Cyrano De Bergerac
Quintessence Theatre
7137 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia
Oct. 5, 2024
A name already shrouded in mystique and mythology — Roxanne — arrives on stage in a gorgeous gown while up-tempo club music blares, the lights flash pink and purple as she vogues stiffly.
That was my introduction to Alex Burns’ adaptation of the 19th century play Cyrano De Bergerac, currently showing at Quintessence Theatre. The modernization of the original catfish plot line brings new life to an old script, using fresh humor and flashy visuals to transpose complicated characters into the modern age without watering down the story’s words.
Before the audience even has a chance to meet the play’s namesake, Roxanne — the romantic interest — introduces her audience to a unique version of a story about love and deceit in a changing world, with a modern woman at its core.
Three characters — Cyrano, Roxanne, and Christian — find themselves in a messy love triangle where the famously long-nosed and ugly Cyrano writes letters for the unattainable Roxanne that Christian, her handsome but romance-lacking suitor, passes off as his own.
Written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand, the tale of Cyrano is one you might already know, given that modern media is saturated with retellings of Cyrano’s deceit. It goes something like this: A man pretends to be someone he isn’t to win a woman’s heart of a shallow woman, proving that love really is blind. I have seen this version of the story played out in cartoons and one-note rom coms alike.
However, the trope’s origins are more complex than most current recreations. Instead of a love-is-blind fairytale, we get a horrific tragedy — one where the characters’ motives are understandable, but ultimately unforgivable.
Still, what stood out to me off the bat was this adaption’s sense of humor. The play was originally written in French so I can’t speak to how this production compares to the original, but I was immediately swept up in this rendition’s world of wit. There were multiple instances when ensemble actors stole the spotlight and had me laughing out loud with their raucous physical comedy.
Although Cyrano is described as having the quickest wit and sharpest humor, I was smitten with the overconfident grin Christian kept giving the audience after making below average quips. Roxanne is an educated woman with a intellect that she uses to cut down men swiftly and incisively, and her charisma on stage was unmatched. De Guiche had some fantastic comedic lines, like “that cunt was me,” and “I ate my toothpaste.”
I’m often critical of modernizations of classic shows. They can too easily feel like the director is selling out by trying to accommodate the audience’s tastes and expectations. But Burns succeeded at generating 21st century jokes and visuals that make the characters relatable without flattening the implications of their actions.
However, I wondered if the audience was fully following along when the play shifted tone in the fourth act. That’s when the men are sent off to war — and the web of lies that Christian and Cyrano have spun starts to unravel.
When Roxanne realizes she has been deceived, she said something that is still ringing in my ear: “Have I loved two men or none at all?”
Christian, who has been lying about writing the letters Cyrano penned, reaches the same conclusion. Through his lies, he’s failed to know and love the woman he’s desperately pursued.
Moments before Christian dies in battle, he asks Cyrano: “Is there a world where two men can live as one?” The question hangs in the air before Christian leans into Cyrano and the two men kiss — another modern addition.
This was the moment where the modernization’s reception was fumbled. When Christian pushed Cyrano away and said solemnly under his breath, “No,” the audience around me laughed. I, on the other hand, did not read this as a joke. I doubt it was meant to be one either; Christian was somber, and his “no” was not comic relief but confirmation of the grim reality of his situation. In the end, Cyrano also dies, never able to reconcile his desire to be the perfect protagonist or hero with the reality of his choices.
For the most part, I think the playful nature of the staging was an effective tool for connecting the audience to a classical script. Present-day cultural references and artistic techniques assisted in shedding light on the sensibilities of the play’s secondary characters, like Roxanne, whose flashy pink spotlight gave her character new charisma and depth. Throughout the play, she was honest with her actions, not just her words. Before Cyrano dies in the final act he does manage to declare one truth about Roxanne, asserting that “she was the one swinging the stick” in his place all along.
NEXT:
Cyrano De Bergerac is playing through the end of October at Quintessence. Tickets can be bought here.
