CYRANO DE BERGERAC
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So Cyrano becomes a passionate go-between for Christian, Roxane’s poorly chosen lover, a hot-blooded, handsome, bashfully inarticulate Gascon warrior. In the most lyrical scene of this unashamedly romantic drama Cyrano woos Roxane in the dark while Christian, pouring out borrowed words, reaps the rewards of that ardor. Only later–when it’s too late for joy but not for regret–does Cyrano discover how much he was loved, for his beautiful soul.
At heart this is a fairy tale much like “Beauty and the Beast,” except that Cyrano expects no redemption–and of course he’s done nothing to deserve it. Allergic to rank and skeptical of fame, all this rebel owns is his “scrubbed liberty and ramrod independence” and his panache, the white plume of his broad-brimmed hat that’s the emblem of his freedom.
Nicely evoking different sides of Cyrano’s personality are Jeffrey Baldwin Gibson as his unctuous rival De Guiche and Michael Nash as his bluff soldier companion. The 17 supporting actors create a surging, tempestuous world.
