“˜Cyrano’ delves depths of love, poetry
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 5, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Knightsbridge Press General Hospital star Chad
Brannon plays Christian in the Knightsbridge L.A.
production of "Cyrano De Bergerac."
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.
THEATER: “Cyrano de Bergerac” is
currently playing at the Knightsbridge Theatre, 1944 Riverside Dr.,
Los Angeles, through March 11. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m.
and Saturday at 5 p.m., with Sunday performances at 2 p.m. For
tickets and pricing information call (626) 440-0821 or go to
www.knightsbridgetheatre.com.
