Cyrano De Bergerac

Edmond Rostand’s neo-Romantic play about lost love (premiere1897), provided plot structure for several later plays and movies. Ever since Cyrano has become the quintessential lover who discovers his own deep love while acting as an intermediary for a friend, then loses his own love as a result.

Our play is set in an era of Franco-Spanish tussles over their northern border 1640-55. Cyrano’s unnaturally long nose leaves him feeling he is unattractive to women. Tom Evans plays him as tall, intelligent and personable, both a poet and writer. (Special congratulations to Patrick Earl and Tanya Dwyer, the sculptors of his convincing nose.) He proves his skill with a rapier in a first act challenge with the Vicomte de Valvert when Cyrano boasts he can compose a ballade (four stanzas, eight lines each, and a final four-line stanza) while they duel  with rapiers. Cyrano adds he will wound Valvert on the final line. He does! There is much sword play in the production: credit to Master of Arms, Gary Worsfield and Jonathan Collins.

Joshua Byrd as nobleman Christian de Neuvillette, smitten by Cyrano’s distant cousin Roxanne, creates a character strong enough to attract us to his cause, despite Cyrano acting as intermediary for his speech and letters with Roxanne (Simone-Maree Dixon).

Of course it ends in tragedy – every story like this style does. Director Gary Kliger held the big cast together and arranged a big hankie-finale.

Jay McKee