PicksInSix Review: Circus Quixote-Lookingglass Theatre Company
Epic Story of Adventure and Kinship
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
The Lookingglass Theatre Company has returned to production after an extended hiatus with the world premiere of “Circus Quixote,” an artfully produced work written and directed by Kerry and David Catlin. The show—based on Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote of La Mancha featuring circus by Sylvia Hernandez-Distani and presented in collaboration with Actors Gymnasium—follows in a long and varied path of organically developed theater work that has defined the reputation of the regional Tony Award-winning theater whose home is at the heart of Chicago’s Water Tower Water Works, sparkling and renewed after a major interior renovation to the public spaces in recent months.
That home has a history of stellar works to its credit—memorable recent treatments of classics include “Moby Dick,” “20,000 Leagues Under The Seas,” “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”—all conceived and developed by the ensemble collective of talent including the Catlins, the great Mary Zimmerman and so many others whose creative theatrical style and magical touch are like nothing else you will ever see.
“Circus Quixote” joins that collective of the always rugged, ambitious and explosive offerings that include imaginative scenic elements and special effects, whimsical costumes, original music, intricate aerial and cirque routines, and puppetry all layered within the storytelling. And it is particularly satisfying to see Lookingglass Theatre return with a show that boasts a youthful, committed company—with many new and multi-talented artists—in what is certainly a colossal assignment to frame Cervantes’ epic story of adventure and kinship on stage.
At the center of the show is the remarkable performance of Michel Rodriguez Cintra as Don Quixote who is ever present throughout the two hour thirty minute odyssey. Edwardo Marinez is terrific as narrator Cervantes and the loyal squire Sancho Panza. Together, the two set out on a fictional quest throughout La Mancha, braving the elements and conquering beasts from the depths often with a wink, a nod and a fanny whack or two to keep things moving along.
The piece was developed in 2022 at The Actors Gymnasium and sits comfortably on Courtney O’Neill’s set that incorporates a number of surprises within a forty by twelve foot book wall, standing aerial poles and rigging, hidden passageways, and an impressive windmill that provide access for Hernandez-Distani’s artful circus elements. There are many imaginative multi-functional stage elements and visual effects to discover along the way enhanced by Sully Ratke’s ingenious costume design.
Cervantes’ aficionados will appreciate the dense storyline that alternates from the wit inherent in much of the script, exemplified in the chemistry and well-paced exchanges of Cintra and Marinez. The slapstick chaos of the ensemble will certainly appeal to everyone who appreciates the Lookingglass aesthetic that is always evolving, striving to tell a deeper story in the most entertaining way possible in the intimate confines of one of Chicago’s most historic settings.
PHOTO | Joe Mazza/brave lux
Lookingglass Theatre Company
in association with
The Actors Gymnasium
presents
World Premiere
CIRCUS QUIXOTE
Joan and Paul Theatre
Water Tower Water Works
EXTENDED through March 30, 2025
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