Career-best performances by Richard Bermudez and Monika Peña are just two of the reasons Musical Theatre West’s spectacular 60th-anniversary revival of the 1966 Best Musical Tony winner is a must-see.

 As any Broadway buff can tell you, Man Of La Mancha (book by Dale Wasserman) recounts the classic Miguel de Cervantes tale of El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote De La Mancha precisely as Cervantes might have done so himself when imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition, enlisting the aid of his fellow dungeon-mates to bring the windmill-tilter’s quest to dramatic theatrical life while awaiting trial by some rather pesky Inquisitors.

 Donning Quijote’s trademark gray mustache and goatee, Cervantes quickly transforms himself into the aged Alonso Quijana, whose unrelenting dreams of chivalry and incessant thoughts of the world’s injustices have driven him into a madness in which he see himself as a “knight-errant,” one whose mission in life is “to dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to bear with unbearable sorrow, to run where the brave dare not go.”

 These are, of course, the lyrics to “The Impossible Dream (The Quest),” which may be Man Of La Mancha’s Greatest Hit, but it’s only one of composer Mitch Leigh and lyricist Joe Darion’s many memorable songs.

 Not only that, but I can’t think of another musical that illustrates so impressively the power of live theater to change lives, in this case a musical-within-a-musical that has its imprisoned Spaniards making their own theatrical magic as they become the characters in Miguel de Cervantes’s tale of valor and redemption, with more than a bit of madness thrown in for good measure.

All of this adds up to a musical that more than merits the thousands upon thousands of productions staged throughout the world since its 1965 Broadway debut, making it all the more remarkable that director James Vásquez was, I’m told, largely unfamiliar with the Broadway classic, and if this is indeed true, it’s no wonder Musical Theatre West’s latest of four MOTMs in its over 70-year history feels fresh and new, even for those like this reviewer who can count the number of Man Of La Manchas they’ve seen in the double digits.

Vásquez’s biggest stroke of casting genius was in entrusting the role of Cervantes/Don Quixote to Richard Bermudez, whose career so far has revolved around roles that take full advantage of the SoCal treasure’s stunning good looks. (Case in point MTW’s recent Into The Woods in which he played—you guessed it—a Prince.)

And it’s precisely because Bermudez wouldn’t be the first name to pop into my mind when imagining a character who spends 95% of the musical as a gray-haired, gray-bearded madman that his performances proves the most astonishing of discoveries as he shows off not just his gorgeous baritones but digs deep into Don Quixote’s “scorned and covered with scars” soul.

And as much as I raved about Peña’s Scenie-winning performance as Aldonza at Candlelight Pavilion back in early 2020, the intervening six years have only added to the maturity and depth she gives the role in a performance that beguiles and devastates in equal measure.

 Reggie De Leon completes the lead trio in so signature a role, there’s probably no actor, Broadway or regional, who can play Sancho Panza with so much cuddly charm and exuberant verve.

An all-around terrific featured ensemble shine in such distinctive cameos as Berto Fernández’s warm-hearted innkeeper (and his lofty Governor), Louis Pardo’s imposing Dr. Carrasco and “The Duke,” Sebastian Alejandro Guerrero’s delightfully comedic Barber (and Juan), Analía Romero’s distraught Housekeeper and Tatiana Monique Alvarez’s equally distressed Antonia, Rudy Martinez’s wise and winning Padre, whose exquisite tenor once soars in “To Each His Dulcinea,” and Ali Márquez-Qadiri (fresh from his breakout turn as Ritchy Valens in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story) as a guitar-strumming Anselmo.

 Ayesha Cortinas (Fermina), Wes Dameron, Stephen Diaz, Andrew Diego (Captain of the Inquisition), David Kirk Grant (Paco, Guitar Player), Celeste Lanuza, Edgar Lopez, Elijah Samuél Reyes (Pedro), Aviva Pressman (Maria, Innkeeper’s Wife), and Nikki Elena Spies complete the production’s uniformly splendid ensemble.

Choreographer Shani Talmor delivers a seductively undulating “Moorish Dance” in what is for the most part not a traditionally “dancy” show, while vocal performances could not be more gorgeous under Ryan O’Connell’s expert musical direction and accompanied by MTW’s Broadway-caliber pit orchestra, Danny Fiandaca’s sound design ensuring a pitch-perfect mix of orchestrations and vocals.

Rented sets look particularly smashing as lit by Paul Black, with additional deserved design kudos shared by Sonia Y. Álvarez (costumes), Melanie Cavaness and Gretchen Morales (props), and Kaitlin Yagin (wigs) adding up to a Man Of La Mancha that would be a visual stunner even on Broadway, with special snaps for a spectacularly scary “Knight Of The Mirrors” sequence.

Man Of La Mancha is produced by Paul Garman. Bren Thor is associate producer. Carolina Arboleda is production stage manager and Audrey Colindres and Kyrsten Goodrich are assistant stage managers. Kevin Clowes is technical director. Catt Fox-Uruburu is production manager.

Adding gravitas to a Broadway season in which Mame and Sweet Charity (and the long-forgotten Skyscraper) were its fellow Best Musical Tony nominees, Man Of La Mancha not only won the coveted statuette (and another for Best Original Score), it hasn’t aged a bit in the intervening sixty years.

Check out Musical Theatre West’s magnificent 2026 revival and you’ll see exactly why.

Musical Theatre West, Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach.
www.musical.org

–Steven Stanley
February 14, 2026
Photos: Sujan Creative

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Tags: Dale Wasserman, Joe Darion, Los Angeles Theater Review, Mitch Leigh, Musical Theatre West