Theatre / Reviews
Review: Don Quixote (is a very big book), Wardrobe Theatre – ‘So funny your face will hurt’
“I really need this to be the best show I’ve ever made,” says Dik Downey from the stage of the Wardrobe Theatre as we watch him put on a suit of armour that he bought on eBay in order to transform himself into Don Quixote.
It’s not clear who is the deluded one – Downey or Don – as the master puppeteer continues to climb into the armour.
This reviewer is one of the majority in the audience who has not read the entirety of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes but it’s almost certain that the original did not have the protagonist put a yellow kazoo in his codpiece.
After Downey has finally become Don Quixote thanks to a mask featuring a splendid schnozzle, a fair maiden on the front row is serenaded Vic Reeves in Shooting Stars-style as she is turned into Dulcinea.
Also on the front row, other audience members are licked by Don Quixote’s donkey, Rocinante, as our chivalrous hero sets out on an adventure across the dusty plains of la Mancha.
Dik Downey purchased his 17kg suit of armour from someone on eBay – photo: Wardrobe Theatre
Don Quixote (is a very big book) is an audacious attempt by Downey to abridge two books published in 1605 and 1615 into an hour-long show.
And remarkably, it succeeds as we will Downey on in his own adventure to bring this story to life.
Along the way, he becomes an inn and a windmill, engages in some extreme slow-motion, and meets Bangles fan Sancho Panza.
El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha may be a very big book but the incomparable Downey has managed to distil its essence into one of the best shows of 2025.
It’s so funny that your face will hurt.
Don Quixote (is a very big book) was at the Wardrobe Theatre from October 7-18 2025
With the help of a mask and several puppets, Dik Downey distils Don Quixote into an uproariously funny 60-minute show – photo: Wardrobe Theatre
Main photo: Wardrobe Theatre
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