeld). The leader of the prisoners (Steve Weingartner) becomes an innkeeper, and a fellow prisoner becomes Aldonza (Nadia Ahern). In the end, he convinces the inmates of the worthiness of his work and he leaves to face the Inquisition. This musical is best known for its song, "The Impossible Dream," and under the direction of Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, it inspires us to be better people, but not necessarily knights in fine armor.
At the Theatre@Boston Court, Gilgamesh is about a historic Sumerian king and a king of the same name who figures in an epic tale. In this new version by Stephen Mitchell and adapted for the stage by Stephen Sachs (who along with Jessica Kubzansky, directs), this man is more than a match for great beasts and mortal men. He is brave, he is strong, and he is a king. While his people honor his virility, they decry his tyranny. He has no respect for other men and he considers it his privilege to rape each virgin bride before she consummates her marriage with her groom.
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