Broadway musicals aren't the typical bill of fare at the classics-focused A Noise Within, yet this 1965 Dale Wasserman-Mitch Leigh-Joe Darion masterpiece isn't your garden-variety Broadway tuner. It certainly has a classic pedigree; Wasserman based his book on Miguel de Cervantes' timelessly resonant 17th-century Spanish novel Don Quixote, a stirring paean to undying hope and human dignity.
Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott uses inspired touches in scaling this huge property down to an intimate venue. And her attempts to tailor the material to a company not specializing in song-and-dance vehicles are valiant. But unfortunately, there's the rub. Leigh's soaring lyrics and Darion's glorious music are the soul of this powerful piece, and ANW's compromises therein result in a disappointing rendition, missing the show's emotional sweep and musical grandeur.
In the lead role, threefold in this play-within-a-play (Cervantes; deranged squire Alonso Quiana; and Quiana's alter ego, the knight errant Quixote), Geoff Elliott's characterizations are masterful. When the imprisoned playwright enlists his cellmates in a dramatization of his manuscript, Elliott eloquently captures the grace and wit of the scribe, the endearing eccentricity of Quiana, and the tragically myopic nobility of Quixote. He achieves satisfactory though not stellar vocalizations with his challenging romantic ballads. As Quixote's eager sidekick, Sancho Panza, Alan Blumenfeld offers a funny and credible portrayal, but his singing efforts are uneven. Nadia Ahern isn't quite believable as the embittered kitchen wench Aldonza, and she delivers some songs more skillfully than others, albeit swallowing lyrics at times. The supporting players generally don't do justice to their songs.
Music director David O's revised orchestrations are effective in spots, but the accompaniment (O on piano, Kevin Tiernan on guitar) often sounds too mellow to support the beautiful songs and the story's dramatic crescendos. The thrilling overture is inexplicably missing, and certain vibrant musical sequences — such as the rape of Aldonza — are given curiously truncated treatments. The design elements — Melissa Ficociello's set, Ken Booth's lighting, Soojin Lee's costumes — are excellent, and Rodriguez-Elliott ingeniously solves several crucial staging challenges, such as the descending drawbridge. All in all, this is a respectable failure. Tackling this daunting musical epic was perhaps ANW's own impossible dream.
Presented by and at A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Repertory schedule. Mar. 10-May 27. (818) 240-0910, ext. 1. www.anoisewithin.com.