Quixotic
On Thursday night, in a small theater tucked among the buildings of downtown Santa Monica, I saw as wondrous a production as I’ve ever seen anywhere, and left the theatre utterly radiating strength, good will, and….knightly virtue. Honest!! You’ll have to roam the countryside to find a more affecting performance than Isaac Wade’s Don Quixote in The Powerhouse Theatre’s “Quixotic.”
After a powerful and stirring scene which delivers forth the lightning-bolt transformation of office worker Arthur Quick into knight errant Don Quixote, Wade renders a character of infinite beauty, joy, derring-do, and devotion to duty…quite simply the most sincere, vulnerable, and heartfelt performance I’ve ever witnessed! Wade’s portrayal is never hokey or over-the-top, but in a manner befitting “The Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance,” earnest and believable without qualification.
You’ll believe too!! That’s the beauty…you get so swept up by this show that you actually believe in Don Quixote and true love and hope!! You believe that a rusty run-down bike is a noble steed…you believe that an umbrella makes a mighty sword…and you believe that you’ve just slain the dragons and the goblins at the castle wall. I cried openly several times while my girlfriend looked askance and wordlessly handed me tissue….but when is the last time you actually believed??
Fine acting performances abound, and Corwin Evans’ sound design of rousing music and hypnotic low hums fuels the mute tension of the desperate office workers. When the patrons walk into the theater, the actors are already on stage and fully in character—droning their office duties—creating an instant unease as if intruding. The stark fluorescent glare pounding off the yellow paint of the walls creates a buzz of constant anticipation, like waiting for an awakening, and each of the characters experiences a personal and internal revolution.
The very design of the stage isolates each cast member so that it’s easy to understand the inevitable mob torment of Quick and his shining alter ego. Coco Kleppinger is wonderful as Allie, the stern office manager who warms up under Quixote’s charms, and her snippy exchanges with lover/boss Richard (Trevor Algatt) are hilarious. Darcy (Sarah Gold) is the naïve and too nice secretary we’ve all seen, Lily (Danielle Katz) and Carter (Nathaniel Meek) are the quiet ones who “keep to themselves”, and Sloan (Paige White) is the new hire that cruelly goads Quixote into performing humiliating and dangerous tasks. Ariel Goldberg plays Sam, Quixote’s most devoted squire, defending his knight even in the face of ridicule and echoing his firm conviction to the task at hand…but can he seize his moment?? Can you??
This play is hands-down the find of the year. Wade is wholly captivating, and the show is tightly written by UCLA student Kit Steinkellner and smartly directed by her collaborator Amanda Glaze. The play never stumbles or drags, and like a pitcher who works fast, tight writing begets tight acting. Steinkellner and Glaze are a team well worth watching, and “Quixotic” is one hell of a show from start to stunning finish!!
“Quixotic” is showing October 30th through November 22nd on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 pm at The Powerhouse Theatre 3116 2nd Street Santa Monica, CA 90405. Get tickets by calling 310-396-3680 xt. 3 or visit www.latensemble.com