Cyrano by candlelight

Cape May Stage will present the third installation of the Equity theatre’s Monday night candlelight reading series with a one-night only presentation of Edmond Rostand’s classic swashbuckling romance “Cyrano de Bergerac.”
It will take place at 8 p.m. on Monday Sept. 22.
Cyrano de Bergerac, soldier, swordsman, and poet, is cursed with an enormous, bulbous, blossoming beak of a nose. To compensate for his fixed belief that no woman can ever love him on account of this affliction, he has made himself renowned in Paris for his personal bravery and the charm of his verse.
Cyrano (played by Cape May Stage favorite Jim Fitzgerald) is in love with his beautiful and wealthy cousin Roxane.
After winning a spectacular duel with a man who has been annoying Roxane, Cyrano receives an urgent message from her. He is encouraged to believe she may actually love him in return. He finds, however, that Lady Roxane is in love with the dashing cadet Christian de Neuvillette and she wants Cyrano to bring them together.
Christian, however, can neither read nor write and begs Cyrano to read Roxane’s letter and reply for him. Cyrano lacks the confidence to declare his love for Roxane and offers his powers of expression to assist Christian in winning Roxane.
Soon Cyrano is penning love letters of such intellectual brilliance they bewitch the unsuspecting Roxane. When Christian sees the power that another’s letters have over Roxane, he suddenly wonders: will Roxane realize that Cyrano was the writer and that it is he whom she loves? Will the truth be revealed? Whom will she choose?
Rostand wrote this five-act “historical comedy” in 1898 and it was an enormous success. With the character of Cyrano, Rostand created one of the most enduring heroes of all time.
It is one of the most popular plays in the French language and has been translated and performed many times. It has been the subject of several films, including a 1950 film starring José Ferrer, a 1990 French-language version starring Gérard Depardieu, and a 1987 comedic Hollywood version, “Roxanne,” starring Steve Martin.
Directed by Paul Bernardo (currently starring as Father Flynn in “Doubt”), this staged reading presentation of “Cyrano” has been shortened and adapted by Jim Fitzgerald.
“Usually produced as a grand epic with huge casts, glorious sets, lavish costumes, and sweeping vistas, this staged reading will draw the audience’s focus on the elements of the story without all of the excess,” comments Fitzgerald.
“The pain of unrequited love is a story that we can all recognize. Human folly is universal and immediately recognizable. Our own ability to be blind to what lies just under our noses is a chronic condition. There is always a hint of laughter behind pain and there are tears in joy.”
Cyrano will be at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on the corner of Bank and Lafayette streets. Tickets for this performance are $10. Call 609-884-1341 for reservations and information or visit www.capemaystage.com.