Ottawa: Cyrano de Bergerac at Gladstone Theatre on February 18




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Not all love stories are romantic comedies where everything turns out alright at the end. Indeed, some of the better ones end rather tragically. Of these, the best of all reach that end by the lighthearted path of comedy.

Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, set in seventeenth-century France, tells the story of two men—Cyrano de Bergerac (Richard Gélinas) and Christian (Warren Bain)—in love with the same woman—Roxane (Élise Gauthier), Cyrano’s cousin. Although she is all but bound to marry someone else by the Count de Guiche (Chris McLeod) who also desires her, the young Christian has caught her eye. While physically attractive, however, he lacks the wit to woo her in the manner she expects. Cyrano, despairing of wooing her himself due to his immense, disfiguring nose (designed by Zach Counsil) with which he is cursed, writes the love letters to Roxane which Christian presents as his own. She thus falls in love with Christian in a case of intentional mistaken identity. Even then, jealousy and intrigue complicate matters further.

Rostand’s play, in the original French, was in verse; David Whiteley’s translation blends an academic devotion to the preservation of the verse form with a knack for rendering the language in as modern and familiar a fashion as possible. The result is dialogue that, while clearly recognizable as verse, flows as freely as natural speech. Whiteley has the ability to subtly slide in the occasional anachronistic reference for comic effect without breaking the spell.

It’s hard to believe this is a two-and-a-half–hour, five-act play (although I would recommend opting for a coffee at intermission), thanks to the sharp pacing and consistent action. Within moments of the lights coming up, rapiers are drawn, and convincing, well-choreographed swordplay continues—alternating with moments of slapstick—throughout the play until the final moment.

Aside from the main characters, the cast is rounded out by faces familiar to Ottawa audiences—Katie Bunting, Zach Counsil, Robin Guy, Tim Oberholzer, and Garret Quirk—and the less-familiar Scott Humphrey, playing multiple roles, as well as Stewart Matthews as Le Bret and Chris Ralph as Ragueneau. Each brings their characteristic skill to what, though relatively minor, are no less demanding roles. Roxane is somewhat of an atypical female character for the time, possessed of her own will despite the constraints of society and her station, and Gauthier brings alive the coquettish guile that makes her memorable. Bain (whom I didn’t realize until I read the program that I had last seen on stage at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto as half of comedy duo Bain & Bernard) invests Christian with the comic, earnest physicality necessary to balance Gélinas, whose Cyrano is the focal point of every scene. For his part, Gélinas is once again brilliant in portraying one of literature’s most enduring and endearing romantic archetypes. On opening night at least, McLeod’s performance and command of his lines seemed weak; noticeable, but not to the detriment of the production as a whole.

Nancy Solman’s stylized set, a constant visual reminder of the letters written by Cyrano, highlights her flair as a scenic artist and serves well as an unmoving backdrop for the diverse locations which would otherwise require unaffordably lengthy set changes. As a counterpoint, John Solman’s lighting is called upon to change often, so much of the action depending on the interplay between darkness and light. The combined effect is to throw the actors into stark relief, much more vividly than any detailed period set could do.

Cyrano de Bergerac is a perfect Valentine’s Day play—especially recommended for those whose partners are reluctant to take the next step; whether that be marriage, saying “I love you,” or simply answering e-mails.

Cyrano de Bergerac plays at the Gladstone Theatre (910 Gladstone) until February 18. Tickets are $39 for adults, $34 for senior (65+), and $23 for student/artist/unwaged.

Internet site reference: http://www.apt613.ca


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