Cyrano de Bergerac

[smallhobbit]

I think James McAvoy is a great stage actor, and have done since I saw him in Three Days of Rain eleven years ago.  So I really wanted to see him in Cyrano, but the ticket prices were expensive, and I couldn't justify the cost once I'd added on the travel.  But then, when I knew I was coming up to see Uncle Vanya I decided if I was in London anyway I might as well get a ticket.  So £37.50 for a ticket in the Upper Circle with a restricted view.  However, for some reason I received an email saying I was being upgraded to a seat where I'd have a proper view, and I ended up in the Royal Circle (one tier down) in what I worked out was a £67.50 seat, so that was a plus.

This is a new version of Edmond Rostand's play, produced by Martin Crimp.  The language is very modern, as are many of the ideas, but there's still a lot of rhyming and poetry, although in a hiphop style.  The set is also very sparse, and although the action is in 1640 the characters wear modern clothing.  It works very well.  I didn't know the original play, but enjoyed what I saw - maybe if I'd known the plot I'd have been disappointed in the updated version, but as it was I generally enjoyed it.

But, although it is a play about words and the use of words, sometimes it felt too wordy and I don't think I was alone if the occasional creaky of seats from the audience around me was any judge.  I also felt the character of Roxane didn't entirely work, or maybe she was simply too self-absorbed for me to care about her.

In the end, it was James McAvoy's play, and he was brilliant - totally convincing, with a great range of emotions.  He was able to use his native Scottish accent as well, which was another plus, so I'm very glad I got to see him again.

Comments

[debriswoman]

And another good production for you :-)

[smallhobbit]

Yes - I'm glad I saw it (but equally glad I didn't have to make a special journey).

[out_there]

Oh, that's great luck with the ticket prices/upgrade!

[smallhobbit]

As you can imagine, I was very pleased :)

[aome]

How lucky for you, not only that you got to see it, but that you got a free upgrade, as well! Bummer that the play overall didn't quite work, but I'm glad James McAvoy's performance was all you hoped it would be. :-)

[rachelindeed]

That sounds so neat! I love James McAvoy on film and am happy to hear he's terrific on stage. The only modernized Cyrano I've ever seen was Steve Martin's 1980s comedy Roxanne, but I have read the play in translation and I'm very fond of it. Gerard Depardieu did a nice film version in French, too, which I liked when I was a teenager :)

[corvidology]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the performance. I don't think the character of Roxane ever really works in that play.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, I was very pleased. And Mcavoy really was excellent.

[smallhobbit]

I think he's a great stage actor, so I was delighted to get to see him again.

This was a very different version of Cyrano, which I suspect I may have liked more than the original.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. That's interesting, I wondered whether it was just the interpretation but I can see it might not.

[rusty_armour]

I'm glad you enjoyed the play -- and James McAvoy's performance in particular. It's wonderful that you got a seat upgrade and were able to sit in the Royal Circle.

I really like the original play, so I'm not sure how I'd feel about this new version. I guess if the original story is basically still intact, I'd probably be okay with it. I can understand the logic of updating the language for a modern audience. I mean, Roxanne is seduced by Cyranno's language, so the words have to be something people in 2020 could relate to, I suppose.

[smallhobbit]

That was indeed all good.

There was no actual duelling, just a battle of words, so it was less active than the original. For me the modern language helped, and, given the subject matter, worked. I'm not sure how I'd have felt if I'd already known the story.