Notre Dame Film, Television, and Theatre Presents New Musical Adaptation of CYRANO

Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) announces CYRANO, a swashbuckling love story with a modern musical twist, in the Philbin Studio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, February 17-27.

Adapted by FTT professor Matt Hawkins from Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, CYRANO features music and lyrics by recent Notre Dame graduate Veronica Mansour '21. The adaptation pares down Rostand's five-act, 40+ character play into two streamlined acts with the feel of a contemporary, piano-driven pop musical. The title character is now a woman; several other roles originally written as male are also reimagined as women.

"We've all heard the term 'Renaissance man,'" says Hawkins. "In our modern adaptation, Cyrano is a Renaissance woman - she's a philosopher who writes poetry, swordfights, sings, dances - she does it all. But what she wants most is the love of her best friend, Roxane."

Hawkins, FTT's director of musical theatre, also serves as the production's director and fight choreographer. Hawkins and Mansour previously collaborated on the Department's production of An Old Family Recipe, a musical film with book, lyrics, and music by Mansour, developed in Hawkins' New Works Lab course and filmed during the spring semester 2021. Mansour is currently pursuing an MFA in musical theatre writing at New York University.

Hawkins and Mansour will join members of the cast as well as Notre Dame faculty members Dr. La Donna Forsgren (FTT, Gender Studies), Dr. Olivier Morel (FTT, Romance Languages) and Dr. Alison Rice (Romance Languages, Gender Studies) for a talkback with the audience following the Friday, February 18 performance.

Tickets may be purchased online at http://performingarts.nd.edu/, by phone at 574-631-2800, or in person at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office. Ticket office hours are Monday­-Friday, 12:00-6:00 pm.

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