Don Quixote of La Mancha! Every man wants to be him. Every woman wants to have a man just like him. And the man with a twisted sword and a broken lance is living proof of the nobility of love, duty, honor and passion.

All of those traits were on magnificent display in the musical "Man of La Mancha," which opened to spectacular acclaim at Milwaukee Rep Saturday night.

Mark Clements has directed a production that turns the tale of the Spanish knight errant on its ear, delivering a story full of humor, tenderness and, at the end, a sorrow so deep that I couldn’t stop the tears from cascading down my face.

In 1966, "La Mancha" won five Tony Awards after its premiere on Broadway, and the years have not taken anything away from this story. There is nothing that explains this Don as well as the words from his first song which introduces him to those who do not know.

I am I, Don Quixote, The Lord of La Mancha,
My destiny calls and I go, And
the wild winds of fortune will carry me onward,
Oh whithersoever they blow,
Whithersoever they blow,
Onward to glory I go

Hear me, heathens and wizards and serpents of sin!
All your dastardly doings are past,
For a holy endeavor is now to begin
And virtue shall triumph at last!

Those who doubt him laugh at this world of fantasy in which he lives, but to Quixote, his quest is as real as the lance with which he jousts a windmill mistaken for an ogre. His return with a broken lance and twisted sword do nothing to stop his charge up the hills where the base and heathen live.

This may not have been the best show I’ve ever seen at the Rep – but it’s very close. And the production combines superior achievement in all of the things – technical and emotional – it takes to put on a play.

It starts with Clements, who has set a tone of honesty with these characters. The relationships between each of these finely drawn characters is genuine, whether they feel love, honor, suspicion, anger, hopelessness or status. Nobody mails it in under Clements' direction.

A marvelous set by Jack Magaw, costumes by Alexander B. Tecoma and sounds by Megan B Henninger create the evocative atmosphere of a fifth century jail.

The lighting by Milwaukee’s Jason Fassl is as precise as the script and libretto demand. The scene of mirrors during which Quixote has his ultimate moment of self-realization is a triumph of staging and lighting to behold.

Make no mistake about it: This is a love story on many levels, but none more so than the one between Quixote and Aldonza (Leenya Rideout), the scullery maid who is a service vehicle for a wide variety of men looking for momentary dalliance.

In Clements' production, Aldonza is something other than the woman used I’ve seen in other productions. In this one, she is a fierce and passionate defender of her own brand of honor. Woe to the lustful fellow who crowns her slattern rather than woman.

She is a woman settled into the common of her life and views with a vicious suspicion all the men who surround her. She is self-contained and disgusted with those who patron her gifts. 

So do not talk to me of love,
I’m not a fool with starry eyes,
Just put your money in my hand
And you will get what money buys!

One pair of arms is like another,
I don’t know why or who’s to blame,
I’ll go with you or with your brother
It’s all the same, it’s all the same!

Nothing is as beautiful in this production as Quixote’s introductory plea to Aldonza in which he pledges his troth and christens her his Dulcinea, the Spanish word for mistress. To do so, he sings "Dulcinea," one of the top all-time romantic ballads from the world of musical theater, standing alongside such classics as "Some Enchanted Evening" and "If Ever I Would Leave You."

The heart and soul of Don Quixote is Stampley, who grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from UW-Madison on his way to carving a distinguished acting career in New York and other major theaters around the world.

His knight is unlike any other I have ever seen. The Don is often played as a doddering fumbler, aging with the weight of his self-selected burden of saving the world. No doddering for this crusader.

Stampley is strong and firm in his resolve, protective of those he loves – including his beloved squire Sancho Panza (Michael J. Farina). He has found in his character strengths and devotions not often seen in this role and a consistent sense of just how serious his quest really is. It’s a performance of singular presence and high standing.

Rideout, who has a lovely wide-ranging soprano, easily moves Aldonza from a woman of power to a woman in love to a woman, like Quixote, "torn and covered with thorns," and back to a woman deeply in love. Her journey is heartrending and inspiring.

Sancho is often played as the hilarious sidekick with a devotion that is blind and suffered by a last chance kind of loyalty. Farina is very funny, but he also provides the essence of everyone’s affection for Quixote in "I Really Like Him," the answer to Aldonza's question of what it is about this errant knight.

But it is "The Impossible Dream," the glorious tale of commitment to a quest that best sums up both the life of a man and the tale of this show.

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable, the unreachable star
And I'll always dream
The impossible dream
Yes, and I'll reach
The unreachable star

Milwaukee is unquestionable fortunate that this star of a musical is not the least bit unreachable, but easily grasped and held reverentially in our arms.

"Man of La Mancha" runs through Oct. 30.

Production credits: Director, Mark Clements' Music Direction, Dan Kazemi; Scenic Designer, Jack Magaw; Costume Designer, Alexander B. Tecoma; Lighting Director, Jason Fassl; Sound Designer, Megan B. Henninger; Music Supervisor, John Tanner; Movement Director, James Zager, Stage Manager, Anne M. Jude; Casting Director, JC Clementz.