Cyrano de Bergerac plays its final performance on Broadway
The Broadway revival of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, translated and adapted by Anthony Burgess, plays its final performance on 6 Jan 2008. When the show closes it will have played 21 previews and 55 regular performances.
Cyrano de Bergerac opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on the 1 Nov 2007, following previews from the 12 Oct 2007. The show, which was originally scheduled to play a strictly limited engagement through to 23 Dec 2007, extended its run by two weeks.
The extension was necessitated by the production losing three weeks of performances during the recent strike by Broadway's playhands. When the strike ended on 28 Nov 2007, ticket demand soared as ticket holders from the cancelled performances sought to reschedule. The extenion allowed those ticket holders who lost out during the strike another opportunity to see the limited engagement.
The soulful poet/philosopher and brilliant swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac, a cadet in the French Army, falls for the beautiful, strong-willed Roxane, but is too ashamed of his large nose to tell her. Instead, when he learns that she loves the handsome Christian de Neuvillette, his dim-witted comrade, he pens poetry and love letters to Roxane on Christian's behalf. After many years, the truth is revealed. Will loveor beauty conquer all?
The play opened to mixed reviews: "A double shot of silvery hokum, sweet but surprisingly potent" (New York Times); "Needs more than a nose job. It's in need of a heart transplant." (New York Daily News); "I don't think I've ever seen a more casually enervated production of it." (New York Post); "An old-fashioned treat this Broadway season!" (Star-Ledger); "It looks expensive, and it feels cheap." (New York Sun); "It's all a little tame and sober." (Variety); "A marvelous production, and Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner breathe new life into this timeless story." (New York Theatre Guide).
Directed by David Leveaux, Cyrano de Bergerac features Kevin Kline (Cyrano), Jennifer Garner (Roxane), Daniel Sunjata (Christian), Euan Morton (Ligniere), Max Baker (Ragueneau), Chris Sarandon (Comte de Guiche), John Douglas Thompson (Le Bret), Concetta Tomei (Roxane's 'Duenna'), Tom Bloom (Montfleury), Peter Jay Fernandez (Carbon de Castel-Jaloux), MacIntyre Dixon (Jodelet) and Carman Lacivita (Vicomte de Valvert).
The show features scenic design by Tom Pye, costume design by Gregory Gale, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by David Van Tiegham (Doubt).
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