A Plank Panel
Cyrano De Bergerac
By: Edmond Rostand
Translated and Adapted by James Fagan Tait
Arts Club Theatre Company
October 23- November 23,2008
The Plank Panel is:
Rachel Scott- Writer and general troublemaker. Nose is straight, small with a flare, and tilted slightly to the left.
Michael John Unger-Writer and performer with the sketch comedy troupe The Skinny. His nose would probably be described as medium to large, and has a tendency to bleed a lot.
Michael- One of the first things I noticed was James Fagan Tait’s translation’s use of modern English as well as the choice to have the actors speak in naturalistic voices. I knew that was going to be the case, and I think I heard a few gasps very early on when Cyrano asked why people were looking at his nose: “Is there shit on the end of it?” I enjoyed the modern language and applaud Tait for directing the actors to embrace it in their own voices. There’s nothing that will take me out of the moment more than a false accent or an actor sending up the words too much.
Rachel-Did you think the contemporary translation made the play more accessible?
Michael- I think it does because we’re thinking about the characters more than the actors delivering the characters’ lines. Tait did occasionally throw in some of his own jokes, which added a fresh flavor that I really enjoyed. David Mackay who played Cyrano really seemed to grasp Tait’s vision with the text and I wouldn’t be surprised if he added his own words for Cyrano along the way. That being said, I don’t think that all of actors got it like Mackay. Perhaps it’s more that Mackay had freer reign to take liberties with Tait’s text, but only when it served the purpose for a joke.
Rachel- I was initially very surprised by the text. Because Cyrano is all about poetic language, I was thrown off by how casual it was. At first I didn’t like that, but the pay off was that a lot of the modern jokes worked and the play was more accessible. However, the trade off failed during Cyrano’s first poem, “je touche,” where Cyrano composes a sonnet while fighting a duel. This scene is a highlight in the show, where Cyrano reveals his literary brilliance as well as his fighting skill. The power of the scene was missed because they made it into a musical number. The fight was stagey and unbelievable; the brilliance of the language was lost. I thought that making it a musical number was as unfortunate choice.
Michael- You’re right, that scene was neither threatening nor funny and they probably wanted it to be one or the other.
Rachel- I did like Joelysa Pankanea’s music, even though I didn’t always like how it was used. My other disappointment in the text was Cyrano’s dying line, in which he is talking about what he’ll take to heaven. In the original text and most translations, he says, “my panache.” But in this translation he says, “big white plume,” which is vague. I didn’t really know what that meant, and felt kind of lost in what should be a beautiful moment. In retrospect, it probably refers to the conspicuous feather in his hat that he wears during battle (symbolizing pride and courage) and it has the double entendre of referring to his writing quill, but it just doesn’t sum everything up the way that “my panache” does. Overall I liked some of the elements that came of out of the translation, like its humor and accessibility, but I felt Tait sacrificed some poetic moments.
Michael- Maybe he should have said schnoz. It would have gotten a laugh at least. Actually, one of the strengths of this show is the use of humor. In other shows that I’ve seen of Tait’s, he’s really known how to play the humor and this was no exception. Even in the last moments of the play, Cyrano gets a final laugh by referring to Christian as “the other guy.” As a whole I really enjoyed this production, especially the character of Cyrano. For me, Cyrano is best encapsulated in the balcony scene where he helps Christian woo Roxane, who he really pines for. People who don’t know the play might know that scene, and it really captures the tragedy of Cyrano. He’s got everything but the looks, but he’s so insecure that he’s got to use a good-looking idiot to actually tell her. So after that scene, which I feel is the heart of the story, things kind of trudge along till we finally get to the conclusion of the story: Christian dies, Roxane goes into perpetually mourning over the man she thought she fell in love with, and Cyrano stubbornly doesn’t say a thing. I guess my gripe with Rostand is the dreaded Second Act blues. Ultimately I think Cyrano is a great character, but not a great play. I really wanted to have a moment where I felt Cyrano changed; he’s a very boorish character to start and we gradually begin to like because we see how much he loves Roxane. However, the change in him never comes up in the play until his last words when he acknowledges how stupid he was.
Rachel- I think that the tragedy of Cyrano is that he doesn’t change. I don’t think he ever admits to being wrong. The only time that Cyrano can soften is when he reads through the mask of another man. Even in the final scene, he can’t really admit anything to Roxane. She discovers the truth when he reads his own letter to her. He sticks so steadfastly to his ideals that he even refuses love when it’s presented to him: that’s Cyrano. Every time I see this play it’s heartbreaking because his ideals and stubbornness cause so much suffering. But that stubbornness is also what makes him so lovable and noble. It’s his tragic flaw.
Michael- I will credit the play for having two lovable characters both vying for the love of Roxane. Usually one of the characters turns out to be a villain, but there really isn’t one in this play. Cyrano is really is his own antagonist.
Rachel- The play is unique because all the characters have something noble about them. I thought Kevin McDonald did a lovely job portraying Christian as “the other guy.” He had just the right amount of earnestness and objection to the situation. When he says, “I want to be loved for who I am,” he becomes more than just a pretty face; he becomes a complete person. Same thing with de Guiche; he’s the closest thing we have to a villain and even he turns out to be a noble guy who risks death in defending Roxane and fighting with the Gascognes. Great performances all around. Melissa Poll is a lovely Roxane, but I will say that there was something about this production that made her seem more superficial than usual. Perhaps it was because she was such a prominent spectator of Cyrano’s initial scene at the theatre and she seems like an idiot for not loving him more right away.
Michael- I thought the sets were really beautiful, Robert Gardiner as the set designer did a great job of creating the setting for this play.
Rachel- Yes, it was really evocative to use a scrim that had a lot of action behind it. The set played on the themes of “masks” in the play, of what you can and can’t see in the characters.
Michael- I think overall people will be quite satisfied with this Cyrano. Aside from my few criticisms, I really enjoyed it.
Rachel- The cast was well rounded with Simon Bradbury as LeBret, and Tom Pickett as Ragueneau. Ultimately though, the show really hangs on David Mackay’s Cyrano. He did a great job making this translation come to life. He was understated, dry, and very funny. His Cyrano was earthier and less romantic than others I’ve seen, which I think is perfect for this contemporary version.
Michael- You’re right, this production really hangs on Mackay and he pulls it off admirably. He will ultimately get credit along with Tait for the success of this Arts Club Presentation.