Great Play by a Long Nose (Cyrano De Bergerac - Edmond Rostand, Christopher Fry (Translator))

Member Name: wyrdsister

Product:	Cyrano De Bergerac - Edmond Rostand, Christopher Fry (Translator)
Date:	06/01/02 (235 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Love, Action, Humour

Disadvantages: playtexts can be expensive

Cyrano de Bergerac must be one of my favourite plays. It also is without a doubt Rostand’s best known work (in English at any rate). The play is based on a 17th century French writer and playwright notorious for his many duels and escapades as well as a famous nose. His name? Savinien, Cyrano de Bergerac. Oh yes, there was such a man. His works and poetic prose are even considered to be the precursors to modern science fiction. The play itself is not a factual account of his life but Edmond Rostand certainly drew on the real Bergerac to produce this larger than life tragic hero.

The first act serves to introduce the audience to the central characters and the world they live in, 17th century France in all it’s splendour and frivolity, with the hints of intrigues and secret plots. A play is about to begin and the flavour of the period is acted out on the stage: pageboys playing pranks, important people looking important, musketeers play fighting, and all, on and off stage, are waiting for the entertainment to begin. That is to say, they are waiting for Cyrano, the brash, witty and notorious Gascon, to make his entrance: Cyrano has forbidden Montfleury, the leading man, to appear on stage for a month for being an appalling actor. As the ban is not yet lifted, there is a certain amount of anticipation to see whether Bergerac would indeed show himself tonight to confront Montfleury.

Cyrano’s entrance and his reactions provides us with an inkling of his flamboyant personality and we are later invited to see him in action, humiliating both verbally and physically a Viscount who had the audacity to make unworthy remarks about his nose (a potentially fatal mistake). Cyrano thus performs the part of himself for his adoring audience, leaving them excited, good humoured and content with an good night’s entertainment.

With the crowd leaving, we discover the inner side of Cyrano: a poor, insecure man, whose dislike of himself
and his famous nose forbid him to consider expressing his feelings for the woman he truly loves: his cousin Roxanne. When his confident Le Bret is let in on this painful secret, he urges him to talk to her but Cyrano, scared of being rejected and laughed at, refuses. He sees himself as a grotesque and ridiculous caricature unworthy of her love.

When Roxanne arranges a secret meeting with him, Cyrano is overjoyed and full of hope. Roxanne however delivers a painful blow when she announces than she is in love with Christian, a young Baron recently come to Paris to join the same army regiment as her well-loved cousin. Cyrano is devastated but promises to help and protect Christian for her sake.

The meeting of the two rivals is hilarious. Christian, the new recruit, proceeds to insult Cyrano as he tells his regimental company of his latest exploit. Cyrano, first enraged, then calms down upon discovering the identity of this new comer, to the astonishment of the company. After a few more insults from Christian, Cyrano burst out in anger and clears the room. Christian, expecting a fight is surprised when Cyrano suddenly shakes his hand and tells him that Roxanne is expecting to hear from him. There comes the revelation that Christian is not gifted with words and knowing of Roxanne’s love of wit and poetry, Cyrano proposes that he should tell Christian what to say to court her.

This unconventional collaboration of Christian’s beauty and of Cyrano’s mind leads us to the famous balcony scene where Cyrano, tired of whispering to Christian, suddenly takes over and finally tells Roxanne of his love for her…in Christian’s name. This scene, a key moment in the story, is truly fabulous. It is funny and very touching of course as Cyrano, having expressed with passion his love and feelings is left in the shadows whilst Christian climbs up to the window to kiss Roxanne. Cyrano then arranges for Roxanne and Christian to be mar
ried and in doing so annoys his other rival De Guiche. Just as the happy couple emerge, Cyrano and Christian are sent to war against the Spaniards.

Cyrano promises Roxanne that Christian would write to her. He, of course, will be the author. But soon Christian realises Cyrano’s letters tell of true feelings and on learning of his deception, wants to confront Roxanne with the truth. Cyrano is terrified. And when Roxanne suddenly arrives, prompted by the passionate letters, the moment of reckoning is at end.

Now, I don’t really want to say too much more for those who haven’t yet read or seen it. But I certainly recommend this play. The translation by Christopher Fry is excellent and it is easy to forgive any little quirks. Of course the play reads better in its original language as it usually does. Still, it works quite well in English and the translation does not hinder its power or our enjoyment.

It is a wonderful work, typical of the romantic era where it was written. I believe that some plays, like most Shakespeare, are better and easier to understand on paper, Cyrano de Bergerac however is an actor’s play and its strength is better appreciated on a stage. If you can, go and see it or alternatively there is an excellent movie version with Gerard Depardieu and Vincent Perez.

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