‘Cyrano’ delves depths of love, poetry

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By Kristen Lara
Daily Bruin Contributor

Throughout time, love has been one of the strongest motivations in stirring the heart, so much that emotion often overwhelms rational thought.

Passion such as this has never been more prevalent than in Rostand’s play, “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Brought to the stage at the Knightsbridge Theatre by director Joseph Stachura, the comedy-tragedy tells the story of both unrequited and realized love.

Stachura plays Cyrano, a master swordsman and great poet. He falls in love with his cousin, Roxanne, played by General Hospital’s Sarah Brown. The confident warrior and otherwise self-assured Cyrano sees a great impediment to the realization of his love in the form of a rather prominent physical defect – his lengthy nose.

Feeling that his physical appearance is unworthy of the beautiful Roxanne, Cyrano is unable to express, let alone act on, the passions that stir his senses.

The timely arrival of a handsome young soldier, Christian (played by another General Hospital star, Chad Brannon), enables Cyrano to express his love in the form of moving words and poetic love letters which are all delivered through the young cadet.

While Cyrano expresses all that lies within his heart, Roxanne believes that she has inspired Christian to great heights of love and, therefore, believes he is the one who woos her with his ardent words. In actuality, the tongue-tied cadet cannot express his feelings for her at all, let alone express them poetically.

“Cyrano de Bergerac” takes the audience to the heart of France and is set in the age of the musketeer. The audience travels from the city to a ravaged battlefield, ultimately returning to the peace found within the holy walls of a French convent.

Love remains the primary impulse throughout the play, motivating and directing the characters’ actions. The story is further complicated when another party, portrayed by Eoin Patrick Ryan as De Guiche, reveals his own love for Roxanne.

As the story resolves itself, hearts are won and lost, yet love continues to resonate within the characters’ hearts. “Cyrano de Bergerac” is a story of passion, tenderness and faithfulness – of love unnoticed and love realized, yet conveyed in every sense.

Stachura reigns upon the stage as a fiery and passionate Cyrano. He realistically portrays a multi-faceted character, keeping pace with the changing moods befitting each situation. The audience sees this as Cyrano embodies the able warrior with a cocky and abrasive wit, and then becomes the tender lover, avowing his devotion with words both soft and sensitive. His great performance alone makes the play a pleasure to see.

Brown, a two-time Emmy award-winner for her role as Carly on General Hospital, lights up the stage with her winsome and moving performance as Roxanne. Through her powerful delivery, the audience follows Roxanne as she matures from a sweet, young girl, to a woman of quiet strength who has loved and lost. The strength in Brown’s portrayal lies in her ability to deliver emotionally-charged scenes with a true and poignant sincerity.

Brannon, in his role as the handsome and dashing, yet inexperienced new cadet, delivers his lines with all the fervor, enthusiasm and recklessness of a youth in love.

Brannon, however, gives greater depth to his character by emphasizing Christian’s halting naivete in his inability to express himself. The audience sees this dimension of the character contrasting with the selfless man that Christian later becomes. He willingly risks all that sustains him in the name of truth.

From “Cyrano de Bergerac,” the audience learns of the strength of passion that motivates people to choose their hearts over their minds. as well as the consequences of overcoming the powerful impulse. Love in its truest form is presented as caring and tender, with no room for regarding physical appearance and dismissing it as a superficial consideration.