There is little more satisfying than falling under the spell of a theatre production that is both entertaining and emotionally resonant. This new version of Cyrano de Bergerac, led by Adrian Lester in the title role, delivers both in abundance. Director Simon Evans, who has co-written this new adaptation with Debris Stevenson, updates Edmond Rostand’s original with contemporary language – F-bombs and all – while preserving the play’s heart. The action unfolds simultaneously in seventeenth-century France and within the world of theatre, itself. The result feels fresh without sacrificing the play’s romantic spirit, and the superb cast performs with confidence, wit and panache.
As Cyrano, Adrian Lester hits every note exactly right, moving nimbly between swashbuckling bravado, poetic lyricism and heartbreaking vulnerability. Evans, Stevenson and the cast fashion a production that revels in its own self-conscious stagecraft, extracting every ounce of pleasure from its jokes, visual gags and verbal sparring. But for all its wit and invention, the play never loses sight of the aching love story at its centre. Beneath Cyrano’s dazzling eloquence lies a man tormented by the belief that the one thing he truly desires can never be his, and the production allows that quiet sorrow to deepen almost imperceptibly until it becomes overwhelming.
The story is familiar. Cyrano, a cadet in the French army, is fiercely intelligent and eloquent, but his oversized nose leaves him permanently on the defensive, quick to draw his rapier whenever it is mocked. He is hopelessly in love with Roxanne (a mesmerising Susannah Fielding), whose affections have settled on the handsome but tongue-tied Christian (Levi Brown). Cyrano becomes Christian’s ghostwriter, supplying the poetry that Christian cannot find for himself. The play poses a simple but poignant question: has Roxanne fallen in love with Christian, or with Cyrano’s words?
All three leads are superb. Lester’s emotional generosity anchors the production, Brown brings warmth and comic innocence to Christian, and Fielding charts Roxanne’s journey from spirited young woman to someone devastated by the loss of a love she almost grasped. The production is peppered with delightful in-jokes, particularly Cyrano mischievous mimicking of Christian’s rural accent.
The supporting cast and the musicians whom Cyrano explains he won in a wager are equally delightful. Christian Patterson, in an expanded role as the baker Ragueneau, becomes one of the evening’s emotional touchstones, giving a performance that is both deeply funny and quietly moving. Philip Cumbus also brings confident authority to Cyrano’s loyal friend Le Bret; Greer Dale-Foulkes wrings every comic drop from her role as Roxanne’s friend, Abigail. The occasional appearance of a silent young Cyrano lends an unexpected poignancy, culminating in his final summons at Cyrano’s moment of death. It is a well-judged device that reminds us of the fleeting fragility of life itself.
The inventive set and playful lighting continually remind us that we are inside a theatre. Scene changes happen in full view, while actors spill into the aisles, occupy the side boxes and make use of the entire auditorium, drawing the audience into the action rather than merely presenting it.
By the final scene the laughter has quietly given way to something much more moving, as Roxanne finally understands the truth too late. For all its wit, invention and theatrical flair, this production never loses sight of the tragic love story at its heart. It is a richly entertaining evening, perfectly marrying profound emotion with exhilarating theatricality.
By: Edmond Rostand
New version by: Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson
Directed by: Simon Evans
Set and Costume Design by: Grace Smaart
Cast includes: Adrian Lester, Susannah Fielding, Levi Brown, Pilip Cumbus, Greer Dale-Foulkes, Christian Patterson
Running time: 3 hours, including 1 interval.
Booking until: 5 September
Photo Credit: Marc Brenner