The Milwaukee Repertory Theater opens its 51st season with an ambitious but flawed interpretation of the classic French play, Cyrano de Bergerac. Joe Roets, renowned for his work with children's theater, creates this version, called Cyrano. Three actors (two men and a woman) portray all the characters. They switch from modern dress to partial and full costumes at various times during the course of the production. The quick costume changes -- often in full view of the audience -- do not detract from the proceedings.
The same cannot be said for the other technical aspects of this production. Modern-looking chairs, stools, ladders and other backstage props surround the set. The actors seemingly "play" with them to assemble each scene.
Sound effects are a major part of this production, and some of them are quite clever. When the two men begin to duel, they imitate movements associated with swordplay while the woman, standing upstage, makes appropriate clashing noises with real swords. This produces a very unusual and impressive effect, and director Jim Edmondson is to be complimented. However, other "modern" touches -- such as turning taped music on and off with a remote control hidden in an actor's pocket -- are complete duds. This creates a confusing mishmash, especially when actors frequently announce that the play's timeframe is the 1600s. (If this is truly a "modern" version, why doesn't Cyrano become a contestant on TV's "Extreme Makeover" and get a nose job?)
Cyrano de Bergerac has withstood the test of time for its emphasis on poetic love, longing, duty and selflessness. It can withstand a lot of tinkering, but this version fails the test. The fault cannot be placed on the actors, who give a superb effort. Ted Deasy charms as the swashbuckling, poetic Cyrano, who pines for the love of his distant cousin, Roxane. Tall, lanky and handsome, with a face ringed by curls and sporting a normal-sized nose, Deasy must nonetheless create the illusion of ugliness. He does. Rebecca Spence elevates Roxane into a demure, princess-like figure. However, Roxane drops her winsome demeanor to convince her cousin, Cyrano, to look after a new recruit in his regiment, named Christian. She has seen Christian from afar and likes what she sees. Christian admits to Cyrano that he becomes tongue-tied among women. Cyrano helps cement Roxane's affections by giving Christian the words to woo her. It works. The smitten Roxane ensures that Christian avoids battle by fooling one of her suitors, a wealthy and powerful man who controls troop movements. This proves to be a risky game. When the suitor realizes he has been duped, he immediately puts both Cyrano and Christian on the front battle lines. Without supplies or an escape route, their doom is assured.
When Christian realizes the true affection Cyrano has for Roxane, he takes matters into his own hands. Cyrano, however, stays true to his pledge even after his rival is removed. When the truth is finally revealed at Cyrano's deathbed, it is one of the most touching moments in classic literature. Thankfully, in this production's final 20 minutes, it does an about-face and turns serious. Finally, we become swept away by the beauty and poetic loss of these three characters. (We might not feel the loss of Christan as deeply as we should, since actor Reese Madigan is also called upon to portray nearly a dozen other characters, including Roxane's wealthy suitor, a monk, a baker, etc.) He does a superb job at this juggling act, and we are privileged to see his facile transformation between characters. However, as a whole, this Cyrano fails to add up to a satisfying evening of theater.
