Far from being a traditional production, this new version of Cyrano de Bergerac by Martin Crimp at the Playhouse Theatre, directed by Jamie Lloyd, changes duels into rap battles.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a successful soldier and wordsmith, but due to his lack of self-esteem because of his enormous nose he is unable to confess his love for Roxane. Instead, he agrees to help a fellow soldier, Christian, to seduce Roxane and thereby express his love through another person.
James McAvoy was funny, charismatic and very moving as Cyrano, leading a diverse cast of talented performers. Tom Edden was an effective sexual predator as De Guiche and Anita-Joy Uwajeh was full of spark as Roxane, despite not always being a likeable character. I liked the way that the production showed how both her and Cyrano were treated differently because of their appearance; Cyrano because of his nose, and Roxane because of her beauty. She is very much a woman in a man’s world, and not always taken seriously because of her looks.
The stage was mostly bare, with just some steps, chairs and a mirror being used, and the actors used a mixture of hand and radio mics. This was used very effectively after the battle when a group of soldiers removed their radio mics in unison to convey their deaths – simple but it worked extremely well. McAvoy did not wear a prosthetic nose, but I didn’t feel that he needed to; Cyrano’s lack of self-confidence was evident without it.
Having read some reviews mentioning the use of rap, I wasn’t sure beforehand whether I would enjoy this production or the new version of the play. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong, The writing was innovative, modern and funny and the production itself was compelling, with plenty of humour and some heartbreak.
playsmanyparts 