Somewhere in Quixote, presented by Spanish director Yayo Caceres at NSD, offered a range of adventure, thoughts and bonds between human beings. The director tells UK Banerjee that it was difficult for him to adapt the novel to the stage
The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha (El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha) is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is considered one of the most influential works of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary oeuvre. The narrative describes exotic exploits of one Alonso Guijano, who reads so many adventures and romances that he loses his sanity and resolves to set out: to revive chivalry, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world: under the name Don Quixote. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho Panza, as his squire, who often employs a unique, earthy wit in dealing with Quixote’s rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood. Quixote does not see the world for what it is and prefers to imagine that he is living out a knightly story. Throughout the novel, Cervantes uses such literary techniques as realism, meta-theatre, and inter-textuality. It was a major influence on the global literary community, and originated the word: ‘quixotic’.
Somewhere in Quixote, presented recently by Ron lala Group from Madrid, Spain, is an utterly charming recounting of the deeds of this imagined knight-errant, while Cervante is writing his masterpiece. Directed by Yayo Caceres, the performance is stylised to the core, to create a riddle on who is real: Cervante or QuixoteIJ Who is dreaming and who is livingIJ As in the book so on the stage, Quixote is a universe in itself; on the pages, or, on the proscenium — spilling very often into the auditorium. The production offers a range of adventures, thoughts and bonds between human beings: as with the church-chaplain and his compatriot.
A very versatile actor creates — with minimum make-up, yet maximum agility — the vainglorious ‘knight’ charging at windmills, ‘rescuing’ a herd of sheep from their ‘slavery’ and, otherwise, pursuing the futile quest for Elcinea, the ‘most glorious maiden on earth’. Quixote is always accompanied by his valet Sancho, who also happens, here, to be an accomplished singer and guitar-player. While the handful of acrobatic actors run through their routine with break-neck speed, the audience has a rollicking time.
Extract from interaction with the director:
Was it difficult to transform the famous novel into a theatrical experienceIJ
The stage-production of Quixote will always be literally charging the windmills. For, transforming the best novel in literature into a theatre-play is itself a losing battle. But theatre is just that: facing all the difficulties of bringing theatre alive!
How much improvisation did you permitIJ
Once the parameters are determined, there is no more improvisation in the final performance.