Following an acclaimed run in Stratford-upon-Avon last year, the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, newly adapted by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson, will transfer to the West End this summer.
Performances will begin June 13 at the Noël Coward Theatre for a limited engagement through September 5. Tickets will go on sale February 6 at CyranoWestEnd.co.uk.
Olivier winner Adrian Lester (Company, Othello, Hustle) will reprise his performance as Cyrano alongside Susannah Fielding (This Time with Alan Partridge, The Merchant of Venice) as Roxane, with further casting to be announced.
In a statement Lester said, “Simon Evans and I have been working on this project for years, well before the brilliant and incredibly supportive RSC collaborated with us to make it happen. I am so happy to be stepping back into the role of Cyrano in order to bring this playful and poignant production to more audiences in the West End. This fresh take on the classic is packed with the joyful lyricism of Simon and the amazing Debris Stevenson, whose poetry completely reinvented our approach to this classic. It is a wonderful show to be a part of, hilariously funny and desperately moving in equal parts. I feel very lucky to be a part of this great production."
Evans and Stevenson added, “Cyrano is a play about the courage it takes to say what you mean, plainly and bravely. Unashamedly funny and deeply moving in equal measure, we hope it’s an exploration of the absurd mess of human longing, a celebration of poetry that lives in the body, and an invitation for audiences to laugh, cry, and open their hearts. It has been a deeply collaborative and rewarding process for both of us, rooted in huge mutual respect and a shared love of language. At the heart of it all is Adrian Lester, whose extraordinary combination of gentleness, playfulness, and ferocity is utterly captivating. Watching him, alongside an exceptional company, share this play night after night is a genuine thrill. We’re incredibly proud to bring this production to the West End, and to share it with new audiences.”
Joining Evans and Stevenson on the creative team are set and costume designer Grace Smart, lighting designer Joshie Harriette, composer Alex Baranowski, sound designer Donato Wharton, movement director Sarita Piotrowski, fight and intimacy director Bethan Clark, dramaturg Rebecca Latham, and casting director Matthew Dewsbury.
Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin Productions, and Royal Shakespeare Company produce.
Check out photos from the RSC staging in the gallery below.
Susannah Fielding and Adrian Lester in Cyrano
Susannah Fielding and Adrian Lester in Cyrano
Adrian Lester and Susannah Fielding in Cyrano
Susannah Fielding and Adrian Lester in Cyrano
Adrian Lester in Cyrano
Adrian Lester in Cyrano
