Stage Review - Quixote Nuevo (Seattle Rep)
Stage Review - Quixote Nuevo
Presented By: Seattle Rep, Seattle, WA
Show Run: January 19 - February 11, 2024
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, January 24, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Don Quixote. There are few names that can create such a singular image in the mind like the titular character in the classic novel by the same name can. Written by Spaniard Miguel de Cervantes in the early 1600s, the novel, considered by some to be the first of the great modern classics, is standard reading for students studying Spanish in High School, myself included. It’s not necessary to have read the Cervantes work to know about the character Don Quixote of course, or have that image, the one of the man fighting windmills with his sword alongside his trusty companion Sancho Panza, appear as clearly as the midday Texas sun. The tale has become part of our vernacular, used even as an analogy for anyone chasing their dreams that others feel are unrealistic or unreachable, those out there “tilting at windmills”. The general idea of the novel is that Don Quixote, who is actually a character named Alonso Quijano, has been so engrossed in adventure stories, that his reality blurs and he starts to believe that he is actually in one of his stories. The novel presents a man who has lost his mind and subsequently chases an imaginary enemy, with the goal of restoring chivalry and honor to an otherwise corrupt world. But consider what it means that Quijano didn’t simply “go crazy”? Rather, what if Quijano suffered from something else that caused him to go to a different place in his mind. That’s exactly what Playwright Octavio Solis ponders in his latest work, a new Quixote for a new time, a Quixote Nuevo, one in which his protagonist is dealing with aging and its effects on memory. His work is called, literally enough, Quixote Nuevo, and it is currently on stage in the Bagley Wright Theater at Seattle Rep through February 11.
Quixote Nuevo, a co-production between Seattle Rep and South Coast Repertory Theatre, is directed here by Lisa Portes and features the excellent Herbert Siguenza as Quixote, nee Quijano. Quijano is facing down the enemy that is aging related dementia, his sister and niece struggling with his care, and leaning toward moving him into an assisted living facility. The struggle that Quijano is dealing with is apparent, his mind in and out of our reality and his, but a long term care facility just doesn’t align with his reality’s persona, the great Don Quixote, so upon hearing rumblings about his destination, he’s off, to fight his enemies, to chase a long lost love, and to restore civility and honor to the world. On his travels, he’s “knighted”, he picks up his Sancho Panza (Ernie González, Jr.), and otherwise chases his redemption while also trying to keep one step ahead of a demise that seems destined to reach him and take him over.
The show is on the longer side, running at about two and a half hours, including intermission, but it’s constructed very well. Solis’ storytelling follows the general plot of the original Don Quixote, while taking a few liberties to modernize the tale and present his perspective on a number of important social and political issues of present day America. The predominant theme is around the treatment of elders, especially when beset by dementia or Alzheimer’s. What is to be done with them? How much should that decision be driven by the feelings of the care givers vs. those that are being taken care of? It’s a contemplative study for sure, and one that transcends just elder relations. Quixote Nuevo presents reality, meaning that while we have our reality, the reality of the dementia patient is just as real to them as ours is to us. So it goes with all mental illness, reality is, in fact, in the eye of the beholder. So, in a world where we encounter folks every day with a different reality than ours, do we impose ours on them or do we support them in theirs? Mix that in with takes on American politics, immigration, and social attitudes, and the result is a complex and layered story that will make audiences seriously think on their positions on any or all of these issues. The show is heavy at times, and humorous at others. Herbert’s Quijano is troubled, but his Quixote is determined and confident. The humor that surrounds his version of this character and his struggle, has an underlying sorrow accompanying it, while Ernie’s Sancho brings a more innocent humor to his role. It’s this humor that makes the heaviness hit that much harder.
This role that Herbert Siguenza is responsible for is no easy task. It’s a physically demanding role and one that is so emotionally charged, it has to take a toll on an actor. But it’s in good hands, nonetheless. Herbert is solid here and hits all of the marks. Especially good are those moments when his character is fully immersed in the world of Quixote, then is suddenly struck with a moment of clarity. The emotional agility that the actor is required to deploy to present this change of mind is on full display and is just superb. Ernie’s Sancho Panza is the perfect counter to Herbert’s Quixote. Loyal to a fault, he’s at times seemingly the only one in Quixote’s corner.
While the original story is very Spanish, this version has crosses the ocean and lends itself to its share of Mexican cultural undertones. It’s told bilingually, but just as one doesn’t ultimately need to be familiar with the original Cervantes work, it’s not necessary to have taken high school Spanish to understand those parts of the dialogue, though if you do have a fair knowledge of the language, more of the humor is sure to land. Quijano isn’t just running from his family, but he’s got a more grim spectre chasing him, manifested here by Raúl Cardona as Papa Calaca. Ever present in Quixote’s mind, in his reality, Raúl’s Calaca commands the stage in a way that nobody else does in this show. He leads a cast of sprits that makes this show feel like a combination of Pixar’s Coco and a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western. This group of spirits adds a musical element to the show as well, through some catchy albeit haunting melodies, though I wouldn’t consider this show a musical per se. In fact, this is the one aspect of the show I struggled with on opening night, David R. Molina’s music. Whether is was the voice effects used as part of the overall sound design of the show, or perhaps it may be a bit of a language issue. Regardless of the reason, I found the music melodically enjoyable, but hard to discern lyrically.
As Quixote Nuevo is a work in progress and constantly maturing, coming up from South Coast Repertory, then heading to Portland Center Stage after this run, this group of actors is clearly all in on building this show and taking it to a high level. Each role is wonderfully cast, as family and friends of Quijano, and also are excellent in support through their portrayals of the aforementioned spirits. Viviana Garza is Quijano’s niece Antonia, Laura Crotte is his sister Magdalena, Sol Castillo is Padre Perez, Maya Malan-Gonzalez his therapist Dr. Campos, Lakin Valdez is Bruno, and Alicia Coca is Manny’s (Sancho’s) wife Rosario. Each also play separate supporting characters, ones that Quixote and Sancho meet on their quest, and each is as good as the next. And speaking of the pair’s quest, the search for his Quixote’s lost love Dulcinea is told through trips back through his, or rather Quijano’s, memory, in a surprisingly good use of puppets, as the younger versions of the love lorn couple.
There’s a lot to like about Quixote Nuevo. The puppets, with the help of consultant Estela Garcia, are a nice surprise and very well done. Efren Delgadillo, Jr’s set is not just a wonderful representation of the desert home of Quijano that is La Plancha, TX, but it’s also functional. There’s a lot of movement with the set, and through the help of Calaca and his group of spirits, choreographed by Marissa Herrera, set changes are done quickly and dramatically. Helen Q. Huang’s costumes are superb as well, especially Calaca and the spirits, but up and down the roster, each character’s costume is brilliant in color and in how it accentuate’s each personality. But perhaps the high water mark creatively is Pablo Santiago’s lighting. Here’s where much of the emotional heavy lifting is done, in concert with David R. Molina’s sound design. The lighting grabs the audience and transports them between worlds and realities, shocks the audience seemingly into different states of consciousness, and ultimately delivers a bit of excellence in an already wonderful presentation.
Quixote Nuevo is a creative reimagining of a classic story. Octavio Solis has created a piece that both pays homage to the Don Quixote of Cervantes, while at the same time tilts at some of the windmills of the 21st century. Under the direction of Lisa Portes and told by a cast of actors that are all in on the telling, Quixote Nuevo takes audiences on a journey of memory and introspection that will surely inform our lives and how we treat each other in the process.
Quixote Nuevo runs onstage at Seattle Rep’s Bagley Wright Theater through February 11. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://www.seattlerep.org/.
Photo credit: Nate Watters
