The story of Cyrano de Bergerac has been told time and time again, from the original 1897 play by French poet Edmond Rostand, through to countless modern adaptations – the literal (2021’s Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage in the lead role) and the loose (the 1996 romcom The Truth About Cats and Dogs; Netflix’s absolute stinker of a 2018 teen comedy Sierra Burgess is a Loser). It’s a timeless tale: self-conscious guy feels as if he’s not good or hot enough for his crush, so he ventriloquises someone else to win her over. A completely normal thing to do – what could possibly go wrong?
Melbourne Theatre Company’s queered version of this classic, written by and starring the charismatic Virginia Gay (Calamity Jane), was set to premiere in 2021, but was scuppered by a snap lockdown announced just three hours before opening night. Nevertheless, she persisted; Cyrano is a bold, modern reimagining, set both on and within the stage. It manages to be meta without being annoying, celebrating the return of live performance (particularly meaningful for this production) while also quite literally constructing, and therefore deconstructing, the tropes of the story.
