Sarah Davey - Director
Adrian Lillie - Designer
Georgina King - Assistant Designer
Lisa Westerhout - Music
Mark Carlisle - De Guiche
Sarah Goddard - Roxane
Dafydd Gwyn Howells - Lignière
William Kempsell - Le Bret
Steve Knightly - Christian
Oliver Langdon - Valvert
Morven Macbeth - Orange Girl
Kate Penning - Duenna
Philippe Spall - Cyrano
Amy Standish - Bellerose
Charlotte Windmill - Lise
Claire Wyatt - Raguenau
Throughout the summer months the parks and college gardens of Oxford seem to overflow with dynamic and often spectacular open-air drama. Such an embarrassment of theatrical riches make it even more extraordinary to come across a production as strikingly outstanding as the Oxford Shakespeare Company's Cyrano de Bergerac which opened on Monday evening in Wadham College gardens. Catherine Kernot, Oxford Daily Info
A story perhaps best known from the film starring Gerard Depardieu, Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac is a truly epic work. Spanning a period of more than fifteen years, the action moves from theatre to battlefield and finally to its conclusion within the cloistered walls of a convent garden - a wide-ranging scope which cannot help but present serious challenges to any company staging it. The fact that the Oxford Shakespeare Company pull off their generous and absorbing production with only twelve players is tribute to the skill and imagination of the actors and of director, Sarah Davey.
The arriving audience is drawn instantly into the production by the presence of actors milling around in the garden making enthusiastic preparations for the ensuing performance. Such effective exploitation of the unconventional space continues throughout the evening - in particular the battlefield of the siege of Arras in Act IV is viscerally evoked by immensely loud explosions erupting out of the darkening air and the echoing of distant drums from the furthest reaches of the garden. The balance, however, is finely struck and the players never fall into the trap of becoming so excessively enamoured with the outdoor setting that intimacy is sacrificed in favour of exuberant cavorting and dramatic pyrotechnics. Perfectly paced, the action flows smoothly from ensemble piece to love scene to farce taking every advantage of the changing natural light, the balcony scene between Cyrano, Roxanne and Christian occurring just as the light of day begins to fade into twilight. Epic drama, touching intimacy, lyrical love scenes and terrific humour are all present in this beautifully cast production.
Philippe Spall makes an immensely charismatic and appealing Cyrano and the rest of the company match his high standard, with an especially entertaining performance from Claire Wyatt as the pastry chef Rageneau's. Though sparse, the set too is clever and imaginative, a particular highlight being the fairytale gingerbread coach that brings Roxanne across the battle lines. Swashbuckling swordsmanship and the fresh rapier dialogue of Christopher Fry's version of the text make this a hugely enjoyable evening. Bring a blanket (or rent one for 50p when you arrive), brave the chill and go along - it is impossible not to be drawn into this extraordinary performance.
Aaaagggghhhh Sarah Davey
No, really aaaaggghhhh
The epicness is that a word
Ah
How do I move the play from comedy through melodrama to tragedy?
Cast of thousands
Ah
I have, let me see, 1,2,3.....12. I have 12 actors!
The Nose
Ah
Say no more
Ah ha!
One of the aspects I love about open air theatre and especially in this space at
Wadham are the two plays that go on – the onstage play and the offstage one
as actors hurry and bustle as they change characters, have a breather, wait for
their next entrance etc. Why not make this – certainly in the opening Act - A
performance at the Hotel de Bourgogne, as much a part of our play. Our actors
could mingle, greet, talk to our audience, prepare their props and costumes, just
as the characters in the play do. Do I go as far as having the actor playing Cyrano
put on his nose on stage? I think if I was an audience member I would like to
see that. Mmmm. Will the actor go for it? Ensemble work! The play lends itself
beautifully to ensemble work, lots of big scenes with lots of action, a play for the
whole company to use all their skills, creativity, inventiveness. Moving the play
from one amazing setting to the next. Making the scenes between Roxane, Cyrano
and Christian intimate, moving and real.
Like I say, aaaggghhh.
June 2004
