THE MAN, THE LEGEND
AND THE NEW TRANSLATION
SAVINIEN CYRANO DE BERGERAC
(1619–1655) was a French dramatist,
novelist and soldier. True to the legend,
he was known for his skills in dueling,
his mastery of word play and, yes, even
his big nose (though it certainly wasn’t
as large as is often depicted). He was
known as an audacious freethinker whose
works, and life, inspired a great many
artists. Molière borrowed freely from his
play Le pédant joué (The Pedant Tricked,
1654) that showcased his love for play on
words, as well as his comic mastery. His
two satirical novels — Histoire comique
des États et Empires de la lune and
Histoire comique des États et Empires du
soleil, published together posthumously
in 1687 as Voyages to the Moon and the
Sun — were examples of early modern
science fiction, skewering the church’s
authority and social norms of the day;
and paving the way for future authors
like Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and Edgar
Allan Poe.
Cyrano’s mastery of swordplay and
language was the basis for the character
in the play created by French playwright
Edmond Rostand. The playwright also
based the character of Roxane on the
real Cyrano’s distant cousin — but the
romantic trials were Rostand’s own
invention, elevating Cyrano to the
romantic hero that is still beloved today.
Cyrano de Bergerac was Rostand’s fourth,
and easily his most celebrated play. It
was first produced in Paris at the Théâtre
DID YOU KNOW?
de la Porte Saint-Martin in 1897
to huge acclaim, playing for over
400 performances. Hundreds
of translations and countless
derivative works have followed
— novels, operas, ballets, poems,
films and even episodes of Brady
Bunch and Star Trek, among many others
— keeping this romantic, quick-witted,
large-nosed swordsman in our hearts.
There is even an asteroid named
after Cyrano.
Modern audiences might be most
familiar with film adaptations of the tale.
A 1950 film version, starring José Ferrer,
Mala Powers and William Prince, earned
Ferrer an Academy Award for Best Actor
in the title role (Ferrer also won a Tony
Award for his portrayal of Cyrano on
Broadway in 1946). The 1990 French film
starring Gerard Depardieu had subtitles
from Anthony Burgess’ translation of the
play; a version first produced by Guthrie
Theater in 1970. The 1987 modern spin
on the tale, Roxanne, written by and
starring the inimitable Steve Martin
(alongside Daryl Hannah), earned
Martin a Writer’s Guild Award for Best
Screenplay Based on Material from
Another Medium, along with a Golden
Globe nomination for Best Actor. The
1996 film The Truth About Cats and Dogs
offered a gender reversal of the plotline,
with Janeane Garofalo as a radio host
with low self-esteem who asks her model
friend, played by Uma Thurman, to stand
in when a man wants to meet her.
Rostand’s play is credited with introducing the word “panache” (with
a positive connotation as being flamboyant and courageous) into the
English language. “Panache” is a French word for “plume,” as in an
ornamental feather in a cap.
P12 | PORTLAND CENTER STAGE CYRANO
The version of Cyrano you’ll see
today is a new adaptation by longtime
collaborators and friends, Michael
Hollinger and Aaron Posner. Posner
is known to Portland Center Stage
audiences for his fresh adaptations of
Chaim Potok’s The Chosen (produced
at PCS in 2010) and Ken Kesey’s
Sometimes a Great Notion (at PCS in
2008). Hollinger is also familiar to PCS
audiences from his play Opus, presented
in 2011. Hollinger and Posner’s take on
Cyrano transforms Rostand’s rhyming
verse into lively modern prose. Hollinger
has said of the translation, “language
that is alive, that wakes the ear up,
is more important to me than strict
adherence to poetic form.” This fresh
take on the play maintains the essence
of the original story — all of the scenes
remain the same — and also calls to
mind the original setting and glorious
costumes of 1640s France.
Cyrano certainly deserves to live on as
a legend for modern times. To cheer
for Cyrano is to cheer for the triumph
of intellect over appearance; kindheartedness over bullying; and panache
over self-doubt. Cyrano is the hero
for those who want to be accepted for
who they are and loved despite their
imperfections. There is a little bit of
Cyrano in all of us.
–Claudie Jean Fisher, Public Relations
and Publications Manager