''Cyrano'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...

and music by Michael J. Lewis. Based on Edmond Rostand's classic 1897 play of the same name, it focuses on a love triangle involving the large-nosed poetic

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

, his beautiful cousin Roxana, and his classically handsome but inarticulate friend Christian de Neuvillette who, unaware of Cyrano's unrequited passion for Roxana, imposes upon him to provide the romantic words he can use to woo her successfully in mid-17th century

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In the early 1960s, David Merrick had announced plans to produce a musical entitled ''Cyrano'' with a score 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

Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leadin ...

, but nothing came of the project. Burgess had translated the Rostand play for the Guthrie in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, and director

Michael Langham Michael Seymour Langham (22 August 1919 – 15 January 2011) was an English director and actor, who spent much of his career living and working in Canada and the United States. He was educated at Radley College and studied law at the Universi ...

suggested he adapt it for a musical version. Burgess joined forces with

film composer A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

Lewis, replacing dialogue in his play with musical numbers, and the completed work was staged at the Guthrie, again with Langham at the helm. Following a 6 week tryout in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

's Colonial Theatre and five previews, the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production, directed and choreographed by

Michael Kidd Michael Kidd (August 12, 1915 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and stage choreographer, dancer and actor, whose career spanned five decades, and staged some of the leading Broadway and film musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Kidd, stron ...

, opened on May 13, 1973 at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 49 performances. The cast included

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

as Cyrano, Leigh Beery as Roxana, and

Mark Lamos Mark Lamos (born March 10, 1946) is an American theatre and opera director, producer and actor. Under his direction, Hartford Stage won the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and he has been nominated for two other Tonys. He is n ...

as Christian, with

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations f ...

making her Broadway debut in two small supporting roles. Plummer won the

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

for Best Actor in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance, and Beery was Tony-nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. An original cast recording LP was released by A&M Records in 1973. An

original cast recording Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

CD was released by Decca Records in 2005. In September 1994, an abridged version of the musical was staged at The Newport Arts Center in Orange County, California. Directed by Kent Johnson, and starring John Huntington as Cyrano and Deirdre McGill as Roxanne. One song, "You Have Made Me Love", released on a Broadway standards album sung by McGill.

Song list

;Act I *Cyrano's Nose - Cyrano *La France, La France - Company *Tell Her - Le Bret and Cyrano *From Now Till Forever - Cyrano & Company *Bergerac - Cyrano & Roxana *Pocapdedious - Cadets *No, Thank You - Cyrano *From Now Till Forever (Reprise) - Cyrano & Christian ;Act II *Roxana - Christian & Company *It's She and It's Me - Christian *You Have Made Me Love - Roxana *Thither, Thother, Thide of Thee - Cyrano *Pocapdedious (Reprise) - Le Bret & Cadets *Paris Cuisine - Cyrano, Le Bret & Cadets *Love Is Not Love - Roxana *Autumn Carol - Roxana & Nuns *I Never Loved You - Cyrano

Original Broadway cast

*Cyrano de Bergerac -

*Roxana - Leigh Beery *Christian de Neuvillette -

*Le Bret, Captain of the Gascons - James Blendick *Montfleury, A Romantic Tragedian -

Patrick Hines Mainer Patrick Hines (March 17, 1930 in Burkeville, Texas – August 12, 1985 in Manhattan, New York) was an American actor who was probably best known for his portrayal of Kapellmeister Giuseppe Bonno in the 1984 film '' Amadeus''. He also appe ...

*Count de Guiche, Guardian of Roxana -

Louis Turenne Louis Turenne (November 26, 1933 – 25 July 2006) was a Canadian actor. From 1977 to 1978, he played the role of Anthony Saxon on ''The Edge of Night''. Turenne was known for his work on the ''Babylon 5'' television series. He played the Minba ...

*Ragueneau, A Baker and Poet - Arnold Soboloff *Viscount de Valvert - J. Kenneth Campbell *Roxana's Duenna, Sister Marthe - Anita Dangler *Pickpocket, Capucine Monk - Geoff Garland *Jodelet -

Michael Goodwin Michael Goodwin may refer to: * Michael Goodwin (architect), architect and politician in the Phoenix, Arizona area * Michael Goodwin (actor) Michael W. Goodwin (b. October 9, 1941, in Virginia, Minnesota) is an American character actor. He has app ...

*The Marquis in Red - Alexander Orfaly *Vendor -

*Child in the Bakery - Paul Thompson

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

*''Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops'' by Ken Mandelbaum, published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

(1991), pages 191-92 ()

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing''Cyrano''
at the Music Theatre International website {{Cyrano de Bergerac 1973 musicals Works based on Cyrano de Bergerac (play) Broadway musicals Musicals based on plays Tony Award-winning musicals