One of literature’s most famous love triangles will be brought to life in Northampton Royal and Derngate’s co-production with Northern Stage of Cyrano de Bergerac.
Northern Stage artistic director Lorne Campbell who directs Cyrano de Bergerac commented, “Cyrano is scaled up in every way, not just his nose, but his bravery and his vulnerability, his honour and his self-loathing, his soaring poetry and his profound inarticulacy.
“This is what I love about the play—it takes that ridiculous, deluded mess of a person we all carry around inside ourselves and lets them out onto the stage, bigger and better while also more absurd and crippled than we could ever be.”
Cyrano do Bergerac is a hero—first among men but totally lost among women. He is blessed with being brilliant at everything and cursed by having the biggest nose in France. He is hopelessly in love with Roxane but, afraid of confessing his love for fear of rejection, he becomes a protector and confidante.
Christian, a handsome cadet but not the sharpest sword in the armoury, catches Roxane’s eye and she begs Cyrano to keep him safe. With his heart breaking, Cyrano sets about using his unequalled skill as a poet to write ravishing love letters between the two, with convoluted consequences.
Nigel Barrett, whose credits include Richard III – An Arab Tragedy for Royal Shakespeare Company and The Passion in which he played John the Baptist alongside Michael Sheen, takes the role of Cyrano.
Cath Whitefield who plays Roxane appeared in Nick Payne’s version of Sophocles’ Electra at The Gate in Notting Hill in 2011 and took the role of Bianca in Othello for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2008.
Chris Jared whose credits include All’s Well That Ends Well and Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company completes the love triangle as Christian.
The cast also includes John Paul Connolly as Le Bret and Ligniere, George Potts as De Guiche and Rageneau, Sian Armstrong, Samantha Bell, Kylie Ann Ford, Sisley Henning, Matt Howdon and James Hunter.
Designer is Jean Chan, lighting designer Tim Lutkin, sound designer Alasdair Mcrae, voice director Ros Steen, movement director Liv Lorent and assistant director Rebecca Frecknall.
Anthony Burgess’s translation of Edmund Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac takes to the Northampton Royal stage from Friday 3 until Saturday 25 April before transferring to Newcastle.