Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand follows a gifted poet in Paris, in 1640 as he falls in love with a beautiful heiress named Roxane who has a deep affection for poetry and words. Believing himself to be too ugly to love, and in a move Shakespeare would’ve adored, Cyrano disguises himself behind the brutish but handsome Christian. He writes love letters to his beloved, accrediting their angelic and clever lines to Christian, but as it always goes in tragedies, this fallacy is found out by Roxane too late.
This version of Cyrano is a gender flipped take on a tragic love story. Gender-flipping is not a new concept when adapting literary classics, especially to those who frequent the Royal Shakespeare Company program (their brilliant gender-flipped Taming of the Shrew in 2019 immediately comes to mind). It’s a tool that can offer a different lens through which to read the classics, and possibly understand some of the timeless themes’ we audiences are still grappling with today. Gay’s Cyrano does exactly that.
Full of fun, romance and joy, this queer take had me laughing, then crying, then laughing and crying at once. It was so refreshing to see a queer love story on the Scottish stage that was not laced with tragedy and pain but saw queer people as more than just the headlines that for so long have been thought to be the way to get bums on seats.
The ensemble is impeccable with its comedic timing and delighted the audience, even during the moments of pathos, especially David Tarkenter whose pompous Chorus Member Number Two left me in stitches. Brandon Grace delivers a layered portrayal of a dense Christian. Jessica Whitehurst as the strong willed and romantically inclined Roxane is simply gorgeous. And to Virginia Gay, the writer of this masterpiece… I wonder in how many sentences I could say thank you?
Cyrano was an absolute delight, in all its moving parts and it has not only enthralled me, but also deeply moved me. It is one of my must-see shows at this year’s fringe.
Cyrano is on at the Traverse until 25 August at various times.
Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Traverse Theatre press release.
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