''Cyrano de Bergerac'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with a book and lyrics by

Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films ''Do ...

and music by

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitne ...

. It is based on the 1897 play of the same title by

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with t ...

Production history

Wildhorn has said he composed the musical's title role specifically for

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-nominated actor

Douglas Sills Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor. Early life Sills was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Rhoda (Nemeth) and Archie Sills, and grew up in the suburb of Franklin, in a Jewish household. He was friends (and did am ...

, who previously appeared in Wildhorn's ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

''. Plans were made for the musical to debut in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in early 2006 and to open in the West End in the spring, but the project was cancelled. Spanish singing star

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

, who appeared in the Spanish production of Wildhorn's ''

Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'', was set to star in a Spring 2009 world premiere of ''Cyrano'' in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, but the project was postponed until Fall 2009. A

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

in Spanish, with Raphael in the title role, is in the planning stages. The world premiere of ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' took place on May 5, 2009 at the

Nissay Theatre The is a theatre in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is located in the Nissay Hibiya Building, designed by the architect Togo Murano. It was completed in 1963 and opened with a performance by the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Since then it has been used to sta ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, in Japanese, closing on May 28, 2009. It stars

Takeshi Kaga , real name , is a well-known stage and movie actor in Japan who is best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show ''Iron Chef'' produced by Fuji TV. Biography Kaga was born on October 12, 1950, i ...

, who originated the roles of Jekyll and Hyde in the original Japanese production. The production then transferred to

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, running from June 3–7.BWW News Des
"Wildhorn and Bricusse's 'CYRANO' Debuts at Tokyo's Nissay Theatre, Osaka Run, Tour to Follow,"
japan.broadwayworld.com, May 18, 2009

Concept album

There were strong considerations to release the concept album for the musical in 2006, which was to star Sills in the title role and

Linda Eder Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performed ...

as Roxanne, with

Rob Evan Robert "Rob" Evan is an American actor and singer, best known as the lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocalist on various music albums. Personal ...

as Christian. Global Vision Records, which is managed and operated by ''Jekyll'' creative team member Jeremy Roberts, released ''Jekyll & Hyde: Resurrection Cast Recording'', but cancelled plans to release the concept albums for both ''Cyrano'' and ''

Dracula, the Musical ''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla Play ...

''. No plans have been announced for a potential release.

Songs

* Let The Play Begin * My Nose * My Better Qualities * Roxanne * Bring Me Giants * Pastry & Poetry * Summer In Bergerac * Someone * Gascons * Alone * The Perfect Lover * Love Is Here At Last * My Words Upon His Lips * I Fell From The Moon * Take Care Of Him * De Guiche's Scarf * Every Single Day * I Can Never Tell Her * So Young, So Beautiful * Days Of Autumn * Cyrano's Gazette * Alone (Reprise)

References

External links

''Cyrano de Bergerac'' at the official Wildhorn site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyrano De Bergerac The Musical 2009 musicals Musicals based on plays Musicals by Frank Wildhorn