The Vancouver Plank Panel stick their noses into cyrano
Your Plank Panel going to battle:
Rachel Scott, writer and general troublemaker. Her nose is straight, small with a flare, and tilted slightly to the left.
Michael John Unger, writer and performer with the sketch comedy troupe The Skinny. His nose would probably be described as medium to large, and has a tendency to bleed a lot.
The play they are nosing about: Cyrano De Bergerac at the Arts Club
Michael: One of the first things I noticed was the use of modern English in James Fagan Tait’s translation and the actors speaking in naturalistic voices. I knew that was going to be the case, but I think I heard a few gasps very early on when Cyrano asked why people were looking at his nose: “Is there shit on the end of it?” I enjoyed the modern language and applaud Tait for directing the actors to embrace it in their own voices. There’s nothing that will take me out of the moment more than a false accent or an actor sending up the words too much.
Rachel: Did you think the contemporary translation made the play more accessible?
Michael: I think it does because we’re thinking about the characters more than the actors delivering the characters’ lines. Tait occasionally throws in some of his own jokes, which adds a fresh flavor that I really enjoyed. David Mackay, who plays Cyrano, really seems to grasp what Tait was after with the text. I wouldn’t be surprised if he added his own words for Cyrano along the way. That being said, I don’t think all of actors get it like Mackay, who really seems to take hold of Cyrano’s text and make it his own. Perhaps he had freer reign to take liberties with the text, but only when it served the purpose of a joke.
Rachel: I was initially very surprised by the text. Because Cyrano is all about poetic language, I was thrown off by how casual it is. At first I didn’t like it, but the pay off is that the play is more accessible and a lot of the modern jokes work. This trade off, however, fails during Cyrano’s first poem, “je touche,” where Cyrano composes a sonnet while fighting a duel. This scene is a highlight in the show, where Cyrano reveals his literary brilliance as well as his fighting skill. Because they made it into a musical number, the power of the scene is missing. The fight is stagey and unbelievable; the brilliance of the language is lost. I think turning it into a musical number was as unfortunate choice. While I did like Joelysa Pankanea’s music, I didn’t always like how it was used.
Michael: You’re right, that scene was neither threatening nor funny and they probably wanted it to be one or the other.
Rachel: My other disappointment in the text is Cyrano’s dying line, in which he is talking about what he’ll take to heaven. In the original text and most translations, he says, “my panache.” But in this translation he says, “big white plume,” which is vague. I didn’t really know what that meant and felt kind of lost in what should be a beautiful moment. In retrospect, it probably refers to the conspicuous feather in the hat he wears during battle (symbolizing pride and courage) and it has the double entendre of referring to his writing quill but it just doesn’t sum everything up the way that “my panache” does. Overall I like some of the elements that came of out of the translation, like its humor and accessibility, but I feel Tait sacrifices some poetic moments.
Michael: Maybe he should have said “schnoz”. It would have gotten a laugh at least. Actually, one of the strengths of this show is the use of humour. As in other Tait shows I’ve seen, he really knows how to play the humor and this is no exception. Even in the last moments of the play, Cyrano gets a final laugh by referring to Christian as “the other guy.” As a whole I really enjoy this production, especially the character of Cyrano. People who don’t know the play will probably at least know the balcony scene where Cyrano helps Christian woo Roxane, and it really captures the tragedy of Cyrano. Although he’s got everything - but the looks – he’s too insecure to tell Roxane of his love for her and uses a good-looking idiot as a surrogate to actually tell her. So after that scene, which I feel is the heart of the story, things kind of trudge along until we finally get to the conclusion: Christian dies, Roxane goes into perpetual mourning over the man she thought she was in love with, and Cyrano stubbornly doesn’t say a thing. I guess my gripe with Rostand is the dreaded Second Act Blues. Ultimately I think Cyrano is a great character, but not a great play. I really wanted a moment where I felt Cyrano changed; he’s a very boorish character to start with, who we gradually begin to like because we see how much he loves Roxane. However, the change in him never comes up in the play until his last words when he acknowledges how stupid he was.
Rachel: I think the tragedy of Cyrano is that he doesn’t change. I don’t think he ever admits to being wrong. We only see Cyrano’s vulnerability when he pretends to be someone else. Even in the final scene, he can’t really admit anything to Roxane. She discovers the truth when he reads his own letter to her. He sticks so steadfastly to his ideals that he even refuses love when it’s presented to him: that’s Cyrano. Every time I see this play it’s heartbreaking because his ideals and stubbornness cause so much suffering. But that stubbornness is also what makes him so lovable and noble. It’s his tragic flaw.
Michael: I will credit the play for having two lovable characters both vying for the love of Roxane. Usually one of the characters turns out to be a villain, but there really isn’t one in this play. Cyrano is really is his own antagonist.
Rachel: The play is unique because all the characters have something noble about them. I thought Kevin McDonald did a lovely job portraying Christian as “the other guy.” He had just the right amount of earnestness. When he says, “I want to be loved for who I am,” he becomes more than just a pretty face; he becomes a complete person. Same thing with de Guiche; he’s the closest thing we have to a villain and even he turns out to be a noble guy who risks death in defending Roxane and fighting with the Gascognes. Melissa Poll is a lovely Roxane but I will say that there is something about this production that makes her seem more superficial than usual. Perhaps it’s because she’s such a prominent spectator of Cyrano’s initial scene at the theatre that she seems like an idiot for not loving him more right away.
Michael: The sets are really beautiful. Robert Gardiner, the set designer, uses a simple design that makes use of two levels that were easily transformed, for example into Roxane’s balcony or the top of a trench in the war scene. Leaves gently float down in Cyrano’s final death scene signifying Autumnal change.
Rachel: It is also really evocative to use the scrim that has a lot of action take place behind it. In addition to providing depth to the stage, it also plays on the themes of masks in the play; of what you can and can’t see in the characters.
Michael: I think overall people will be quite satisfied with this Cyrano. Aside from my few criticisms, I really enjoyed it.
Rachel: Ultimately, the show really hangs on David Mackay’s Cyrano. He does a great job making this translation come to life. He’s understated, dry and very funny. His Cyrano is earthier and less romantic than others I’ve seen, which I think is perfect for this contemporary version.
Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand; Translated and Adapted by James Fagan Tait; Arts Club Theatre Company; October 23- November 23, 2008. For more information nose around here.