Danielle Brothers To Star in MAN OF LA MANCHA At No Exit Cafe, 10/18

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's second production of the season is MAN OF LA MANCHA, presented in association with Michael James. Opening night is 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18 at the No Exit Café.

Performances run through November 22 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. The No Exit Café space, owned by James, is a cabaret setting, where dinner is available one hour prior to curtain and food and drinks are served by the cast.

James' father, Hal James, was the original producer on Broadway of MAN OF LA MANCHA, which opened in 1965, ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards. The song "The Impossible Dream" is a standard, and the play is continually revived and an audience favorite.

Directing this production is David Heimann, a Jeff Award recipient for his supporting role in Theo Ubique's "A Kurt Weill Review-Songs of Darkness and Light." Heimann previously choreographed three shows with Theo Ubique and is following Artistic Director Fred Anzevino's influence of making bold but simple choices, so intimacy of the No Exit Café becomes the vehicle for making the audience a part of the musical experience.

"One of the challenges of Man of La Mancha is a company's ability to portray the two realities of the show-the play and the play-within-a-play. Part of the challenge is the proscenium. At the No Exit Café, we eliminate the proscenium entirely, and we are finding that the show is more intelligible, more impactful and extremely relevant to a world which could use a little more gallantry, chivalry and hope," Heimann explained.

The lead role of Cervantes/Don Quixote is played by Danielle Brothers, a Theo Ubique company member and multiple Jeff Award recipient. Other principal roles are Sarah Hayes as Aldonza and Anthony Apodaca as Sancho. Remaining cast members are: Kent Joseph as Pedro/Govenor, Dan Waters as Padre, Kyle Greer as Anselmo/Housekeeper, Jennifer Young as the Captain, Trisha Ditsworth as the Barber, Michael Hershberg as Innkeeper/Innkeeper's wife, Maggie Portman as Antonia and Tom Moore as The Duke/Dr. Corasco.

Music direction is by Ethan Deppe, who composed the original incidental music for Theo Ubique's currently running production of "The Taming of the Shrew," closing October 4. Maggie Portman, the 2009 Jeff Award recipient for Actress in a Principal Role for "Evita," is choreographer. She received a Jeff Award nomination for choreography of Theo Ubique's 2008 production of "Cabaret."

Dale Wasserman wrote the book for MAN OF LA MANCHA, adapting it from his 1959 teleplay "I, Don Quixote," which was inspired by the 17th century masterpiece, "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. He also wrote the play and screenplay "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Lyrics are by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. The story is a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition, telling the story of the "mad" knight Don Quixote.

Tickets for MAN OF LA MANCHA are now available online at www.theoubique.org or through the ticket order line at 800-595-4849. Theo Ubique's ticket information line is 773-347-1109, where updated theatre and show information are available.

Previews are 8 p.m., October 16-17 and preview tickets are $15. Regular performance tickets for October 18-November 22 are $30 for Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and $35 for Saturdays. A show/dinner package is $53 for all performances (reflecting a $5 discount on Saturdays). Dinner is optional and starts one hour prior to curtain. Free parking is available at the parking lot on the corner of Morse and Ravenswood with free transport on the Lifeline shuttle van to and from the lot. The No Exit Café is by the Morse stop on the Red Line.

Founded in 1997 by Fred Anzevino, Artistic Director, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre is a Rogers Park-based cabaret-theatre company. It initially began performing at the Heartland Studio, producing an array of straight drama, comedy and musicals, and in 2004 started the cabaret-theatre trend in the Chicago area when it began producing musicals and revues at Michael James' No Exit Café-its home since then. During its 12-year history, Theo Ubique produced 26 productions and received 18 Jeff Awards Non-Equity and 3 After Dark Awards. The name Theo Ubique (pronounced thee-oh oo-bah-kway) is a combination of Greek and Latin words reflecting the company's mission to engage actors and audiences in an intimate and honest conversation with great theatrical works. Visit the web site at www.theoubique.org.

 

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