Sebastiano Lo Monaco in the title role in 1999 in Italy - Sicilia Teatro
This is one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time. It was first staged in Paris in 1898. The social problem plays of Ibsen and the modern realism of Shaw had just begun and would soon become the dominant genre in the theater in the first decades of the 20th Century.
But Edmund Rostand's Cyrano is one of the last grand plays of an older tradition that finds its roots in Italian opera and Victorian nostalgia where lovers were grand, passionate and larger than life; where romantic rhymes and chivalry -- though long dead -- could at least be fondly remembered for an evening at the theater.
The play is an historical romance. The action takes place in the age of the Three Muskateers --- France of the 1600's where it's still OK to swashbuckle. Men go off to war to win fame and honor, not come home afflicted with Gulf War syndrome. Cyrano is a rogue-hero, a fine poet, a terrific swordsman, and much more. He is in love with Roxanne, and of course his love goes unrequitted.
Cyrano was actually an historical figure.
In the 1980's Steve Martin adapted the play to film in a delightful modern comedy called Roxanne. The movie is still be available, but might be hard to fine. Though not the required viewing for this class, comparing Martin's film with the video of Cyrano might make a nice paper. There are two terrific videos of Cyrano readily available, one with Jose Ferrer (1950's) and one with Gerald Depardieu (1990's). See one of these for the class.
Enjoy the show!