Review: Quixote Nuevo at Hartford Stage

Hartford, CT - Hartford Stage has opened their 2019/2020 season with a magnificent production of a contemporary reimagining of Miguel de Cervantes classic DON QUIXOTE. The Tejano music-filled QUIXOTE NUEVO (a “new” Quixote) was written by the award-winning playwright Octavio Solis. In 2012, Hartford Stage staged a reading of his one-act play SE LLAMA CRISTINA as part of its Brand:NEW Festival of New Work, and won the 2018 Imagen Award for his consultancy on Disney-Pixar’s COCO. Senor Solis is also the author of Retablos: Stories of a Life Lived Along the Border, a memoir of his life growing up in El Paso.

The funny, charming and touching production is brought to magical life by a multi-talented cast led by Elilio Delgado, whom many of us will remember for his groundbreaking role as Luis the beloved Latino handyman on SESAME STREET. I am not embarrassed to admit that I was completely star-struck from the minute he entered the stage.

The action is set in the fictional modern day Texas border town of La Plancha (as opposed to La Mancha,) where the chivalrous “caballero” (knight) Don Quixote (played with passion by Mr. Delgado) and his loyal sidekick Sancho embark on a very comical yet bittersweet quest for redemption and “amor perdido” (lost love) that deeply touches the lives of all they encounter.

QUIXOTE NUEVO is both brand new and a classic, all at once: a story of one man fighting the darkness of his reality--aging, dementia, a lessening of his powers--with imagination, humor and music. His quest for his lost love, his desire for a heroic adventure, and his need to escape the everyday into the surprising and rewarding possibilities of the imagination are some of the very same reasons we go to theatre. - the new Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Manager Director Cynthia Rider

The Hartford Stage production is directed by KJ Sanchez, an acclaimed playmaker and the founder and CEO of American Records who is the voice of many characters on the cartoons DORA THE EXPLORER and GO, DIEGO, GO. This production was produced in association with Huntington Theatre Company and Alley Theatre. I was not surprised to learn that the play with music debuted at the California Shakespeare Festival last year, for the flavor was decidedly Southwestern and the amazing cast predominantly Latino. The Spanish was perfectly accented and the characterizations authentic to the culture that I admire.

I quickly fell in love with this performance and began to dread the sad ending as the second act progressed. I truly did not want this beautifully written work to end. Perhaps my study of Spanish literature in college enhanced my appreciation of what was truly a theatrical event, but I suspect that the comedy will appeal to anyone with even a perfunctory knowledge of the Cervantes classic tale. The contemporary references make the two acts very relatable and make some significant points on current events. Although some might disagree, I did not find the political messages heavy handed in nature.

Senor Delgado reprises his role of Quixote/Quijano The actor played Luis on SESAME STREET from 1971 until 2015 and was cast to understudy Raul Julia in TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA on Broadway. I enjoyed every minute that he was on the Hartford stage.

Also reprising their role in QUIXOTE NUEVO at Hartford Stage are three fine actors. Juan Manuel Amador brings to life the roles of Sancho Panza and Manny Dias, and he played it with a honed sense of comic timing and plenty of charm. Hugo E. Carbajal appears as Papa Calaca, a dark angel of death in a memorable costume that is almost always watching over Quijano, and Gianna DiGregorio Rivera steps back into the roles Antonia, Inez and in the ensemble.

Each and every actor in the Equity cast are making their Hartford Stage debuts and the remaining members of the cast are new to the show. Orlando Arriaga played Cardenio and Padre Perez, as well as appearing in the ensemble. Gisela Chipe stepped out of the ensemble to appear as Dulcinea and the mental health professional Dr. Campos. Krystal Hernandez played the roles of Juana and the very pregnant Rosario Castillo when not in the ensemble and Ivan Jasso took on the roles of Bruno Castillo, the handsome Young Quijano, Yard Sale Guy and a Calaca. Mariela Lopez-Ponce played Magdalena, Perla and was part of the ensemble.

The scenic design by Takeshi Kata featured some great perspective for the desert terrain and the local bar complete with Christmas bulbs over the audience was wonderfully accurate. I was very impressed with the costumes designed by Rachel Healy; the detailed outfits for the members of the cast that played a roving band of Calacas (skeletons) had a distinct folkloric flavor. I loved the adult tricycles that served as noble steeds as well as the suggestion of a blimp; kudos to the prop crew on some delightful choices,

The inspired lighting designed by Brian Lilienthal brought us back and forth from Quijano’s memories and the present tense and added so much to the flow of the play. David R. Molina was in charge of the sound design and also served as the composer of the authentic Tejano music that the actors sang to a track, some songs with live guitars played by the actors.

Ted Hewlett gets the credit for fight direction, Robert Ramirez was both the vocal and dialect coach; the poetry of the text is spoken in a respectful mixture of English and Spanish. Not really Spanglish to my ear, more of a blending of contemporary English with a multitude of Spanish words and phrases which I would venture that most in the audience could follow. Most of the Spanish is translated either before or after the line is delivered. There is also a handy “frontera glossary/border glosario” in the program that probably could have been a bit more comprehensive. Eduardo Robledo was the co-composer/music director. Rob Chikar (MAKE BELIEVE at Hartford Stage) was the stage manager with Kasson Marroquin as the assistant stage manager.

This play with music will be one of my favorites of the year. The lead sponsor of the show is The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation and The Mandell-Braunstein Family were the producers. The performances run two hours and 30 minutes with one fifteen-minute intermission. QUIXOTE NUEVO runs through Sunday, October 13.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

Click here to read about Naugatuck/Bethwood Patch Mayor Nancy Sasso Janis.