Cyrano de Bergerac

Written by Edmond Rostand

Narrated by Caroline Aaron, Hugo Armstrong, Andre Sogliuzzo and 8 more

Cyrano is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents whose whimsical aptitude for the spoken word is overshadowed by an attribute that is iconic, outrageous and gigantic—his nose. How can the curiously-snouted Cyrano ever hope to win the affections of the beautiful Roxane?

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring Caroline Aaron, Hugo Armstrong, Kalen Harriman, Gregory Itzin, Hamish Linklater, Anna Mathias, Morgan Ritchie, Jason Ritter, Andre Sogliuzzo, Devon Sorvari, and Matthew Wolf

Adapted for Radio and Directed by Barry Creyton and recorded before a live audience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works
• Release date: May 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781580817387

Edmond Rostand

Born in 1869, Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand’s romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century. Another of Rostand’s works, Les Romanesques, was adapted to the musical comedy, The Fantasticks.

Reviews for Cyrano de Bergerac

[Emily Cubero · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All of the nose jokes Cyrano comes up with are well worth the read or listen. It reminds me of Shakespeare's in it's comedy but it is a short book.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

2020 reread via full cast LATW audiobook (streamed from their website):I think this reread was my 4th or 5th time. While I enjoyed it as always, this translation by Anthony Burgess wasn't the best one I have experienced. Or maybe it was the way the play was adapted by Barry Creyton... in any case, something about it was just not up to my expectations. However, the interview with Sue Lloyd, author of The Man Who Was Cyrano: A Life of Edmond Rostand, included at the conclusion of the play brings my rating up to 4.5*. I had no idea that Cyrano & Roxanne were historical figures from the 17th century! I had assumed that Rostand had made them up.This recording has the following cast:Caroline Aaron as Lise/Mother MargueriteHugo Armstrong as Le BretKalen Harriman as Foodseller/OthersGregory Itzin as Comte De GuicheHamish Linklater as CyranoAnna Mathias as Duenna/OthersMorgan Ritchie as Valvert/Bellerose/OthersJason Ritter as ChristianAndré Sogliuzzo as Ragueneau/Ligniere/OthersDevon Sorvari as RoxaneMatthew Wolf as Cuigy/Others

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great play about true love hindered by a facial feature.

[stevesbookstuff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, and Edmond Rostand is said to have based his eponymous play on de Bergerac’s life. But of course, the plotline of the play is entirely too good to be true.I’ve not read Cyrano de Bergerac before this, nor did I realize that the play (and subsequent movie) The Fantasticks was loosely based on another of Rostand’s original works, Les Romanesques. That play, first staged in 1894, was a great success. His Cyrano de Bergerac came later, in 1897 and was an immediate and outstanding success. The New York drama critic Clayton Hamilton pens the introduction to the 1929 volume that I read. He first encountered Rostand’s Cyrano by reputation, as news of its triumph in Paris spread to the US. He was only 16 at the time and so impressed that a young playwright was being so widely heralded that he “put in an order at Brentano’s for the text, and bothered the bookstore for days and days, and weeks and weeks until the first copies came to us over the ocean.”Flash forward some twenty years and Hamilton laments that the younger generation has not had a chance to experience the play as he had in 1900, with Constant Coquelin in the role of Cyrano and Sarah Bernhardt as Roxane in the French language production in New York. So, he persuaded his friend William Hampden to stage a revival. Hampden agreed, but only if Hamilton could come up with a good English translation. Hamilton then reached out to another friend, the poet Brian Hooker to translate it. And that is the text in this book.Rostand, and Hooker, start off a bit slowly and confusingly, as several characters are introduced at once, milling about as they wait for a play to start. But then Cyrano enters the scene and suddenly things start to make sense and the action takes off. As to the rest of the story, well, everyone knows the plot. Cyrano, the man with the big nose, is secretly in love with Roxane, but convinced that she would never love someone as ugly as he. To compensate for his outward ugliness he has learned to be one of the best swordsmen of his time. He also has developed a gift with words, displaying wit and style to parry any verbal joust. Christian also loves Roxane, and confides in Cyrano, who agrees to lend his words to Christian in wooing Roxane, by letter and soliloquy. What I wasn’t prepared for was just how excellent the language of the play was, and how captivating it would be. I’m sorry I’ve waited this long to read it.

[samsattler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At the risk of sounding like a bit of a fool, I have to say that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The version of the play that I read was translated by Lowell Bair and first published by Signet Classics in 1972. My surprise came from not having particularly enjoyed either movie version of Cyrano that I’ve seen, and assuming that was the play’s fault rather than the fault of the two movies. The unrealistic plot of Cyrano de Bergerac, as it turns out, is precisely what makes it so charming. Imagine what has to be the greatest swordsmen in French history (the play is set in 1640), a man who can write poetry aloud while in the midst of a swordfight for his very life. Such a man would be a romantic hero in any country of the period, but because Cyrano has also been blessed with one of the longest noses in French history, he is not exactly having to fight off the women. Our hero is, in fact, madly in love with his first cousin, Roxanne. Roxanne, though, is the kind of woman who can only imagine herself ever falling in love with a handsome man – and in Cyrano’s friend Christian, she finds just what she is looking for. Unfortunately for Christian and Roxanne, Christian’s ability to creatively express his feelings is at the opposite end of the scale from his good looks. If Roxanne ever figures out just how dull-witted the man is, she is certain to ban him from her life. And that’s where Cyrano comes in.Cyrano’s ability to write a love letter is exceeded only by his ability to kill eight or ten men in a single swordfight. Christian obviously needs help (probably in both areas), and Cyrano is willing to write his love letters as a way of himself staying close to Roxanne. The beautiful Roxanne, though, has attracted more than two suitors (even though she doesn’t even realize that Cyrano is one of them), and that complicates the plot considerably.Cyrano de Bergerac is dramatic; it is funny; and its puns (especially those regarding Cyrano’s nose) are brilliant. The play’s final act is obviously overly-melodramatic, but actually, it’s really no less realistic than the rest of the play. The same theater-goers who laughed their way through most of the play probably never thought they would be leaving the theater in tears when the final curtain closed, but I’m willing to bet that’s exactly what happened to many of them. The fictional Cyrano de Bergerac is an unforgettable character, and even though the play’s author believed the play to be a literary disaster, it turned out to be the one that made him famous – and has kept him that way.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a review of two full-cast audio productions: Caedmon 1965, and LA Theatre Works 2015. Cyrano de Bergerac is an 1897 neo-romantic heroic-comedy by a 29-year-old French playwright, characterized by witty dialogue and the concept of panache. It is based on two real people from the 17th century. Cyrano de Bergerac actually existed sans the big nose, but was indeed a poetic warrior and charmer. Roxane was also a lover of poetry and Chivalric love. The era when the play was released, realism was making inroads and most plays were heavy, dark, somewhat depressing. Into this atmosphere stepped a lighthearted and witty story that made no sacrifice to realism. It was an immediate and stunning success striking a chord with the French people who appreciated the glory of French Chivalry framed in a way that was acceptable (humor) and admirable. It is also a classic love story ensuring enduring appeal. The 3-record Caedmon production stars Sir Ralph Richardson and was produced by The Theatre Recording Society with a translation by Brian Hooker. It is a faithful translation of the original French text, and therein is the problem - it is hard to follow, at least in audio and for a first-timer to the story. This is not the best introduction, but it is close to the original.The LA Theatre Works radio play is based on the translation and adaption by Anthony Burgess which was then adapted for radio. This is an excellent introduction, there is no problem following the plot, characters and dialogue. The radio adaptation is about half the length of the Hooker version so a lot has been dropped but all the scenes are there and it retains the same spirit of the original.

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5

This play has an electrifying final act that brings the play to a satisfying conclusion.

[mickyfine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The classic play that follows the adventures of the titular credit as he fights to defend his strong sense of honour, succumbs to love, and takes on anyone who makes even the slightest disparaging comment about his large nose.I think my first exposure to this play was probably in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and while I've always known the outline of the plot, I had never read it. I've now fixed that and while the play was enjoyable, I don't think it's one I'll revisit. That said, the complex stage descriptions leave me in awe of how it would have been staged in the 19th century.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant. Well crafted, intelligent, and romantic. Rostand’s stage instructions, larger than life characters, and tale of panache and heartbreak must have made for an incredible theater experience when it premiered in 1897, and perhaps it still does today. The main story that most are probably aware of has memorable scenes – Cyrano in the bushes feeding lines to Christian as he stands below Roxane’s balcony of course, and also Cyrano pointing out just how banal someone’s attempts at humor are, by rattling off a long string of clever jokes about a big nose. “How darling of you to have built a little perch for little birds to rest their tiny claws,” he says, among many others. However, there is so much more to this play than that: the universality of insecurity, the depth and sacrifice of true love, the transience of life, and having a certain brio while alive. I was surprised by how many of the characters and their actions were historically accurate, outside the love story anyway, including Cyrano himself talking about creative ways of getting to the moon in a wonderful passage that reflects the real de Bergerac’s writing in 1657. Definitely recommended.Quotes:On death, perhaps a fantastic epitaph:Excuse me, friends, I mustn’t keep her waiting:The moon has come to fetch me.On a kiss:Cyrano: A kiss! What is a kiss? A confessionMade from a little closer at hand, a promiseDelivered as soon as it’s made,A secret whispered close, with a mouth to hear it:Eternity held in a moment that stings like a bee.Passed like communion, a host with the scent of flowers,A way to breathe the breath of the heart of anotherAnd with one’s lips to sip the beloved one’s soul.On love:Roxane: What words will you use to tell it?Cyrano: All of them.Each word that comes to me. I’ll throw them allIn sheaves at your feet, no time to make a bouquet:I love you, I’m stifling, I love you, I’m crazy, it’s moreThan I can bear. Your name’s like a bell in my heart,Dearest, a little bell, and as I keep trembling,The bell keeps ringing and ringing and saying your name.The tiniest things about you live in my memory.I’ve loved them all, always. Last year, I remember,On the twelfth of May, you changed the style of your hair!You know what you look too long at the sun, the discOf fire that floats on everything afterwards? Well,Your hair was my sunlight, and after I looked awayThere were patches of blonde light all over the world.On success in life:De Guiche: There’s such a thing as too complete success,And even when one has done nothing wrong – Not really wrong – a certain slight uneaseThat isn’t quite remorse will come to haunt oneWhen rising to great office. As one climbs,The ducal ermine trails along a wakeOf rustling dead illusions and regrets,Just as these autumn leaves catch in your train.

[terris-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this! It was funny, but poor Cyrano :'(

[bayardus-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What Rostand gives you with this play can, I think, be boiled down to two things: the language he uses and the titular character of Cyrano de Bergerac. No other characters are given much depth, and the plot of the play is a love triangle of the type you've seen a thousand times before. However, with the language of the play and the character of Cyrano, Rostand was not just adhering to old ideas. Even in translation (Hooker for my edition), the language holds up, not impressing in every instance but impressing often enough to establish that Rostand was a masterful writer. Unfortunately, the character of Cyrano left me wanting.

Cyrano struck me, repeatedly, as a calculated attempt by Rostand to make as popular a character as possible, meaning that, despite his historical roots, there's never an attempt to make him a flesh and blood character. Instead, Cyrano is over-the-top and theatrical. There's nothing wrong with having a theatrical character (this was written for the theater, after all), and there's nothing wrong with having it be your goal for the character to be popular, but if you notice that is occurring then the author has failed- coming off as trying too hard is never a good thing in this context. Cyrano is the finest swordsman in Paris, and he's likewise got not only a rapier wit but formidable poetic chops as well. He's also adored by all the good people of France, who cheer him on and consider him a hero in the first act of this play, even after he ruined a night out at the theater for all of them. De Guiche even complements Cyrano for distracting him long enough for the target of his affections to elope. The only people who don't like Cyrano are obvious villains and people never seen on-stage. The only flaw that our protagonist has is his lack of self-confidence concerning members of the fairer sex. It's a flaw tailor-made to make him as likable a character as possible, since who hasn't lacked confidence at least once, especially in matters of the heart? And with Cyrano, there's no question that this lack of self-confidence is unfounded. With Cyrano, Rostand can give us a character who's the bravest, smartest, funniest, most romantic of everyone, but who isn't absolutely without flaw and therefore not boring in his perfection. I get why this character is popular with many people. But he didn't resonate with me. I found him lacking in depth, and the only insight you can take from his character are platitudes. Be brave! Be smart! Stand up for what you believe in! Don't hide your feelings, be honest about them! There's no real insight here, because there's no real struggle- the only struggle that plays out on stage is Cyrano's romantic struggle (we never see his descent into poverty), and the solution to that struggle is an obvious one. Rostand gives us a character who is brave, but who never has to fight a fight he can't win. He's a romantic, but he never has to deal with an actual relationship. There's none of the mess of real life here, it's all clean melodrama, and that's fine as theatrical entertainment, but as a work of literature it can't rise above mediocrity for me.

I expect that I shall forever think of bottles of red wine as flasks of ruby, and bottles of white as flasks of topaz. That's more of an effect than many books have had on me. When I remember Cyrano, though, I expect I shall remember him as a failed attempt, at least in my experience.

[trilliams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I should get a bigger nose.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this play beyond the telling. It's one of the few single plays I own. The plays I keep on my shelves are complete plays of Shakespeare, Marlowe and Oscar Wilde, some Moliere, a collection of Spanish classics such as de Barca's La Vida Es Un Sueno and this--one of the few French plays that Americans are likely to see in production or film. Even Steve Martin did a modernized adaptation of it in Roxanne. The thing is that I do agree with the LibraryThing reviewer that counts Cyrano as not someone to admire, rather than the other reviewer on LibraryThing who saw this as a beautiful "unselfish" love. Indeed, Cyrano causes misery all around him because he's unselfish--or too cowardly--to woo his love in his own right. That's the tragedy. But, at least in the translation by Anthony Burgess, so much delights. The back cover says that what this translation has that so many lack is "panache." And yes, this is so witty and sparkling and funny for so much of its length--and poignant and heartbreaking. I have to count as great a playwright who can make me laugh and then cry within the same play.

[yesssman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While the play is well written and features some very memorable scenes, I just can't bring myself to enjoy it. I don't see anything to be admired in Cyrano's character; he may have many talents both martial and societal, but at heart he is a weak man hiding behind extreme conceptions of honor. Not only does this weakness bring suffering on himself, but everyone around him. I don't appreciate when fiction extols harmful character traits as something to be emulated.I do however appreciate beautiful language and the poetic moments such as the balcony scene, so I can still give this work 3 stars.

[belsornia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

'Cyrano de Bergerac' is a masterful character study of a man who lets one feature shape his life. Complex and mercurial, Cyrano may be remembered as gallant and honourable, a talanted poet and unsurpassed swordsman, but he is also brash and arrogant and yet so afraid of rejection that he hides behind the identity of his handsome friend. He presents himself as a series of characters, and even at the end of his life will not admit the realities of his situation to those who care about him. He will not compromise in anything except the realisation of his own desires.I read a fairly pedestrian prose translation, and as such feel that I missed the flair and pace of the play. However, there remained glimpses of Rostand's mastery of language, most notably in some of Cyrano's soliloquies and the balcony scene with Roxane which, in a work touched by hyperbole - the duel with one hundred men at the Porte de Nesle, and the feast disguised in Roxane's carriage especially spring to mind - crystalises the deep emotion at the heart of the drama. The narrative may sometimes be ridiculous, but Rostand effectively conveys the vividness and reality of a complicated character, as well as some expert creation of atmosphere in ensemble scenes, the opening at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne and the military encampment at Arras.The final act serves as a kind of epilogue and, I feel, is the weak point of the play. I am generally not fond of the device and often prefer when something is left to the imagination and the author does not feel the need to tie up all loose ends, but here it seems especially gratuitous, ratcheting up the melodrama to demostrate the tragedy of love, devotion and obstinacy. The construction of the rest of the play was skilful enough to show that there was no way this could have a comforting resolution.

[savageknight_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've always enjoyed the character of Cyrano. Braggart, lover, arrogant, powerful. His flair for the romance and devotion to the arts makes every early scene one of great fun. The idea of being the true soul of another man's voice is also entertaining, if the drama weren't so pathetic. Here is a man so true to himself and his nature that he can brave anything... except the fact that there could be a woman who can love him despite his enormous nose. Therein lies the tragedy which concludes the tale on a very sour note. I don't believe it is noble to suffer love in silence. I believe love should be shouted from the rooftops. A fatal flaw in the charm of the book, but one I can easily ignore.

[folkeb_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand creates a tale of unconquerable love, and unquenchable pride in the form of a living, vibrant poem running within the play. Cyrano de Bergerac is a philosopher, knight errand, poet, playwright and above all, a gentleman from Gascony, which means he owns enormous pride and vanity along with undying bravery. The play follows his star-crossed love, Roxanne, and comrade-in-arms Christian. Rostand crafts Cyrano as the perfect knight of ages past, as skilled with poetry and philosophy as he is with his sword. For example, in the first act Cyrano duels an opponent and composes a ballad as he duels, to commemorate the duel and as he promises before he even draws his sword, in the last verse strikes home and covers himself in glory before all in the crowded playhouse. It is this dashing nerve, and Cyrano’s, or rather, Rostand’s eloquence that makes this play a classic. Cyrano is too proud to function in modern society though, to use his triumph at arms to gain favor with superiors is against his nature. The soul of Cyrano is that of fire and passion, imagination and pride that will never surrender to his old foes “falsehood, prejudice, compromise, cowardice, and vanity” Cyrano de Bergerac has a slightly rocky start, as Cyrano is not immediately introduced, but when Cyrano is the play takes on a whole new dimension. The play flies by on the wings of lyrical genius and philosophy of what it means to be noble, brave and pure of spirit, along with the folly of pride. I would highly recommend this to everyone out of high school and anyone is not forced to read it. Dan

[bruneau_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best enjoyed in its superior French version, Cyrano is as “classy” as it gets. Simple, yet most effective, full of humor yet very sad. It is both a touching love story, and the horrible testimony of a flawed human nature constantly fooled by appearances.

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I consider this among my favorite plays for both its romantic air of the grand opera and the poetic monologues of its eponymous hero. An unconventional love story, it is more a fable for the importance of virtue, loyalty and friendship. What more magnanimous man in literature is there than Cyrano de Bergerac? I am sure that I will return to this play again and again as it reminds me of the best that is possible for man and mankind.

[g026r · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Burgess translation is certainly bouncier than the older Hooker but, in his desire to insert rhyming couplets and make the rest of the prose flow, some of the jokes get trampled on and lost. I won't say it's better, but merely different.

[cmbohn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I will admit that my choice of this book was influenced by my daughter. She got to see this play performed at the Utah Shakepeare Festival and just loved it. She said all the girls thought it was great. Since I had a play category, I chose to read this one.I am not quite as crazy about the play as she was, but I did enjoy it. I loved the first part of the play. Cyrano is a great character. What I didn't enjoy as much was the whole selfless adoration involved. I don't want to spoil it, but let me say that I felt Cyrano should have spoken up sooner.

[aznstarlette · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my absolute favourites! A beautiful romantic story set in one of my favourite time periods and told in one of my favourite languages - I mean, really, what's NOT to love?? It is truly exquisite.

[stouthearted_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing story written in gorgeous verse -- it was all worth muddling through irregular verbs in French class to be able to read this drama in Rostand's language! The heartstopping climax of Cyrano's words to Roxane on the balcony are the epitome of romance expressed so beautifully and sincere. His definition of a kiss is one of the most memorable scenes in theater. The drama is cleverly written, with flowing tempo and rhyme that doesn't feel forced. As for the story, many have imitated it since: Ugly, but intelligent, Cyrano is in love with his cousin, Roxane, but is too ashamed of his long nose to tell her. In every other area of his life his is confident and is excellent at swordplay and wit (and can perform both at once!). Also enamoured with the lady is Christian, a handsome man with little brain to match. Roxane is a "Precieuse," a woman who values poetry and beautiful words, and Christian knows that his looks alone won't win her over. He enlists the help of Cyrano, and together, with Christian's looks and Cyrano's words, Roxane is led to believe that Christian is her dream man. Yet, Cyrano must suffer until his secret is revealed years later, too late: Roxane has holed herself up in a nunnery after Christian died in war, and Cyrano suffers a fatal head wound. The tragedy of the revelation is a true tearjerker. For romantics, this is a must-read. But like Cyrano's words, the drama offers much more than romance. The theme of bravery and spirit, the "panache" that Cyrano holds dear, is important to the story. If only Cyrano had his famous courage when it came to confessing his love, he would have surely had his Roxane for himself. But then, we wouldn't have such a beautiful tragedy.

[unreachableshelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cyrano de Bergerac is as amazing a character study as it is a romance. Brian Hooker's translation is classic, and was the basis of the screenplay of the version starring Jose Ferrer, who is surely as much Cyrano for English-speaking audiences since then as Coquelin was for Rostand when it was written (note that the screenplay was cut somewhat from the original).

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fell in love with the play and Jose Ferrer's BW version. Over the top romanticism, but truly a lot of fun.

[rennerra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved this as a teenager, it was probably my favorite book of all time until sometime well into my late 20s

[urhockey22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great play, but there were parts of this translation that maybe could have been better. Then again, I do not speak French, so who am I to judge.