When I was a kid, I watched the movie, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” starring Jose Ferrer, on television many times. The original play by Edmond Rostand, written in 1897, is the story of a brilliant 17th century swordsman who is in love with the beautiful Roxanne, but is shunned by all because of his huge nose. It was most entertaining. I even read the play. Quintessence Theatre is presenting the classic to begin its 15th anniversary season. But it is not really the classic. Rather, it is “freely adapted” by Martin Crimp in 2019- very freely.
Like the original, it takes place in Paris in 1640. But the costumes, the language, and the events are deliberately moved about to give it a universal setting. What remains constant is the feeling of each of the characters as they talk in rhyming verses like Rostand’s original tale but with modern terms, including curse words.
Cyrano is an intellectual. He writes. He reads. He recites. And his cousin Roxane is also very bright, also a reader. But she falls for the handsome Christian, not realizing that her cousin has a very serious crush on her. He never states his love to her- he feels ugly because of his nose, and he believes no one can love a man as ugly as he. While I enjoyed the story when as I was younger, I liked it even more now. I hurt for his being overlooked as a complex man whose beauty was much deeper than his physical appearance.
The play is about art, about love, about friendship, about power, about ego. We watch as Cyrano is threatened by a hundred swordsmen and how he defeats them. We see others who have more political power and how he tries to deal with it. But most of all, we watch as he comes to the support of Roxane in trying to protect Christian (at her request). He befriends this rival of his. And we painstakingly observe as Cyrano assists Christian in courting his cousin by writing romantic letters for him, to her to offset Christian’s awkwardness. In person, he has nothing intelligent to say despite Roxane’s pleading for more beautiful words. She doesn’t understand how he can be so simple-minded when he writes so beautifully.
The rhymes created by Rostand and Crimp are quite natural. They fit smoothly into the conversations and even add humor to the play. And J. Hernandez is superb as Cyrano. He is not some mythic figure, but a real person. From boasting one moment to painful anxiety and lying the next, we care about this man.
The cast around him is mostly strong. Tim Dugan as De Guiche, the nasty SOB who wants Roxane for himself, is menacing. And Janice Dardaris as Leila, also an intellectual, is very effective as the café owner who is a sounding board for Cyrano. I had problems with the portrayals of Christian and Roxane. Instead of playing it shy and awkward, Daniel Chase Miller plays him as rather stupid. As for Erica Lynn Bridge’s Roxane, though she is most beautiful, I never believed for a moment that she was the intellectual that Rostand and Crimp created. I didn’t feel the depth of the character.
Still, it’s wonderful to see this play back on stage, even with major alterations in setting, words, and style. Kudos to Quintessence and its founder and artistic director, Alex Burns (who also directed “Cyrano”) for keeping the classics alive.
“Cyrano de Bergerac” by Edmond Rostand, adapted by Martin Crimp at Quintessence Theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119, 215-987-4450, quintessencetheatre.org Thru October 20, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 