With one final wave of his white panache, the story of Cyrano de Bergerac came to an end on May 5 at Kristallwerk. And as we watched the legendary swordsman die for the last time in the arms of his beloved Roxane, surrounded by his friends, old and new, we couldn’t help but reflect on the past couple of months.
It all started with a girl in Scotland and her passion for theatre. When Sophia first came into contact with this play in her theatre group abroad, she instantly fell in love with it. Covid thwarted her plans of directing it then and there – however, she knew she couldn’t let that stop her. And when she got to act onstage with Julia during the past Pennyless Players production “We Pelican Daughters”, she also knew who she wanted to embark on this journey with. When she asked her if she wanted to direct this play with her, Julia was, self-admittedly, a bit intimidated. Life was hectic and the play a big one. But once she had read Cyrano, she was captivated. She laughed, cried, and fell head over heels. She just had to see this story, these characters come alive on stage – and she knew in her heart she wanted to be a part of this adventure.
Cyrano de Bergerac explores timeless and relatable themes: touching on the complexities of self-image, unrequited love, the power of language and art, and the value of beauty and the mind. It examines what it means to love someone else when you don’t even love yourself and the ripple effects of our actions on those around us. The characters represent different faults and virtues, some of which we can all relate to – whether or not we want to admit to them.
The character of Cyrano himself embodies the misalignment of self-perception and external judgment, showcasing how even the most talented individuals can be undermined by their own insecurities, becoming their own worst enemies. Roxane is the strong, intellectually driven female lead with a zest for life, rejecting superficiality in favour of substance. Her narrative prompts us to reflect on the selective nature of perception—how willingly do we blind ourselves to fulfil our desires?
All the while, Christian, portrayed as kind and loving yet naive, offers insight into the topic of self-consciousness and hidden vulnerabilities of those presumed to have it all. Those three characters and the incredible journey they undertake in this story are just one part of this complex, big cast of characters that can teach us a thing or two about love, friendship, and the hardships that come with the choices we make.
Cyrano de Bergerac is an ageless classic – it has endured through various adaptations across different mediums, including theatre, opera, film, musicals, and television. The Glyn Maxwell adaptation we chose is a more modern one, mixing the original struggles, themes, and motivations with modernized language and characterizations. The staging was similarly composed of a mix of 17th-century and modern clothing, as well as contemporary stage elements and historical weapons, illustrating the timelessness of the play.
It’s been an incredible journey watching our cast and crew pour their hearts into this project, working incredibly hard and sharing so many laughs along the way. There are too many people to thank than we could ever encompass in a paragraph – so to make it brief: Thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped to make this story come to life on stage! We appreciate you more than you can imagine or we could put into words.
And last but not least, a big thank you to our over 300 audience members – we are so grateful to have been able to share this experience with you and hope you enjoyed this ride just as much as we did!
Did you miss the show or want to indulge in memories? Take a look at our gallery as well as the complete cast & crew list!
The Pennyless Players 