Opening Night By A Nose
Opening Night By A NoseIt's been 23 years since Cyrano de Bergerac was last performed on the Great White Way. In the 1984 production -- the 11th revival of Edmond Rostand's classic play about love and a very large proboscis -- Derek Jacobi portrayed Cyrano to Sinéad Cusack's Roxane.
Tonight, the 13th incarnation opens at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. With David Leveaux at the helm, Kevin Kline takes on the titular role while Mrs. Ben Affleck (Jennifer Garner) portrays Roxane. It also marks happy Broadway returns for Daniel Sunjata (last seen in 2003's Take Me Out), Euan Morton (Taboo) and Chris Sarandon (The Light In The Piazza).
Although Walter Hampden had the title role for each of the five revivals spanning 1923 to 1936, it was José Ferrer who famously made the role his own in both the 1946 revival and the 1950 film version. Not only did Ferrer wind up taking home the very first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Role (he was up against just one other actor -- Fredric March -- in Years Ago), but he also won the Best Actor Oscar a few years later.
As much as Ferrer became synonymous with the character, his was merely the eighth revival of the play, which was first produced on Broadway all the way back in 1898 at the Garden Theatre.
Will the thirteenth time prove lucky for Kline and company? Find out tomorrow as I provide a critics' capsule.
Cyrano de Bergerac's limited run ends on December 21.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Cyrano On Broadway: In-Klined To Garner Success? (August 2, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Chris Sarandon, Cyrano de Bergerac, Daniel Sunjata, Euan Morton, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Kline, Opening Night, Play, Revival
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, November 01, 2007
4 Comments:
It will be a Herculean feat to inject some life into this snooze of a play. I can only hope that there is a new modern translation to this warhorse.
It will be a Herculean feat to inject some life into this snooze of a play. I can only hope that there is a new modern translation to this warhorse.
Michael
www.myspace.com/wickedstage
Michael, Looks like your comments are coming through in duplicate.
I've been hearing some decent buzz and will be seeing it for myself in the next few days. I'll let you know if I dozed off!
The only way you can get me to see the show is if Daniel Sunjata performs this show in the buff. He definitely HELD my attention in "TAKE ME OUT"....
Michael
www.myspace.com/wickedstage
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