 Margie and me in the lobby of the Regent Theatre before the show |
I was prepared to absolutely adore this show, for any number of reasons, but mostly because Anthony Warlow was playing the lead role. I first heard Anthony on the complete recording of Jekyll & Hyde, and since then, I’d been dying to see him on stage. With this show, I finally got my chance. I was also really looking forward to see Caroline O’Connor as Aldonza, and the production was being directed by the same woman who did the fantastic production of Fiddler on the Roof at Stratford, which had been one of the best shows I’d ever attended. I guess with all of that hype, I was bound to be a little let down by the reality. Not with Anthony Warlow – he was every bit as brilliant as I was hoping he would be. He has such a powerful stage presence – you can’t tear your eyes off him when he’s on stage. We were sitting in the third row, and it was very easy to get drawn into his performance. He was equally convincing as Cervantes and as the foolish Don Quixote – he looked so completely unlike himself as Don Quixote that there were actually moments when I would forget that it was Anthony Warlow – which, trust me, is a huge accomplishment on his part! |
The highlights of the show were definitely his singing numbers, and naturally, The Impossible Dream brought the house down. There was not a movement in the audience for the entire song, and there was nearly a minute of sustained applause when he finished. It was magical.
Caroline O’Connor was also just as good as I had been expecting, equally adept at acting, singing and dancing her way through the role. The supporting cast was also very good, especially Tony Taylor as Sancho. The set and staging worked well, although perhaps the stage was a little too large for what is in essence a pretty intimate show.
So what, exactly, was my problem with the show? Honestly, I’m not sure myself. It’s hard to put it into words. It just didn’t have that special something that really makes a show stand out for me, that intangible magical quality. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I’m not really a huge fan of the story in the first place. Perhaps it is because I was expecting it to be such an epiphanic experience. I really don’t know. Whatever it was, although I enjoyed the show, it wasn’t the kind of night that made me want to run out and tell everyone that they had to see it.
The cast: (in order of appearance)
Captain of the Inquisition |
ANTHONY COGIN |
Manservant/Sancho Panza |
TONY TAYLOR |
Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote |
ANTHONY WARLOW |
Governor/Innkeeper |
PETER CARROLE |
Duke/Dr Sanson Carrasco/Knight of the Mirrors |
GEOFF MORRELL |
Horse |
JOSEF BROWN |
Mule |
DANIEL RYAN |
Anselmo |
DAVID WHITNEY |
Juan |
LUKE ALLEVA |
Garcia |
JOSEF BROWN |
Pedro |
ANTHONY COGIN |
Jose |
RYAN DESAULNIER |
Ricardo |
JUAN JACKSON |
Tenorio |
BENJAMIN MAKISE |
Paco |
NICHOLAS MARCO |
Miguel |
DANIEL RYAN |
Pablo |
ANDREW WATERS |
Aldonza |
CAROLINE O’CONNOR |
Maria/Housekeeper |
JACKIE REES |
Serving Wenches |
LISA ADAM ANNA LEE ROBERTSON SHARYN WINNEY |
Antonio |
BRONWYN MULCAHY |
Padre |
DEREK TAYLOR |
Barber |
MITCHELL BUTEL |
Moorish Dancer |
SHARYN WINNEY |