Review of 'Cyrano'
Cyrano de Bergerac is a man for the ages. In Edmond Rostand's original play, he is a master of swordplay, wordplay, playwrighting, poetry, and philosophy. He is able to whisk away 100 attackers while choreographing the use of multiple swords and composing a Shakespearean style sonnet. Panache, you say! Yes! That word was taken into the English language directly from Rostand's play.
Cyrano was also known for his large nose. He would joke about it—
This nose, which shows up a full
Ten minutes before the rest of me,
Prevents me from being loved by even the
Plainest woman. And I have to fall
For the most exquisite.
—and he would war about it—carving up anyone so rash as to reference the epic probiscus. In Cyrano's mind, it is his nose that stands between him and the love of his life, Roxane. He can write the most lyrical and romantic letters to her, even praise her extempore (if he's standing in the dark, leaving her under the impression that it is someone else). But to her face, alas, Cyrano falters:
What hope can I have with this protuberance?
I have no illusions. Granted,
From time to time, I let down my guard:
In a garden, under a full spring moon,
Where April’s fragrance fills the air
And thrills this cursed nose of mine,
I’ll glimpse a lady’s sparkling eyes
In a moonbeam as she passes by me,
Arm-in-arm with her cavalier,
Both of them dreaming as they walk.
And for that moment, I’ll dream too,
Of a moonlit promenade like that,
A dainty arm encircling mine ...
And I exult, forget myself,
Enraptured by love’s siren call --
And then I glimpse the shadow of my
Profile on the garden wall.
For Stephen Weitz, who performs the title role, this is a milestone, having wanted to play Cyrano since he was nineteen, a couple of decades ago, and it's apparent in all the nuances and panache that he brings to the man and the myth. Translator Michael Hollinger's (Ghost-Writer, Opus) poetry and prose roll off Weitz's tongue as if he were taking joy in composing these lovely words on the spot, just as we imagine the larger-than-life Cyrano does it. And wowed we are!