Not many plays can reduce me to tears, but Man of La Mancha does it every time. It reminds me of what we do to ourselves and each other, and of what we might be if only we dared to give our better nature free rein and act on our dreams and hopes.

The 1965 smash hit boasts fabulous music by Mitch Leigh, lyrics by Joe Darion and a play-within-a-play structure based on the story of Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes and his most famous character Don Quixote. It ran nearly six years on Broadway (winning five Tonys) and has had several revivals on the Great White Way since.

Lyric Opera San Diego’s lovely production of Man of La Mancha plays through Oct. 7 at Birch North Park Theatre, directed by J. Sherwood Montgomery.

The plot has Cervantes pitched into prison with a scurvy assortment of thieves, pickpockets and other unsavory types. Unlike the others, tax collector Cervantes has been nabbed for judgment not by civil court but by the Inquisition, for foreclosing on the monastery of La Merced.

By prison tradition, every new detainee is tried by his fellow inmates while awaiting official judgment. Cervantes, to forestall the threatened burning of his manuscripts for warmth, amuses his “jury” with the story of Don Quixote, that tilter at windmills extraordinaire, and his squire Sancho Panza (Jimmy Ferraro). Local favorite Leon Natker plays Cervantes/Quixote.

Writer Dale Wasserman concentrates on Cervantes’ three major characters – the dreamer Quixote, his friend Sancho and the whore Aldonza (Audrey Babcock), in her own words a “kitchen slut reeking of sweat” but transformed in Quixote’s mind to his beloved, the highborn lady Dulcinea. This trio is surrounded by an assortment of others including a priest (David Robinson), Quixote’s niece Antonia (Meagan Todd), her fiance Dr. Carrasco (Michael Dooling), the barber (Brian Imoto) and several muleteers.

Regardless of his situation, no matter the baseness of the actions going on around him – his relatives trying to have him committed, Aldonza’s gang rape by the mule drivers, the theft of everything they own by a passing band of gypsies – Quixote continues in his quest for the impossible dream. It’s irresistible – and heartbreaking.

Man of La Mancha plays through Oct. 7, at the Birch North Park Theatre. Shows Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2:30 p.m. For tickets call 619-2309-8836 or visit http://www.lyricoperasandiego.org/policies.htm#order_info

Playgoers who don’t know much about legendary songwriter Fats Waller’s life won’t know any more when they leave Ain’t Misbehavin,’ playing through Oct. 14 at San Diego Repertory Theatre. But they’ll have a whale of a time.

The show recorded more than 1600 performances in its original 1978-82 Broadway run, winning four Tonys in the process, and has been a consistent audience favorite ever since.

Conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a revue of some of Waller’s greatest hits, interpreted by a quintet of talented singers and a combo of four musicians. Patdro Harris directs and is also responsible for the choreography.

The wide, semi-circular set evokes the Art Deco style of the ’30s; so do Reggie Ray’s costumes. The cast consists of Robert Barry Fleming, John Steven Crowley, Lisa Payton, Valerie Payton, and Austene Van.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ showcases 30 Waller songs, from the title tune to “This Joint is Jumpin,” and includes songs sassy and sad, rhythmic and even goofy, such as “When the Nylons Bloom Again,” which Valerie Payton does in an absurd Brunnhilde get-up.

The first act consists mostly of group numbers – duets to quintets – including “T’aint Nobody’s Business if I Do,” “Honeysuckle Rose” (which Crowley knocks out of the park), and “Jitterbug Waltz.”

The opening night crowd was fairly reserved in the first act; my theory is that dead sound spots in the theater precluded some people (including me) from hearing most of the lyrics – a must if one wants to get the flavor of Waller’s songs.

But the second act comes alive when the cast gets to kick back and sing solo, with winners such as Fleming’s dreams of a 5-foot reefer in “Viper Drag” to Lisa Payton’s “Mean to Me” and Crowley’s “Your Feets Too Big.” The audience gets involved in this act, too, in songs such as “Fat and Greasy.” After the quintet interprets poignant, close-harmony “Black and Blue,” the show ends with a medley of some of Waller’s greatest hits.

Waller lived hard and died young, at 39, of pneumonia after a particularly arduous tour. But he left a musical legacy that goes on.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ plays through Oct. 14 at San Diego Repertory Theatre. Shows Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m.; matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets call 619-544-1000 or visit www.sandiegorep.com.

In the late 19th century, 16-year-old Henri Louis Grin left home in search of adventure. He worked a succession of jobs, including footman to actress Fanny Kemble and butler to the governor of Western Australia. Years later, after marrying and abandoning his wife in Australia, Grin returned to England.

Soon thereafter, in 1898, a series of stories about pearl diving in New Guinea, living with Australian aborigines, riding turtles, seeing flying wombats and similar fantastic exploits appeared in the pages of London’s The Wide World Magazine under the byline of Louis de Rougemont, Grin’s nom de plume. Adventure stories were all the rage, and De Rougemont quickly became the toast of London.

Queen Victoria introduced De Rougemont to the Royal Geographical Society, whose members questioned some of his claims (flying wombats, for example). Further inconsistencies – such as his inability to place his travels on a map – precipitated his public fall from grace, and soon he went from everybody’s darling to the world’s greatest liar.

Margulies was commissioned by the theater to write this three-person piece, directed by Bart DeLorenzo, the majority of which consists of actor Gregory Itzin as De Rougemont telling some of his fantastic tales. He is immeasurably aided by UCSD MFA Melody Butiu and Michael Daniel Cassady, who play a huge assortment of other roles, only some of them human. Cassady, for example, plays De Rougemont’s faithful dog Bruno, adds a wide assortment of sound effects, and even plays a British lady having tea. Butiu plays De Rougemont’s mother and many other characters.

Itzin, who played De Rougemont in the staged reading earlier this year, is an excellent storyteller, moderating voice, changing pace and keeping the audience involved. Together with the multi-talented Butiu and Cassady, it’s a triple whammy.

Kudos also to Rand Ryan and Christine Marie for their evocative lighting design and shadow scenic design.

Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told by Himself) plays through Oct. 14 at South Coast Repertory Theatre. Shows Tuesday through Sunday at 7:45 p.m.; matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets call (714) 708-5555 or visit www.scr.org.