A enduring masterwork with some of the wittiest lines ever written for the stage, Cyrano de Bergerac is a clever and touching story about the power of love, the art of wordplay and the joy of finding what you've always wanted right under your nose. Cyrano's a nobleman with a head for poetry and a nose for miles. All of Paris adores him except for his true love Roxanne, who can't see past his all-too-prominent facial feature. Instead, she falls for a handsome young cadet named Christian. But when Christian admits he's tongue-tied with Roxanne, Cyrano gives him the romantic words guaranteed to win her heart. With Christian's looks and Cyrano's language, it's a foolproof plan! Or is it?
Written by French poet-dramatist Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac wasfirst produced at the Theatre de la Porte Saint-Martin, Paris on December 28, 1897 and had an American premiere on Broadway at the Garden Theatre on October 3rd 1898.
Credit helmer Jamie Lloyd with an original concept for staging Rostand's 19th-century romantic drama. Ditching the affected manners, elaborate court dress, and elegant verse readings associated with classic presentations of this French masterpiece, the Brit director portrays Cyrano as a swashbuckling military leader with the same lusty appetites as his soldiers -- who happen to enjoy a good poetry contest as much as a tavern brawl. But a lack of restraint spoils the fun, making it all seem too big (Cyrano's honker), too much (stomping on tables), and over the top (Douglas Hodge's star turn).
Douglas Hodge is a kind and rather rough-hewn Cyrano. Alas, in most other ways, this is a busy, generic production...Page goes so far beyond the cardboard outlines of this villain that we wish the play were about Cyrano and him. The translation by Ranjit Bolt is unpleasantly fixed on exclamations of excrement. For a play about loving words and a hero for whom bad poetry is a fighting offense, this just feels wrong.
1898 | Broadway |
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1899 | Broadway |
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1900 | Broadway |
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1923 | Broadway |
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1926 | Broadway |
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1928 | Broadway |
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1932 | Broadway |
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1936 | Broadway |
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1946 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1953 | Broadway |
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1953 | Broadway |
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1968 | Broadway |
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1984 | Broadway |
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2007 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2012 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Production Broadway |
2019 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
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2013 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Soutra Gilmour |
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