Cyrano De Bergerac

Playing at the American Airline Theatre located at 227 West 42nd street. It runs two hours thirty minutes with one intermission. The play is schedule to run until November 25, 2012.

Douglas Hodge made his Broadway debut in La Cage Aux Folles. He won a Tony, Drama Desk, Olivier and Outer Critics Award for this role.

The play was written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand in French.

The longest running Broadway production ran 232 performances in 1923 and starred Walter Hampton. He returned to the role on Broadway in 1926, 1928, 1930 and 1936. In 1946 Hampton passed the torch to Jose Ferrer who won a Tony Award for his performance. Other notable English speaking Cyrano's were Ralph Richardson, Richard Chamberlain and Christopher Plummer. Christopher won a Tony Award in 1973 for the musical adaptation. In 2007 Kevin Kline played the role with Jennifer Garner as Roxane.

The show takes place from 1640- 1655 in Paris and Arras.

The customers are lining up in the theatre of the Hotel Burgundy. Christian (Kyle Soller) expresses his love for Roxanne (Clemence Poesy) to a fellow cadet. Cyrano (Douglas Hodge) is banned from the theatre for a month. His friends Le Bret (Max Baker) and Ragueneau (Bill Buell) are waiting for him. Cyrano shows up and takes over the stage.

In the meantime Count de Guiche (Patrick Page) has his eyes on Roxanne. However he is married and wants to set up a marriage with Valvert (Samuel Roukin) as a means to for him to fool around with her.

Cyrano has a duel with Valvert wounding him. He also loves Roxanne but she loves Christian. She wants to be serenaded by Christian but he does not have a way with words. So Cyrano tells him what to say.

Roxanne and Christian marry but before he can go any further the Count in anger ships Christian off to war.

Cyrano promises Roxanne he will look after him however Christian is killed.

Roxanne goes to live in a convent. Cyrano has visited her every week for the past fourteen years. He tells her what is going on in the world. On his way to visit her he is injured when a log is dropped on his head. He dies in Roxanne arms as she discovers he is the one who has has written all the love letters she received from Christian.

I found it a little confusing in the beginning but when I realized what was going on it all fits in.

The play belongs Douglas Hodge. His duel with Samuel Roukin is wonderful and fun to watch. This is a well choreographed scene. Douglas is Cyrano with his really really long nose. Well it seemed that way in the upper mezzanine. Douglas is breathtaking. Did I hear a Tony nomination.

Max Baker and and Bill Buell do a job well done.

The only blemish was Cyrano's death scene, it was a little overdone at least to me.

This is a good production of Cyrano and is worth seeing. But it may not appeal to every one. Its not a modern version but a classic.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

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