CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews

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BustopherPhantom
#1CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 5:52pm

AM New York (in a very short review) gives the show 3 Stars out of 4:

"Compared with playing Hamlet or King Lear, Cyrano de Bergerac must be a cakewalk for Kevin Kline. With an exuberant air of pomp and confidence, Kline is a magnetic, dazzling delight to behold. Jennifer Garner, on the other hand, makes a flat Broadway debut. But in all fairness, Roxane is a one-dimensional role, offering her little opportunity to make an impression. On the whole, David Leveaux's production is entertaining and elegant."

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/stage/am-hamlet1101,0,5324689.story


"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum

MargoChanning
#2re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 6:38pm

Talkin Broadway is Mixed:

"All this wonderful confusion is a much-needed early source of rejuvenation in a Broadway season that hasn’t yet been party to many world-caliber performances. But watching Kline vanish so thoroughly into one of the theatre’s most deceptively common figures - especially given his withering turn as one of the most deceptively complex, King Lear, Off-Broadway this past spring, and the over-grand nature he brings to so many roles - is enough to renew your faith in the restorative powers of the stage’s greatest roles. This isn’t just Kline’s best work recently, it’s some of the best work of his career.

Unfortunately, it is not matched by much else in this Cyrano. The rest of the production, which co-stars Jennifer Garner and Daniel Sunjata, is - at its best - elaborately ordinary. This is not, however, as scathing an indictment as it might sound.

For all its charms, Cyrano de Bergerac has always been little more than the living equivalent of a pulpy (if admittedly tony) soap opera that entertains but leaves no lasting marks. Cyrano’s unrequited love for his cousin Roxane (Garner), the rift between her and the handsome but tongue-tied soldier Christian (Sunjata), the intervening war that begins as a test of manhood but comes to encompass this roiling world of romantic rhetoric, and even a 15-year gap in the action that artificially ages all the characters’ concerns are devices that instantly engage the heart but encourage few enduring ideas. (Anthony Burgess’s translation and adaption, which highlight the play’s foundational earthiness, also contribute.)

This makes Cyrano an ideal candidate for the chilly, studious interpretation Leveaux brings to nearly everything he directs. His musical revivals of Nine and Fiddler on the Roof weren’t so lucky, because they demand the unique immediacy of the theatre to provide their power. But a simple, theatrical paperback like Cyrano can withstand temporary blasts of frigidity, and might even benefit from it when there’s a force as melting as Kline at the middle of it all. In accordance, Tom Pye’s set is markedly low-rent (I’m positive Pye recycled one of the barren trees from his Fiddler for use in three of this production’s scenes), and Gregory Gale’s costumes, while plush, are strictly by the numbers.

So, for that matter, are Garner and Sunjata. Garner, who rose to fame as the star of ABC’s spy series Alias, is a radiant-looking Roxane, but lacks the nimble facility with language that would link her character to Cyrano; as it is, she seems a more appropriate match for the uninventively lingual Christian. Sunjata’s stage experience, including the lead in Take Me Out a few years back, gives him the prowess he needs to naturally navigate the verse-rich dialogue, but he comes across as too knowing and wooden to convince as a sensual man too stymied by love to make his true feelings heard. "



http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/Cyrano.html


"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 11/1/07 at 06:38 PM

Yankeefan007
#2re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 7:44pm

Mixed from Kuchwara at the AP.

"NEW YORK - If there's any role Kevin Kline seems born to play, it's Cyrano de Bergerac, the long-nosed poet of panache and furious swordplay.

There's an innate physicality to the actor, something that was apparent in his first Tony Award-winning performance ("On the Twentieth Century") and reconfirmed in his second (the 1981 revival of "The Pirates of Penzance"). Linguistically, Kline is no slouch either as anyone who saw him as a delightfully hedonistic Falstaff in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of "Henry IV" can second.

So, it's no surprise, the actor captures both the physical and verbal qualities of Edmond Rostand's hero in Anthony Burgess' spirited adaptation of "Cyrano de Bergerac," now on view at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Yet the production itself is not as lively as it should be, despite the best efforts of director David Leveaux to corral a large cast as it romances and swashbuckles its way through 17th-century France."

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102343&Itemid=265

Yankeefan007
#3re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 8:53pm

Positive from the NJ Star-Ledger

"Best known for "A Clockwork Orange," the late Anthony Burgess crafted the English-language adaptation used here. Tripping deliciously off the tongue, the text mingles humor with unforced poetry.

This swift, attractive production is dished up by David Leveaux, a British director who's done 10 Broadway revivals to date, varying from a striking "Nine" with Antonio Banderas to a miserable "The Glass Menagerie" with Jessica Lange.

Leveaux and his "Fiddler on the Roof" designer, Tom Pye, situate "Cyrano de Bergerac" against an imposing brick background. Tapestry-like drops and gauzy drapes dramatically sweep across the stage. Each sequence features one major visual element, such as a twisted, broken tree for the wartime episode or a full moon gradually rising over Roxane's garden.

Smartly dressed in period finery by Gregory Gale, the show's stars glow amid such austerely handsome surroundings."

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2007/11/cyrano_captivates_with_oldfash.html

Yankeefan007
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Hatchet-Face
lovesclassics
#6re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 10:32pm

Just have to throw this in: I would love to see Kevin Kline play Henry Higgins and King Arthur. His youthfulness definitely belies his age.

Ok, back on topic. re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews

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The Distinctive Baritone
#7re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 10:32pm

No, Variety is pretty much a pan with a couple positive comments.

MargoChanning
#8re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 10:44pm

Theatremania is Mixed-to-Positive:

"Kevin Kline confirms his reputation as one of our foremost interpreters of classical theater, playing the title role in Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. This visually sumptuous Broadway revival at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, directed by David Leveaux, still has a few rough spots, but Kline's masterful performance as the large-nosed Cyrano is simply magnificent..........

Kline's mastery of the language Cyrano speaks so trippingly on the tongue is complemented by his bold swagger, comic expressions, and ability to wordlessly let the audience see into the heart and soul of his character. He also makes Cyrano's physical prowess convincing, thanks in no small part to fight director Mark Deklin, who choreographs Cyrano's extended sword fight with the Vicomte de Valvert (Carman Lacivita) that firmly establishes the character's proficiency.

Garner, best known for her film and television work, radiates a buoyant energy and youthful vigor that makes it clear why so many men are smitten with Roxane. Unfortunately, the actress doesn't quite deliver the goods in her character's more emotional moments, particularly her final scene with Christian.

For his part, Sunjata is all rough edges disguised in a beautiful façade. Not only is he handsome, Christian is the best dresser of anyone in the show, thanks to costume designer Gregory Gale, who does excellent work all around. Sunjata's manner of speech is blunt and unrefined, making a stark contrast to Kline's more elegant tones. However, at times, Sunjata takes the conceit a little too far, indicating Christian's intentions in far too obvious -- and unconvincing -- a manner.


http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/11953


"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

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Broadwaywest2
#9re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 10:47pm


Nytimes seemed to really like it.

THEATER REVIEW | 'CYRANO DE BERGERAC'MORE ON 'Cyrano de Bergerac'Rapier Wit and a Nose for Poetry
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By BEN BRANTLEY
Published: November 2, 2007
Sometimes a glass of moonshine is just what you need to take the sting out of life. David Leveaux’s disarming revival of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” which opened last night at the Richard Rodgers Theater, is a double shot of silvery hokum, sweet but surprisingly potent. And it goes down so easily, you’re drunk and misty-eyed before you know it.


Starring an artfully low-key Kevin Kline and a captivating Jennifer Garner, Mr. Leveaux’s savvy production may not make a case for Edmond Rostand’s plumed war horse as an immortal work of high art. It does, though, establish this romantic tale of a 17th-century French cavalier poet with a soul as big as his outsize nose as something perhaps more rare: an immortal popcorn entertainment that pushes emotional buttons just as effectively today as it did when it was written 110 years ago.

The pleasures of “Cyrano,” when presented this astutely, aren’t so different from those of true-hearted old movies that you think you’ve outgrown but wind up watching straight through when you stumble upon them on television.

The swashbuckle of Errol Flynn flicks, the self-sacrifice of “Casablanca” and “Now, Voyager,” the nobility of the maverick idealist in Frank Capra films: All these crowd-pleasing virtues are combined in “Cyrano,” tied up with pretty ribbons of literary lyricism. The play appeals to the enduring hopeful adolescent in us that has grown weary of being cynical.

Mr. Leveaux, the British director of the exquisite-looking Broadway productions of “Nine” and “Jumpers,” does pretty better than most of his peers, which is his blessing and his curse. (Even “Fiddler on the Roof,” in his hands, suggested a Vogue layout on Shtetl Chic.) He also has a strong sentimental streak, tempered by his aesthetic sense. He is the perfect man to bring “Cyrano” into the 21st century, presenting the play’s flowery sensibility without making audiences feel they’ve been doused in perfume.

The central surprise of this “Cyrano” — which may at first throw some traditionalists — is its restraint. Cyrano, the rapier-wielding versifier who hides his love-torn heart, is a role that invites grandstanding and scenery chewing. Mr. Kline is an actor of matinee-idol charm who is known to have made a meal of a set or two. (Remember “Pirates of Penzance”?)

Yet lately his interpretations have been more and more subdued and inward looking, including a superb, mortality-steeped Falstaff and a bizarrely Noël Cowardish Lear. His Cyrano is in this same understated vein, a seemingly perverse choice for a character who hymns his own panache.

Mr. Kline knows what he’s doing. His bluster-free take on a man of bluster grows on you by stealth, and once you’re used to it, it makes wonderfully good sense. Like his Falstaff, Mr. Kline’s Cyrano has heard the chimes at midnight. A melancholy and fatigue underlie his flamboyant wit, a sense of the toll taken by being too ugly for courtly love and too independent for courtly politics.

This implicit sadness sets Cyrano apart even more than usual from the soldiers of his Gascon regiment and the bons vivants of Paris. In more classic interpretations (as by, say, José Ferrer in his Oscar-winning performance in the 1950 film), Cyrano is an exaggerated version of the gallant ideal the other characters aspire to: more manly, more skilled in the martial arts, more eloquent.

Mr. Kline’s Cyrano is indeed all these things. But what truly sets his version apart is the effortlessness with which he embodies them. Even conducting a sword fight to the meter of a spontaneously composed ballade or preparing to take on a lynch mob of a hundred, this Cyrano remains cool and slightly detached. Though Mr. Kline lands every joke and metaphor in style, you sense that Cyrano’s fearlessness comes in part from a weary feeling that he has nothing to lose.

At the root of this attitude is his belief that he could never win the love of his adored cousin, Roxane (Ms. Garner), whom he famously courts in the name of his good-looking but tongue-tied young friend, Christian (a very good Daniel Sunjata). Ms. Garner, I am pleased to report, makes Roxane a girl worth pining over.

The latest in a series of boldface film and television actresses to test their stage legs (including Julia Roberts and Claire Danes), Ms. Garner seems by far the most comfortable. The action-ready, long-limbed presence that made her a natural for the spy series “Alias” lends a lively touch of the tomboy to Roxane. Like Cyrano, she doesn’t quite fit into the regimented world around her, and you can see why these two were meant to be together.

Not incidentally, Ms. Garner radiates megawatt beauty in Gregory Gale’s sumptuous period costumes, and speaks Anthony Burgess’s peppery rhymed translation with unaffected sprightliness. If she’s a tad stilted in the big tragic finale, her comic timing is impeccable. And when Roxane arrives at the siege of Arras, bearing baskets of food for the soldiers, you feel like singing, “Hello, Dolly!”

Mr. Sunjata, best known on Broadway as the gay baseball star of Richard Greenberg’s “Take Me Out,” is everything Christian should be: handsome, excitable, a tad obtuse. But he also brings a sobering glint of self-awareness to his final scene that makes it truly and unusually affecting. The supporting cast members, including Chris Sarandon as the scheming Comte de Guiche and Euan Morton as a poeticizing drunkard, work in easygoing harmony.

Tom Pye’s mood-perfect set, awash in gentle flame lighting by Don Holder, makes dexterous and witty use of romantic visual staples like shimmering curtains, rich tapestries, a single naked tree and autumn leaves. And of course there’s an opulently full moon.

Clichés? Sure. But as this production testifies, spun by the right team of alchemists, the fundamental things still apply.

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ray-andallthatjazz86
#10re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 10:54pm

Interestingly enough, the review that matters the most was almost a rave. Glad to see Brantley enjoyed Garner's performance.


"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

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BustopherPhantom
#11re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 11:09pm

Newsday is Very Positive:

"How right it feels to have Kevin Kline in a world where bad poetry is a fighting offense.

And Kline, arguably New York's best argument for a popular classical theater, is not the only deeply satisfying pleasure in "Cyrano de Bergerac," which opened a limited run last night at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Jennifer Garner has moved with astonishing grace from being a TV double-agent in "Alias" to making her Broadway debut as Roxane, the adored secret of the romantic hero trapped behind Cyrano's infamous nose.

David Leveaux has directed a big, old-fashioned revival of Edmond Rostand's big old 19th century heartbreaker, full of swashbuckling gascons and dangerous noblemen, fops and ruffians, and an impudent, free-wheeling translation by Anthony Burgess that loves words enough to take them on exhilarating rides..."

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/ny-etsecw5440768nov02,0,1798421.story


"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum

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fflagg
#12re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/1/07 at 11:50pm

The Times review is a shock: Kline is a boring actor who is as mannered as Kevin Spacey and Garner is atrocious. Does BB have a boner for Kline?


Do you know what happens when you let Veal Prince Orloff sit in an oven too long?

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allofmylife
#13re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/2/07 at 1:01pm

Are you just sad you'll never have either?

Kline is one of the great clowns of our lifetime and Garner, I suspect, has a heretofore undiscovered depth in her abilities.

I'll buy a ticket to that one.


http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=972787#3631451 http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=963561#3533883 http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=955158#3440952 http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=954269#3427915 http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=955012#3441622 http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=954344#3428699

being.jeremiah
#16re: CYRANO DE BERGERAC Reviews
Posted: 11/5/07 at 3:25am

New York Sun is Mixed-to-Negative:

"Yet David Leveaux's boisterous revival of Edmond Rostand's 1897 swords-and-sobs verse drama never offers the lift one can receive from great or, in those rare but almost as unforgettable moments, terrible theater. It just lumbers around the stage, dragging along a slew of staggering drunkards, giggling wenches and preening soldiers like so many stray puppies. It looks expensive, and it feels cheap.

...

Mr. Kline, with his relaxed athleticism and unapologetically lush baritone, proved a bit too hardy to play King Lear earlier this year. Cyrano — the haughty, clever, stoically sentimental (and, yes, large-nosed) master swordsman who selflessly provides the sweet but dim young soldier Christian (Daniel Sunjata) with the honeyed words to woo the woman both men love — is far more in line with this gifted comic actor's seemingly inexhaustible brio. And he does not disappoint: Mr. Kline's Cyrano pulses with requisite vanity and arrogance but also with a deep vein of self-awareness at his sad and ridiculous situation."

http://www.nysun.com/article/65797