Cyrano de Bergerac
Noel Coward Theatre, London
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

FOR those who never get to see the work of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Cyrano de Bergerac, now transferred to London from Stratford, is your big chance.

Written by Edmond Rostand in 1897, it tells of the life of the real 17th century Cyrano de Bergerac but with all the heightened theatricality and literary panache of Shakespeare himself. Indeed, the play is credited with introducing the very word “panache” into the English language.  

As a character, Cyrano etches himself into the minds of his audience for two reasons: first for the elevated and refined soul he exhibits in his various roles as soldier, poet, novelist and man of honour; and secondly for his very large, very disfiguring, very self-defining nose.

This monstrous nose is Cyrano’s humiliation. And it’s why he believes he can never be loved, even by the lovely Roxanne who is his heart’s desire. It’s a story that reflects Shakespeare in its towering central character, heightened poetic language, bold and pressing narrative, joyful comedy, and theatrical style. And, with the RSC’s glorious ensemble playing — and with star stage actor Adrian Lester in the lead — this is a production to be reckoned with.

Lester himself, gives a superb, charismatic, yet self-deprecating performance. While addressing us in infinite streams of cliche-breaking language, bringing us the taut, physique and impeccable swordsmanship of the skilled and seasoned soldier, together with the bleeding heart and wounded soul of the lover who can never be loved, he nevertheless feels like one of us in all his vulnerability. His rapport with the audience is immediate and constant, forcing us to imbibe, with equal affection, his spirit and deformity as if he were our very own nearest and dearest.

The performance is beautifully complemented by Levi Brown as the young, handsome, would-be lover of Roxanne, whose paucity of imagination and poetic soul is thrown into relief by the tortured Cyrano and is the butt of many jokes. Brown brings some excellent touches to what could be a two-dimensional type, his hilarious embarrassed writhings on the floor and his open truthfulness speaking volumes as words defeat him.  

And Susannah Fielding’s Roxanne feels like a modern, intelligent woman, with a focus more on the abstract poetry of love than on its animal imperatives. She is perhaps more intellectual than emotional,

In true RSC style, though, the ensemble cast work together like a dream, evocative on stage — as in one, very real, exhausted soldiers’ scene — but also threading through the audience as if we were all still in Shakespeare’s time and inhabiting the pit.

Director Simon Evans brings us a vividly worded new version, compiled together with playwright and grime poet Debris Stevenson who revels in the words, while designer Grace Smart retains a traditional, powerful set, solid with staircases and balustrades, imposing doors and starry sky.  

Comedy defines much of this production, not least with the amusing running joke of a skilled if wayward musical band won by Cyrano in a wager. Sentiment is not far off when a delightful, unspeaking child wanders around the stage as young Cyrano. Some of the new comic lines score better than others.  

But the play lands profoundly against a backdrop of wild flowers and grasses that are timeless in their beauty. And we are left with Cyrano’s soul, with the elevation of love from the physical to the spiritual plane, and with a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection.

Runs until September 5. Box office: 0344 482-5151, noelcowardtheatre.co.uk.