Cyrano De Bergerac

The fashion in French theater at the time it was written was simple domestic drama: husbands and wives and their various conflicts. This play exploded on the scene and there was extremely strong public reaction. (I think there may even have been riots.)

For modern American audiences, I must confess, it's a pretty long haul. Even with some judicious cutting, it's tough to get the thing down close to three hours. But what a ride! Poetry, fight scenes, comedy, tears...it's just incredible.

In all the plays I've done, I've never done one that comes so close to, literally, the meaning of life. Why are we here? What makes human beings act the way they do? Why do people try things that are clearly impossible? It's all in there.

I knew someone in college who gave this paperback edition to everyone he knew as a gift, because it spoke so strongly to him.

Looking back on it now, I'm amazed that I was able to memorize all the text, because I'm convinced that this is the longest role in Western theater...longer than Hamlet, I think.

Hooker's translation has been called the greatest translation of poetry ever, and while I'm not a poetry student, I can agree. Squishing the 6-foot French lines into 5-foot English lines and still retaining the dramatic flow must have been a daunting task.

Anyway, it's the greatest play I have ever seen, read or performed.


L'indice d'un homme bon, courtois, spirituel...   November 20, 2001
Esquire (PA, USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

My rating is for the play; I've only glanced at the English translation. I'm not too sure if this play should really be called "An heroic comedy", I find it more to be a tragedy. A play of tragic unrequited love, sacrifice, courage and charm, with some amusing moments, for instance when members of the aristocracy and others are made to look foolish compared to the wit and heart of Cyrano, or the scene where Christian and Cyrano meet for the first time.
Cyrano was a real French poet of the 17th century. A bit of knowledge about his time helps to appreciate the play...for instance, one of the reasons why Christian feels unable to speak to Roxanne with his own words is because she was part of that fashionable trend amongst certain ladies of society called "les precieuses" (ridiculed by Moliere) characterized by an overblown admiration of fancy talk, excessive romantic sensibility, and intellectual posturing. Christian, a man of perhaps more basic passions and few words with women, but in no way a dummy (see his wit when meeting Cyrano), rightly felt inhibited before the precious Roxanne.
"Cyrano" was written at the end of the 19th century, is neo-romantic in style and one of the last French plays to be written in verse rather than prose. The charming, witty and poetic ryhme of its verse, which fully develops each of the characters in keeping with the play's romantic theme, is what makes it so wonderful. It is like a poem. In translation the play therefore loses much of its grace and beauty.
The play has been filmed a few times. Skip the Steve Martin "Roxanne" movie (very loosely based on the play) and see the real thing: "Cyrano de Bergerac" directed by J.P. Rappeneau with G. Depardieu in the leading role. Both the film and Depardieu are absolutely fantastic and very true to the play. The lines in the film follow (excepting one or two pages) the original lines of the play.


Meet an extraordinary character. . .   April 18, 2000
M. Tidman (nowhere in particular)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Cyrano is, and has been for many years, my favorite play. I've read two translations and am planning to read a third soon. In Cyrano, Rostand has created a character I and many others can empathize with. If you're reading Cyrano for the first time, I would reccommend Bair's translation, as it has been rendered into more modern English. However, Hooker's translation often captures the beauty and poetry of the language, whereas Bair is more prosaic. I highly reccommend reading this book, and if you can see it performed somewhere, you're in for a real treat. "Philosopher, scientist, poet, swordsman, musician, aerial traveler, maker of sharp retorts, and lover. . ." I hope that you enjoy making Cyrano's acquaintance as much as I have!


A useful and enjoyable literal translation   January 13, 2000
Eric Merrill Budd (Jamaica Plain, MA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Lowell Bair's translation of "Cyrano de Bergerac" is done by discrding the rhyme and meter of the original for a simpler prose translation. Even the duel ballade of Act I and the Gascon Cadets' introductory triolet are reworked into blank verse. Bair makes the play accessible and provides a fresh, delightful version. My only criticism is that he has thrown out the baby with the bathwater, diluting the poetry of the original in the process. Still, most readers will find it an enjoyable read, and Cyrano scholars like myself will appreciate the usefulness of his approach.