Cyrano de Bergerac

By using his words and epee, he keeps hell on its toes - Cyrano de Bergerac. His reputation precedes him thanks to vociferous interruptions during theatre performances and drunken quarrels at night. And yet all the facets of the young cadet are seemingly overshadowed by the size of his nose, which attracts more attention from Parisian society than his poetry or his fighting spirit. In addition to his big nose, he possesses a soft heart which is completely devoted to the beautiful Roxane. She, in turn, has been promised to the noble Valvert, although she herself actually loves the young and handsome soldier Christian - and not in vain. Good looks alone, however, is not quite everything for Roxane - unfortunately though, Christian all too quickly runs out of words to delight his adored one with the desired love poetry. Consequently, Christian turns to Cyrano for help. The two form a pact to combine their respective qualities - Christian's physical beauty and Cyrano's linguistic virtuosity. The latter then nobly albeit slighty offended places his own vows of love at the service of his comrade.
Martin Crimp's verse drama, rich in humour and playful linguistic artistry, questions the alternating weighting of inner and outer beauty and recounts how it takes two men working together to achieve enough of both. Crimp skilfully transposes the discourses on possessiveness and renunciation, honesty and deceit, desire and true love from Edmund Rostand's original into the present day.