Cyrano de Bergerac: Edmond Rostand's play starring Édouard Baer extended - our review

If you're familiar with Cyrano Bergerac 's nose tirade, it's because Edmond Rostand's play has inspired hundreds of playwrights and filmmakers. This year, Cyrano de Bergerac arrives at the Théâtre Antoine in a new version, directed by Anne Kessler and starring Édouard Baer as Cyrano.

It's quite a challenge to tackleEdmond Rostand's cult play in yet another stage version. But that's what Anne Kessler and 14 actors have set themselves in a new version of this masterpiece at the Théâtre Antoine. A man of letters, a lover of literature and the French language, the choice of Édouard Baer in the role of Cyrano was an obvious one for the director.

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Édouard Baer is renowned for his singular style combining humor, poetry and improvisation. He has distinguished himself in plays such as La folle et vraie vie de Luigi Prizzoti and Les élucubrations d'un homme soudain frappé par la grâce, where his talent for monologue and audience interaction is particularly appreciated. He is also known for revisiting classic works with a modern, quirky twist, as he is sure to do in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Théâtre Antoine.

Review :

Ah, Cyrano!Edmond Rostand 's masterful text is always a pleasure to hear, and in this new adaptation, Anne Kessler succeeds in making it just as enjoyable to watch. Through a careful staging of visually arresting tableaux, the spectator is transported back to the 17th century, thanks to the costumes and atmosphere created on stage. The fourteen actors bring an energy and dynamism that enriches the whole performance.

However, while some of the scenes are truly splendid to look at, others seem unfinished, leaving the spectator with an expectation that doesn't always materialize (particularly in the first scene).

As forEdouard Baer's acting, while convincing on the whole, he sometimes lacks the "panache" that so characterizes Cyrano. Some of his lines are hard to hear, which could be a problem for those with delicate hearing. It would therefore be advisable to choose seats close to the stage. On the other hand, Alexia Giordano plays the young Roxane to perfection, and Atmen Kelif, in the role of Raguenau, seduces the audience with his humor and lightness.

Although the play would have benefited from some fine-tuning, it remains a wonderful discovery, both for fans of Edmond Rostand's sublime text and for those who have not yet had the pleasure of discovering it.