A resourceful actor, he could have pleaded, cajoled, wheedled, bargained or begged. What he actually did, before auditions earlier this year, was impress director Eileen Davis when they worked together, actor to actor, last summer in "The Wizard of Oz." He played the Wizard; she played the Wicked Witch.

"Warren was and is a pleasure to work with," said Davis, adding that, in "Man of La Mancha," he "embodies the gentlemanly heart and valiant spirit of Don Quixote. He looks the part, down to his real silver goatee."

Well, sure, the goatee - maybe a reason (besides the 81 roles preceding his current one) why the jesting Ashburn refers to himself, with no hesitation, as a "codger." In any case, he returned the praise, saying he respects Davis as a director because acting talent enables her to "see performances clearly and pick up on every nuance" in rehearsals.

Not that "Man of La Mancha" has been without challenges for Ashburn, who leads a cast that also includes Bob Anderson, Kauleen Cloutier, Dan Casciato and Jim Auld. Don Quixote is "a wonderful part, a great part, and it requires everything from an actor ... it's not an easy role, by any means," he said over the weekend.

But he often tackled mettle-testing roles in the past for theater companies such as Reading Civic Opera and Berks Grand Opera: Guido in "Nine," Judge Turpin in "Sweeney Todd," Frederic in "A Little Night Music," Ko-Ko in "The Mikado," Tito in "Lend Me a Tenor," crotchety old Ebenezer in "Scrooge" and many others. Then there are the meaty roles he's still hungry to play, like Mack the Knife in "The Threepenny Opera."

Fellow troupers would describe Ashburn as being "the real thing" as a musical theater actor, and, of course, he's a perfectionist, too, no matter what the assignment is. Consider his answer to one of my questions: "You have almost two weeks to go until opening night. Is your performance everything you want it to be?"

"Not yet, but it's coming along," he replied. "I'm still working hard, still finding my way, and that's what I need to do if I'm to get it right."

"Man of La Mancha" runs May 9-18 at OSP's longtime home, the Mt. Pleasant Township Community Center. Call 724-344-7467 for reservations.

Inside jokes

"I cannot believe we open in a week and a half. I am in denial, totally," Little Lake Theatre's Sunny Disney Fitchett said, half kidding, 11 days ago. How does she feel now that "Laughing Stock," which bears her name as director, is set to launch the company's 60th season at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Anxious, maybe. Excited, no doubt. Thirsty for a glass of celebratory champagne, perhaps. And I'm sure the words "Let's go ... I'm ready, for crying out loud!" have crossed her lips half a dozen times, if not more, since the crack of dawn on Monday.

"I think it's very, very funny," she said about Charles Morey's play, a behind-the-scenes comedy that takes its characters through the audition, rehearsal and opening night stages at a rustic summer theater - a barn "until the cows walked out and the actors walked in," according to a line in the script.

Little Lake hasn't been rustic for a few decades, but similarities between the real theater (founded on property once owned by a farmer) and the fictional one abound. Veteran actors Paul Laughlin and Charita Nemec appear as veteran actors. Little Lake's resident designer, Martha Bell, portrays the resident designer. Eager apprentice Julianne Avolio plays an eager apprentice. Art DeConciliis, with 101 Little Lake credits under his belt, reigns as the story's artistic director. See what I mean?

Buddy Wickerham, Sara Barbisch, Bob Rak, Jerry Summers, Patricia Cena Samreny, Leah Hillgrove, Nick Bell and Jason Dille complete the cast, and "every actor made me laugh out loud at some point during every rehearsal," said Fitchett, usually so concerned with the business at hand that she is, in her words, "the worst audience." But not this time.

"Laughing Stock" runs through May 17.

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