THEATRE 
REVIEWS
Don Quixote
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Leeds
ENGLAND
A night’s fantasy
If you have stood by the side of the Don Quixote and Sancho Panza statues in a park square in Madrid amongst a hoard of tourists you will have some idea of what he and his squire must have experienced on their travels. This is a story of fantasy written by Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th century, enacted in two parts as the two characters make the first journey and then retrace their steps ten years later, but the action takes place on a road trip through modern day La Mancha in Spain. The main character has flights of fancy which his trusty friend tries in vane to rein in. This is not an easy story to bring to the stage, but Pablo Ley and Colin Teevan who adapted this story have a good try and director Josep Galindo gives still more effort to their try.
Greg Hicks gives life to Don Quixote
We have two superb performances from Greg Hicks as Don Quixote and Tony Bell as Sancho Panza his trusty squire. Every word is clear that they utter and their pace of delivery is just right. This however is not the case with the rest of the cast who tend to deliver their lines far too quickly when they first enter the stage, but then most of them get it right and the audience is able to discern the story from their words. This said, the plot is compelling and takes the audience along in its wake. Some interesting and eccentric characters are portrayed by Stephan Casey, Alasdair Craig, Andrew Dennis the story teller, Alan McMahon, Rachel Donovan, Caitlin Mottram, Laura Power and Phoebe Soteriades as they help to bring the plot alive.
A stark backdrop with mirrors, which double as a projection screen, is the set design provided by Gideon Davey that tries to give the feel of the Spanish countryside and its towns. It gives adequate space for the cast to enact their running routines and other antics as well as their song and dance routines.
So what of this play, there must be a reason for this play. Some will like it, others will not. It is all a question of taste and perception of what you expect from your trip to the theatre. BA ©
“Don Quixote” is in Leeds on the 2nd September until the 20th October, 2007. Council car parking charge £1 from 5.30pm until 10pm. This is now a No Smoking theatre.
Is there an Air Conditioning certificate prominently displayed in your theatre foyer stating the date of manufacture of the appliance and when the system was last inspected and serviced - if not, complain to the theatre management.
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