It’s not often I encounter a play that clocks in at over three hours and when I do, it better be gosh darn worth it with the play’s writing, acting, and directing at the top of its game. Fortunately, the new Pasadena Playhouse production of Cyrano de Bergerac (by Edmond Rostand and freely adapted by Martin Crimp) directed by Mike Donahue earns its long stay by imbuing you with such crackling energy and wit that burns all the way through, never leaving you bored or restless.

This play is such a dynamite production that also earns high marks for fully utilizing global majority actors in significant character roles that are so deliciously rich, notably Chukwudi Iwuji as Cyrano, Rosa Salazar as Roxane, and Kimberly Scott as Madame Ragueneau. Take note, other PWI theatre companies! This is how you do it.

In one way or another, you know the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac, whether you have read the original source material or seen countless films or plays that have taken inspiration from a “socially undesirable” aka very big nosed man & his brilliant gift of words who is hopelessly in love with his cousin (more on that later) but passes his words onto his more conventionally handsome friend who is also in love with the woman. With Crimp’s adaptation, this version employs spoken word, contemporary poetry, and raw physicality to explore themes of passion. While I’m a skeptic of spoken word poetry since I experienced way too many terrible late night slam poetry sessions, I am so pleased to say that my college nightmares did not resurface while watching this play.

One will also immediately notice the movie celebrity casting when it comes to the main leads, particularly Chukwudi Iwuji (you’ll most likely immediately recognize him as the lead villain The High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and Rosa Salazar who played the title role in Alita: Battle Angel. While celebrity casting is often used by larger theatre institutions to draw in a wider range of audiences, the quality is often found lacking when employing such folks. And when it came to this particular challenging play, I was a bit apprehensive they would be able to pull it off. It becomes immediately clear that as soon as they make their respective entrances, not only does Iwuji and Salazar pull it off, but they run to the moon with such fervor and passion that I apologize I had any doubt in them in the first place. Iwuji’s role as Cyrano is so densely packed with such astounding amount of words that must be spoken with conviction and fire that one cannot help but make mini standing ovations in one’s head every time he delivers a momentous witty takedown or the most eloquent meltdowns you’ll ever see. It is no surprise then he comes from such a rich theatre background as this role cannot be entrusted to any mere actor who can speak fast.

While she may not have as much of a theatre background, Salazar more than holds her own as the indomitable Roxane. With this character, you can’t help but admire her fiery spirit and adore her immediately. She plays off Iwuji beautifully and the same playfulness extends equally to Will Hochman as Christian, who may not present off as a stereotypical “alpha male” as presented but makes the role his own immediately with his genuine charm and naivety that you root so earnestly for. To top off the main cast is Kimberly Scott as Madame Ragueneau who makes the kind yet firm matriarch character such a formidable and endearing presence that one wishes a person like her existed in real life to not only inspire you but also kick you in the butt for stepping out of line.

The ensemble cast, and there are eleven of them, contribute greatly to the quality of this piece and for a play that employs fifteen actors, I am quite impressed that it was able to afford a memorable moment for each and every actor who comes in and out on stage as various characters (or for some, just one). Kudos to Larry Powell, Jens Austin Astrup, Aaron Costa Ganis, E.M. Davis, Christine Lin, Barry Livingston, Michael Nathanson, Kila Packett, Sawyer Patterson, Jonathan Slavin, and John Garet Stoker with a special mention to Nathanson as De Guiche who nailed not only being the antagonist everyone wants to hate but also the uproarious comic relief everyone cannot help but laugh at. Getting such a large talented cast is no small feat so a round of applause to Ryan Bernard Tymensky whose casting work does not go unnoticed. The stage managing work of Colleen Danaher also does not go unnoticed, along with Jessica Keasberry-Vnuk and Kimberly Sanchez Garrido as the most excellent assistant stage managers.

I do have some critical notes and I’ll start with the play’s running time. While I DO commend the play for earning its three-plus hours, the first 20 minutes could arguably be shaved off solely because I find myself being a huge cynic when it comes to meta theatre (to which there’s been quite the trend of that this year from the plays I reviewed so far). Second, and this is something I’ve also been noticing with recent renditions of Cyrano but if the play/film keeps talking about how prominent Cyrano’s nose is, I constantly need to remind myself that I need to use my imagination that there is such a nose for Cyrano when the actor doesn’t have such a feature whatsoever. Yes yes, I can see the technical challenges when an actor must wear such a prosthetic device or take certain dramatic scenes seriously but I believe it is possible and shouldn’t be shied away from.

There are also certain scene transitions where they blast out the floodlights to Cthulu knows what ends other than to blind the audience (or possibly wake them up). There’s also the beginning meta theatre introductions where they reveal two of its characters in the balcony, much to the dismay of everyone on the first floor who cannot see what the heck is happening up there. Finally, for a play that has modernized certain elements, I find myself wondering why Crimp has kept the original matter that Cyrano is in love with his freaking cousin. If that element must be kept in, I would have sure loved some sort of commentary about that because every time it is brought up, it always brings out an immature ewwwww out of me.

In the end, this play is a glorious winner despite all the potential traps of celebrity casting, a very long run time, and making an old story relatable and contemporary. It is once again a testimony of global majority casting done right with justice as the non-traditional casting is fully used for significant characters and not just for the smaller ones to fulfill the diversity quota. So if you can find a day to give three hours for a play that will fire up your imagination, look no further than Cyrano de Bergerac.

Venue:
Pasadena Playhouse
39 South El Molino Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Dates:
Now through Sunday, September 29

Tickets:
Membership Packages available starting at $104
Online — PasadenaPlayhouse.org
By phone at 626-356-7529
In person — Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101

Performance Schedule:
Wednesday and Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m
Sundays at 2:00 p.m and Sunday, September 29th at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 17th at 8:00 p.m.