Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. The play is a fictionalisation following the broad outlines of Cyrano de Bergerac's life.
The entire play is written in verse, in rhyming couplets of twelve syllables per line, very close to the classical alexandrine form, but the verses sometimes lack a caesura. It is also meticulously researched, down to the names of the members of the Académie française and the dames précieuses glimpsed before the performance in the first scene.
The play has been translated and performed many times, and it is responsible for introducing the word panache into the English language.The character of Cyrano himself makes reference to "my panache" in the play. The most famous English translations are those by Brian Hooker, Anthony Burgess, and Louis Untermeyer.
Summary:
Hercule Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, a cadet (nobleman serving as a soldier) in the French Army, is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being a remarkable duelist, he is a gifted, joyful poet and is also a musical artist. However, he has an obnoxiously large nose, which causes him to doubt himself.
This doubt prevents him from expressing his love for his distant cousin, the beautiful and intellectual Roxane, as he believes that his ugliness would prevent him the "dream of being loved by even an ugly woman."
The Play:
yrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Brian Hooker translation from the French
Directed and designed by JEFFREY STEGALL
Lighting Design by RICHARD STREETER
Sound Design by BOB JOHANSEN
with Original Music by DAVID RASBACH and KENON RENFROW
The Movie:
1950, USA
Director: Michael Gordon
Writers: Edmond Rostand, Brian Hooker
Stars: José Ferrer, Mala Powers, William Prince
Genre: Classics, Adventure, Drama, Romance
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