“Why do we keep telling the old stories?” asks the titular character of Virginia Gay’s adaptation. Why indeed, the audience wonders. Within the next 80 minutes, we get to see something spectacular — the story of Cyrano de Bergerac as it’s never been told before.
Virginia Gay, as Cyrano, is captivating
It starts in a theatre. So far, so true to the original play by Edmond Rostand, but that is possibly both the beginning and end of any similarity. Instead, Gay plays with the original concept in an entirely fresh and creative way. With the help of her Greek (well, French) chorus, Cyrano attempts to question the plot, the characters and even the audience about what, how, and why the story should develop.
From the minute we walk into the Traverse and are seated by the characters themselves, we feel part of the production in a very unique and intimate way — helping to make decisions about how the plot develops, conspiring with one character and deceiving another, and even taking part in a surprise party. We feel guilty when Christian accuses us of using him for comic effect and uneasy about taking part in the catfishing trickery that Roxanne later uncovers. We are not the villains of the story, but we are also not innocent bystanders.
Virginia Gay, as Cyrano, is captivating. She is passionate and pleading, seducing Roxanne (and the rest of us) with her “wordsmithery” and lust for language. Although she is the stand-out, every member of the cast seems perfectly suited to their role, particularly David Tarkenter’s turn as the wry and sardonic Chorus #2, who is keen, at first, to keep the story in sync with the original.
Yes it starts, and ends in a theatre, but that is where the similarities end. Gay is determined to give us something new and original, proving that there is value in telling the old stories, so long as you write them on a fresh page.
