RSC’s CYRANO DE BERGERAC to transfer to the West End
Photo credit: Matt Crockett for FEAST
It has been announced that Cyrano de Bergerac will transfer to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End from 13 June–5 September, following an acclaimed run at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon last year.
Director Simon Evans, co-adapts with Debris Stevenson, bringing new life to Edmond Rostand’s lyrical tale of love and lies, longing and disguise.
Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Company, Donmar Warehouse/West End; Othello, National Theatre) will reprise his celebrated performance as Cyrano alongside Susannah Fielding (The Merchant of Venice, RSC; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bridge Theatre) as Roxane, with further casting to be announced.
Adrian Lester said: “Simon Evans and I have been working on this project for years, well before the brilliant and incredibly supportive RSC collaborated with us to make it happen. I am so happy to be stepping back into the role of Cyrano in order to bring this playful and poignant production to more audiences in the West End. This fresh take on the classic is packed with the joyful lyricism of Simon and the amazing Debris Stevenson, whose poetry completely reinvented our approach to this classic. It is a wonderful show to be a part of, hilariously funny and desperately moving in equal parts. I feel very lucky to be a part of this great production."
Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson said: “Cyrano is a play about the courage it takes to say what you mean, plainly and bravely. Unashamedly funny and deeply moving in equal measure, we hope it’s an exploration of the absurd mess of human longing, a celebration of poetry that lives in the body, and an invitation for audiences to laugh, cry, and open their hearts.
“It has been a deeply collaborative and rewarding process for both of us, rooted in huge mutual respect and a shared love of language. At the heart of it all is Adrian Lester, whose extraordinary combination of gentleness, playfulness, and ferocity is utterly captivating. Watching him, alongside an exceptional company, share this play night after night is a genuine thrill. We’re incredibly proud to bring this production to the West End, and to share it with new audiences.”
Poet, soldier and philosopher. Cyrano de Bergerac burns with brilliance. He's fiercely funny and urgently romantic – but behind the veil of wit is one large problem: his nose.
Haunted by doubts and too proud to beg, he watches from the shadows as Roxane – bold, beautiful and seemingly unreachable – falls for another man, Christian. But this handsome, tongue-tied young suitor knows his only hope of charming Roxane is to seduce her with words. And only one person can help…
Completing the creative team are set and costume designer Grace Smart, lighting designer Joshie Harriette, composer Alex Baranowski, sound designer Donato Wharton, movement director Sarita Piotrowski, fight and intimacy director Bethan Clark, dramaturg Rebecca Latham for the RSC, and casting director Matthew Dewsbury CDG for the RSC.
Tickets for the West End run of Cyrano de Bergerac go on sale on 6 February at 10am here.
