Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
Pasadena Playhouse
Through Sept. 29
RECOMMENDED
As Pasadena Playhouse celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, it kicks off its 2024-25 season with a terrific production of a modern retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, a fitting choice as the theater blends nostalgia with a contemporary vibe.
Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano has been produced thousands of times since it first opened in 1897 – including a 1925 staging at Pasadena Playhouse — and adapted countless times for stage and screen.
There’s something particularly compelling about Martin Crimp’s 2019 “free adaptation” of Cyrano. It “manages to be both a faithful interpretation while feeling like a completely new work,” as Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman puts it in his program notes. And the Playhouse brings star power to the stage with Chukwudi Iwuji in the title role.
Most people are familiar with the basic set-up: Cyrano is secretly in love with his cousin Roxane (Rosa Salazar) but is hobbled by an enormous nose that makes him feel that no woman could ever love him. When Roxane and the handsome but not-so-bright soldier Christian (Will Hochman) fall in love from afar, Roxane pleads with Cyrano – Christian’s commanding officer – to watch over Christian and make him write letters to her. Heartbroken but wanting to help his cousin, Cyrano agrees.
Both Roxane and Cyrano are in love with words, books and, in particular, poetry. In fact, Cyrano is an incredibly talented poet. Depending on the situation, his verse ranges from romantic to defiant to witty. What makes Cyrano so interesting is that while he is a poet, he is also a strong soldier and expert swordsman who vigorously defends his friends and his beliefs, which include a rebellious streak against France’s powerful ruling class. “I need their hate so I can create,” he declares.
Cyrano’s letters to Roxane, written on behalf of Christian, work their magic. Roxane is not only physically attracted to Christian but is captivated by the letters. Unwittingly, she has fallen in love with two men, thinking they are one. Meanwhile, Roxane is doing all she can to rebuff the advances of the sleazy De Guiche (Michael Nathanson), a member of the elite whose uncle is the powerful Cardinal Richelieu. Eventually, she succeeds, but in doing so she arouses the wrath of De Guiche, whose subsequent actions will have life changing consequences for all four players in this passionate entanglement.
Like the original, Crimp’s adaptation is written in (mostly rhyming) verse. It’s rich with humor (sometimes broad), cleverness, poignancy, passion. It takes on all kinds of subjects, including a poem recited by Madame Ragueneau (Kimberly Scott) on a battlefield that turns death into something beautiful.
The play, both in its original form and its adaptation, is probably weakest at its beginning. The opening scene – which is the build-up to a bad performance of Hamlet – is pointless. Cyrano makes his entrance – not as a warrior or a poet – but as a man bullying a theater into canceling a badly acted performance. Perhaps Rostand was indulging himself in being a theater critic? Or perhaps he thought the humor of the opening would get his audience’s juices flowing?
Modern references are made to the oppression of women (though Roxane is a strong and smart woman who, for example, uses her wits and guile to get out of marrying De Guiche), gender bending, political correctness, and more.
But it’s Cyrano himself – whether in the original or adapted script – that captures the audience’s heart. At once, he is a fierce warrior and a vulnerable man longing for a love he believes will always be out of reach. What is probably most fascinating is his complicated relationship to his nose. On the one hand, it is a source of pain. On the other, he pays homage to his strange snout with inventive verse.
Director Mike Donahue (whose credits include the critically acclaimed production of The Inheritance at the Geffen Playhouse) skillfully taps into the talents of the superb cast. He places the action on a simple set designed by Afsoon Pajoufar (reminiscent of his bare Inheritance set) with its bright green floor, cracked upstage wall and strong spotlights that shine into the audience. It’s an odd choice that sometimes is effective but, more often than not, puzzling.
Iwuji captures Cyrano’s many dimensions beautifully, with an actor’s accomplished skill and with reverence for the written word. Salazar is a commanding presence on stage as Roxane, blending vitality with wit. And Hochman as Christian is heartbreaking when he realizes that Roxane could never be in love with him, if only she knew the truth.
Costumes by Carolyn Mazuca make sense in the context of Crimp’s script – they are mostly generic, vaguely contemporary wear.
It’s no wonder that Pasadena Playhouse has won a Regional Theatre Tony Award. It consistently mounts top-notch productions of a wide variety of plays. Starting its 100th anniversary with Cyrano was a smart choice and – one hopes – bodes well for the rest of its season.
Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Wednesdays and Fridays, 8 pm; Thursdays, 7 pm; Saturdays, 2 pm and 8 pm; Sundays, 2 pm and Sunday, Sept. 29 at 7 pm; Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 pm. pasadenaplayhouse.org. Running time: Three hours, including intermission.
