Review: QUIJOTE Y SANCHO PANZA, NUEVAS ANDANZAS at GALA Hispanic Theatre

Left to Right: Veronica Gomez Giraldo, Patricia Suarez, and Alex Lopez. Photo Credit: Camilo Montoya

GALA Hispanic Theatre’s QUIJOTE Y SANCHO PANZA, NUEVAS ANDANZAS is light-hearted, bursting with creativity, and, above all, a story with a kind, echoing message.

The performance is a condensed retelling of ‘Don Quixote’ fitted for young audiences. Don Quijote (Alex Lopéz) is a man whose insatiable love for stories and books on chivalry has gone to his head. He has convinced himself that he is a knight tasked with defending the weak and righting wrongs in his present-day community. His niece, Tonia (Verónica Gómez Giraldo), is convinced he is going to run into trouble, though deeply cares for her uncle. As a result, she recruits their neighbor Sancho Panza (Delbis Cardona), to look after him. Together, the two of them have various (mis)adventures and Don Quijote’s creativity/insanity unlocks the joy in Sancho’s heart and a rollercoaster of emotions in Tonia’s.

Alex Lopéz alternates between a portrayal of a man who has lost his mind, and a man whose genius creativity has been freed. It’s fitting both for the message and his representation of the literary Don Quixote. Verónica Gómez Giraldo, grants the niece character Tonia more authority in the direction (and ultimately, the ending) and a figure that can see eye-to-eye with the young audience. Delbis Cardona (Sancho Panza) is humorous yet endearing and rallies the audience to support Don Quijote.

Cristina Sánchez (Monchita, Pastora Marcela) and Patricia Suárez (Ama) deliver polished performances. Ixchel Hernández (Aldonza, Princesa) is an excellent singer, and Chris Rios (Puppeteer/Titiritero) is a skilled artist who justifies the involvement of puppet characters.

Patricia Suárez is also the QUIJOTE Y SANCHO PANZA, NUEVAS ANDANZAS playwright and has developed an incredibly immersive and sophisticated show. Suárez engages the youngest audience members with light audience participation and catchy musical numbers. Simultaneously, the older members stay engaged with the witty jokes and nuanced, but followable plot. Patricia Suárez has the special skill to form a 17th century literary cultural fixture into a digestible piece with a strong message about encouraging creativity and sticking up for what’s right.

Director Claudio Aprile also deserves praise. He is keenly aware of how best to navigate the space and tell captivating stories to children without overdoing it or oversimplifying. Aprile keeps the nearly five decade tradition of GALita, the children’s theater branch of GALA Hispanic Theatre, alive and thriving.

QUIJOTE Y SANCHO PANZA, NUEVAS ANDANZAS, is aimed at children and family audiences, and is part of the GALita productions put on semi-annually. The bilingual production is primarily in Spanish, and while geared towards children, would also serve well those studying the language or seeking to gain some exposure and experience to Spanish literature. The show is a limited run, and will have performances open to the public on March 16th and 23rd at 3pm.

Run time: approximately 55 minutes with no intermission.

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