CHESTER THEATRE SET TO REVIVE CLASSIC CYRANO DE BERGERAC TALE

Final rehearsals are underway at a Chester theatre for the staging of a dynamic re-telling of the story of Cyrano De Bergerac.

Chester Little Theatre will stage the classic tale from Saturday 7^th November - Saturday 14^th November at 7.30pm. Written by Edmond Rostand and adapted by Glyn Maxwell, the production will be directed for Chester Little Theatre by Margaret Bennett. 

A classic 17th Century romance with plenty of comedy and action for good measure, the play tells the story of de Bergerac, a French army captain beloved by his Gascon cadets. He’s a strong-willed man of many talents; a remarkable duelist, and a gifted, poet and playwright. Though, because of his noticeable, large nose, he has doubts about himself, which prevents him from expressing his love for his distant cousin, the beautiful and intellectual Roxane. However, Roxane loves the newest cadet, Christian de Neuvillette, who is too tongue-tied to romance her. Cyrano famously writes love letters to Roxane pretending to be sent by Christian, even during a siege battle, risking his life to have them delivered, though they result in sad confusion.

Originally written by French playwright Rostand in 1897, the play includes elements of the life of the 17th-century novelist and playwright Cyrano de Bergerac, along with elements of invention and myth. The play has been translated and performed many times, and it is responsible for introducing the word panache into the English language. The character of Cyrano himself makes reference to "my panache" in the play. 

Speaking about the production, Margaret Bennett said:

"Though I’m not a great romance fan, the character of Cyrano is so loveable and sympathetic. This is a play I have thought about for many years. I’ve read and seen it many times, with Glyn Maxwell’s version being the one I preferred the most. This version was first performed July 2013 at The Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre in Chester, which I saw and it made me fall in love with Cyrano all over again. Originally, Rostand’s play has 33 characters, which Maxwell has pared down to 12 actors, a great challenge for the six actresses who play at least 5 roles each."

Full details of 'Cyrano de Bergerac' can be found at: 

www.chesterlittletheatre.co.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online. 

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