{"id":186162,"date":"2026-02-20T14:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/186162\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T14:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:42:14","slug":"man-of-la-mancha-at-the-carpenter-center-and-sylvia-sylvia-sylvia-at-the-geffen-playhouse-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/186162\/","title":{"rendered":"Man of La Mancha at the Carpenter Center and Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia at the Geffen Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Reggie De Leon (Sancho Panza) and Richard Bermudez (Don Quixote) star in MAN OF LA MANCHA at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. (Photo courtesy of Musical Theatre West)<\/p>\n

By Shari Barrett<\/p>\n

Man of La Mancha, with book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, and music by Mitch Leigh, takes place in the sixteenth century when poet, playwright, and part-time actor Miguel de Cervantes has been arrested together with his manservant Sancho Panza by the Spanish Inquisition, charged with foreclosing on a monastery. The two have brought all their possessions with them in a large trunk, which the other prisoners attempt to take for themselves. When he objects, a mock trial is set up and Cervantes asks to be allowed to offer a defense in the form of a play based on his latest manuscript which he will act out along with all the prisoners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cervantes (triple-threat performer Richard Bermudez) takes out a makeup kit from his trunk, and with the assistance of Sancho (perfectly cast Reggie De Leon) Cervantes transforms himself into Alonso Quijana, an old gentleman who has read so many books of chivalry and thought so much about injustice that he has lost his mind and now believes he should go forth as a knight-errant, renaming himself Don Quixote de La Mancha. He and Sancho take to the road to find new adventures, singing \u201cMan of La Mancha\u201d as their two \u201cmules\u201d pull their cart along the bumpy road.<\/p>\n

And what an adventure it is \u2013 full of mischief, dreams, imaginary battles, put-upon women, fanciful interpretations of reality, and characters portrayed by the ragtag assortment of prisoners awaiting their fate along with Cervantes. Staged on a multi-level brick-walled set beautifully designed by Patric Larson and magnificently lit by Paul Black with an astonishing assortment of blended rainbow colors, the ensemble moves a wooden table and benches into all the various locations of Don Quixote\u2019s travels. Costume design by Sonia Y. Alvarez sets the mood by visual communicating class differences to a tee.<\/p>\n

When the two travelers reach an inn, which Don Quixote mistakenly believes is a castle, they are welcomed by the innkeeper (outstanding bass Berto Fern\u00e1ndez) and his worrisome wife (Aviva Pressman), but of course it is the sexy wench Aldonza (Monika Pe\u0148a) who catches Cervantes\u2019 attention. Bermudez\u2019s lovely rendition of \u201cDulcinea\u201d will have you believing she is the lady of his dreams, although she is not the sweet and pure woman he imagines her to be. But in Quixote\u2019s mind, facts are the enemy of truth and she is the virginal woman of his dreams.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Antonia, Alonso Quijana\u2019s niece (Tatiana Monique Alvarez), has gone with his housekeeper (Anal\u00eda Romero) to seek advice from the local Padre (Rudy Martinez), who wisely realizes that the two women are more concerned with the embarrassment her uncle\u2019s madness may bring them during \u201cI\u2019m Only Thinking of Him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are many characters who enter Cervantes\u2019 story during Don Quixote\u2019s travels, perhaps most notably a traveling barber (Sebastian Alejandro Guerrero) who enters singing the lively \u201cBarber\u2019s Song\u201d and whose shaving basin becomes Quixote\u2019s \u201cGolden Helmet of Mambrino,\u201d which he proudly wears adorned with Aldonza\u2019s filthy dish rag.\u00a0 Other actors of note during the mock trial are its prosecutor, a cynic called The Duke who is chosen to play Dr. Carrasco (Louis Pardo), Antonia\u2019s fianc\u00e9, and menacing head Muleteer Pedro (Elijah Samu\u00e9l Reyes) whose treatment of Aldonza angers Don Quixote to action.<\/p>\n

The long-running success of the musical, which has been translated into many languages and presented around the world, owes its longevity to its message that it is not wrong to believe in your dreams and the world would be a better place if we all strived to make it the place it should be rather than the place it is, highlighted by Bermudez\u2019s showstopping rendition of \u201cThe Impossible Dream\u201d at the end of Act 1.<\/p>\n

Kudos to director James V\u00e1squez, choreographer Shani Talmor, and music director\/conductor Ryan O\u2019Connell for their collaboration on bringing one of the best books and score in Broadway history so fully to life at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Produced by Musical Theatre West, performances continue through March 1. Run time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are available by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org. Students with valid ID rush tickets are $15 available at the Box Office one hour prior to showtime. More information, a full line-up of performances, and additional details can be found at https:\/\/musical.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"While writing her novel, Sally is constantly interrupted by the spirits of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. But are they real or just figments of her imagination? (L-R) Marianna Gailus, MIdori Francis and Cillian O\u2019Sullivan in SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA at Geffen Playhouse. (Photo credit: Jeff Lorch)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arrived and Ready! Here\u2019s the first draft of my review: What\u2019s a writer to do when the ghosts of the real people you are writing about keep appearing and befuddling your brain? Such is the case in the world premiere of Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia written by Beth Hyland and directed By Jo Bonney at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood Village. This tragicomic thriller explores creativity, obsession, and our ghosts that refuse to be ignored.<\/p>\n

The action centers around Sally (Midori Francis), a once-celebrated novelist grappling with writer\u2019s block and being overshadowed by her husband Theo\u2019s (Noah Keyishian) rising literary fame. To counteract her inability to finish her novel, Sally seeks solace and inspiration in the iconic Boston apartment once inhabited by Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes (Marianna Gailus and Cillian O\u2019Sullivan). But when eerie encounters begin to blur the line between inspiration and madness, Sally is forced to question what\u2019s real, what\u2019s imagined, and what her art may truly cost her, including her marriage to Theo.<\/p>\n

Hyland\u2019s impeccable writing and director Bonney\u2019s pinpoint focus keep the action moving at the fast pace needed to keep you guessing about what is real and what is imagined. Assisting in the artistic brilliance is the movable scenic design by Studio Bent which allows swift changes between Sylvia and Ted\u2019s apartment in Beacon Hill, Boston in 1958 and when Sally and Ted move in present day. In fact, so starling was the first transition done in blackout that audible gasps filled the audience who, like me, started to question exactly what they were seeing or perhaps imagining!<\/p>\n

All four actors are to be commended for their absolute dedication to bringing their characters to realistic life, even during scene changes done in full view of the audience. But it\u2019s easy to figure out only Sally can see the spirits of Sylvia and Ted when they visit, even if Theo is on the stage at the same time. So are they really ghosts of the famous people haunting Sally or is her vivid imagination driving her to a suicide attempt and then back to the mental hospital from which she recently was released? It\u2019s a question never really answered, allowing us to decide for ourselves exactly what is going on in Sally\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

This examination of ghosts, poetry, and feminism is enhanced by Lap Chi Chu\u2019s lighting design that douses the stage in blood-red, especially when something evil or threatening is taking place. Original Music & Sound Design by Lindsay Jones fills the space with various types of soothing or rock\/pop music, with time period perfect costume design by Samantha C. Jones including a shirtwaist dress and pedal pushers for Sylvia.<\/p>\n

Similar in subject matter to Paranormal Activity at the Ahmanson about a haunting affecting a wife and husband differently and Lifeline currently at The Road Theatre about learning to work at a suicide prevention hotline to assist callers to not take their own lives, this play will garner your attention from start to finish and keep you guessing at the outcome. And along the way, expect a few laughs to relieve the mounting tension! After all, the battle between the sexes across generations is the universal platform upon which memories that last a lifetime occur.<\/p>\n

Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia continues through March 8 on Wednesday &Thursday 7:30 p.m., Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday 2 and 7 p.m. in the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles 90024. Run time is 1 hour 40 minutes without an intermission. This production contains sexual content, profanity, and discussions of miscarriage, depression, and suicide and is recommended for ages 12+ And if you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about self-harm or suicide, there is help available. Call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n

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