Cyrano de Bergerac Review

“Duels, bitter rivalry and war to win the heart of his lady!”

Was delighted to be back at Putney Arts Theatre to see a performance of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The play has been adapted many times for film and theatre. This version is adapted by Glyn Maxwell a British poet, playwright, novelist, librettist and lecturer.

Directed by Stuart Watson, the play runs for about two hours and is fast-moving and highly entertaining throughout. The staging is minimalistic. The audience is split to two sides of the theatre giving a more immersive affect. The stage consists mainly of two pillars either side of the stage and some benches. There are minimal scene changes as it is as a doubles as a convent, a bakery, a battlefield, etc. so the focus is always on the actors performance and there is no loss of flow in the performance.

Set in 17th-century Paris, the charismatic swordsman-poet Cyrano (played by David Erdos) is celebrated throughout Paris for his prowess in battle, his wit and his flamboyant confidence. Erdos performance is engaging and daring throughout.

Cyrano is secretly in love with his cousin, the beautiful Roxane (played by Lizzie Iredale) but is afraid to admit his feelings to her for fear of rejection because of his massive nose. Roxane confesses to him her admiration for a handsome young nobleman Christian De Neuvillette (Rajeev Soni). Christian does not have the same “gift of the gab” that Cyrano has.

When Christian joins his regiment and confesses to him that he is attracted to Roxane, Cyrano seizes the opportunity to woo Roxane by proxy. First he succeeds in seducing her for Christian with his words when she is put off by Christian’s ineptness in seducing her. Then when Christian and Cyrano go to war, he writes (in Christian’s name) love letters to her every day expressing his love.

While Cyrano may emerge victorious through duels, bitter rivalry and war, winning the heart of Roxane, turns out to be a lot less straightforward