Cyrano de Bergerac is a French play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. The story includes real-life details about the 17th-century writer Cyrano de Bergerac, as well as made-up elements and legends. The character's large nose is based on real life (as shown in the portrait), but it is often made even bigger during performances of the play.

The entire play is written in verse, with lines that rhyme and have twelve syllables each. This style is similar to a classical form called the alexandrine, though the verses sometimes do not have a pause in the middle. The play is carefully researched, including details such as the names of members of the Académie française and the ladies known as the dames précieuses, who appear briefly before the first scene.

The play has been translated and performed many times. It introduced the word "panache" into the English language. The character Cyrano mentions "my panache" in the play. Well-known English translations were done by Brian Hooker, Anthony Burgess, and Louis Untermeyer.

Plot summary

Hercule Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac is a nobleman in the French Army who is confident and determined. He is a skilled fighter, a talented poet, and a musician. However, he has a very large nose, which makes him feel unsure of himself. This lack of confidence stops him from confessing his love for his cousin, Roxane, a kind and intelligent woman. Roxane loves Christian de Neuvillette, a handsome man who struggles to express his feelings. Cyrano writes love letters to Roxane on Christian's behalf, pretending to be him.

The play begins in Paris in 1640 at the Hôtel de Bourgogne theater. People from all walks of life gather, including thieves and nobles. Christian, a new soldier, arrives with Lignière, a drunk man who helps him identify Roxane. Lignière tells Christian about a plan to marry Roxane to Viscount Valvert. Meanwhile, Cyrano has forced an actor named Montfleury off the stage for a month without permission. Christian later learns about a plot against Lignière and tries to warn him.

The play "Clorise" starts with Montfleury's performance. Cyrano interrupts the show, removes Montfleury from the stage, and pays the theater manager for lost money. After a crowd gathers, Cyrano fights Valvert during a duel, ending each verse of his poem with the line, "Then, as I end the refrain, thrust home!" When the crowd leaves, Cyrano confesses his love for Roxane. Roxane's guardian arrives and asks where she can meet Cyrano privately. Lignière is brought to Cyrano, who learns of a group of thugs planning to attack him. Cyrano vows to face them alone and leads a group to the Porte de Nesle.

The next day, at Ragueneau's bakery, Cyrano is anxious about meeting Roxane. He writes a heartfelt letter to her, warns Ragueneau's wife about a secret, and waits for Roxane. When she arrives, they talk as she bandages his injured hand. Roxane thanks Cyrano for helping her, but she says she loves Christian, a man she describes as handsome. She asks Cyrano to protect Christian, and he agrees.

Later, Cyrano's captain and soldiers congratulate him. A crowd, including de Guiche, gathers, but Cyrano drives them away. Le Bret scolds Cyrano for his actions, but Cyrano refuses to apologize. The soldiers tease Christian, who speaks about Cyrano's nose. Cyrano is angry but holds back his temper. Eventually, Cyrano explodes, revealing his identity as Roxane's cousin. Christian admits he cannot express his love for Roxane and asks Cyrano to help. Cyrano offers to write a letter for him, and the soldiers are surprised when they see the two men embrace.

Outside Roxane's house, Ragueneau talks with her guardian. When Cyrano arrives, Roxane praises Christian's letters, saying he is more intelligent than Cyrano. She also says she loves Christian. De Guiche arrives, claiming he is leaving to fight in Spain. He tells Roxane that his regiment includes Cyrano's unit and predicts a future fight with him. Roxane suggests de Guiche stay near her, and he agrees to hide in a monastery. She promises not to tell Cyrano about this.

Roxane expects Christian to visit and tells her guardian to make him wait. Cyrano tells Christian to improvise about love during their meeting. Christian refuses, wanting to speak in his own words. During their meeting, Christian struggles to impress Roxane, and she becomes angry. Cyrano helps him by whispering lines from his own poems. Later, Cyrano pretends to be Christian, winning a kiss for him.

Roxane and Christian secretly marry a Capuchin monk. Outside, Cyrano meets de Guiche, pretending to be a madman who claims to have traveled to the Moon. De Guiche is fascinated and delays his journey. When Cyrano reveals his identity, de Guiche suggests he write a book.

The couple's happiness is short-lived. De Guiche announces that he will send the Gascony Cadets to war in Spain. He tells Cyrano the wedding will have to wait. Cyrano remains calm, knowing the news does not bother him. Roxane is worried about Christian's safety and…

Stage history

On December 27, 1897, the curtain opened at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin. The audience was surprised and enjoyed the performance. An hour after the curtain closed, the audience was still clapping. The first actor to play Cyrano was Constant Coquelin. He performed the role over 410 times at the theatre and later toured North America. The original production used sets designed by Marcel Jambon and his assistants Brard and Alexandre Bailly (Acts I, III, and V), Eugène Carpezat (Act II), and Alfred Lemeunier (Act IV). The first touring version of Cyrano was created by Charles Moncharmont and Maurice Luguet. It premiered in Monte Carlo on March 29, 1898, and was later shown in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, and Spain. Special sets that copied the Parisian production were made for this tour by Albert Dubosq. These sets were used in performances such as L'Eventail on March 6 and April 17, 1898.

Richard Mansfield was the first actor to perform Cyrano in the United States in an English version of the play.

The longest-running Broadway production of Cyrano had 232 shows in 1923. Walter Hampden played the role and returned to it in 1926, 1928, 1932, and 1936. Hampden used a 1923 translation by Brian Hooker, which became a classic and was used by most English-speaking actors until the 1980s. In 1946, Hampden passed the role to José Ferrer, who won a Tony Award for a highly praised Broadway performance. A special benefit show featured Ferrer acting in the first four acts and Hampden (then in his mid-sixties) taking over for the fifth. Ferrer performed the role on live television in 1949 and 1955 and in a 1950 film version for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. This became Ferrer’s most famous role.

Other notable English-speaking actors who played Cyrano include Ralph Richardson, DeVeren Bookwalter, Derek Jacobi, Michael Kanarek, Richard Chamberlain, and Christopher Plummer, who performed in Rostand’s play and won a Tony Award for the 1973 musical version. Kevin Kline played Cyrano in a 2007 Broadway production, with Jennifer Garner as Roxane and Daniel Sunjata as Christian. A recording of this production was shown on PBS’s Great Performances in 2009. In 2018, David Serero became the first French actor to perform Cyrano in America in English.

• 1962–1963: The Stratford Shakespeare Festival performed the play for two seasons, with John Colicos in the title role.
• 1970: Anthony Burgess wrote a new translation and adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. It premiered at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Paul Hecht played Cyrano, with Len Cariou as Christian and Roberta Maxwell as Roxane. A later production by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1983 starred Derek Jacobi as Cyrano and Alice Krige (later Sinéad Cusack) as Roxane. This version was recorded and shown on television in 1985. Burgess revised his translation for this production. Both translations were published in book form.
• 1977: Tom Gallacher, a Scottish writer, created a shorter version of Rostand’s play in prose. It was performed at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
• 1982–1983: The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, produced the play for two seasons. Derek Goldby directed it, and Heath Lamberts played Cyrano.
• 1983–1985: Emily Frankel wrote a shorter version of the play for her husband, John Cullum. It was first performed at Syracuse Stage in 1983, then at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre in 1984. A national tour in 1985–1986 ended with a month-long run at Baltimore’s Morris Mechanic Theatre.
• 1989: The play was staged multiple times on Off Broadway, including a tour of New York City parks by Frank Muller, produced by the Riverside Shakespeare Company.
• 1990: The Tanghalang Pilipino in the Philippines performed the play with a translation by Soc Rodrigo and direction by Tony Mabesa.
• 1992: John Wells wrote an adaptation titled Cyrano, which premiered at London’s Haymarket Theatre. Edwin Morgan also wrote a translation in Scots verse, performed by the Communicado Theatre Company. The National Theatre of Scotland later produced this version in 2018.
• 1994: The Stratford Shakespeare Festival performed the play, directed by Derek Goldby and starring Colm Feore.
• 1995: Jatinder Verma wrote and directed an adaptation set in 1930s India, starring Naseeruddin Shah. It opened at London’s National Theatre in October.
• 1997: Pierre Lebeau starred in a 1996 production by the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. The show was repeated in July without air conditioning. Antony Sher played Cyrano in a Lyric Theatre production directed by Gregory Doran. Frank Langella created and directed a simplified version of the play titled Cyrano.
• 2001: David Grapes II played Cyrano in an adaptation by Robert Neblett and Todd Olson at the Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville, TN.
• 2004: Barksdale Theatre in Richmond began its 50th-anniversary season with a production of Emily Frankel’s Cyrano, starring David Bridgewater.
• 2005: A verse adaptation by Barry Kornhauser was produced by The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, under Michael Kahn’s direction. It won multiple Helen Hayes Awards, including “Outstanding Play.”
• 2007: A translation by Ranjit Bolt opened at Bristol Old Vic in May. A parody titled Cyranose! was performed by Sound & Fury in Los Angeles in September 2007 and released on DVD.
• 2009: The Stratford Shakespeare Festival performed the play again, with Colm Feore returning as Cyrano, directed by Donna Feore. This version combined Anthony Burgess’s translation with parts of the original French text.
• 2011: A translation by Michael Hollinger premiered at the Folger Theatre in Washington

Translations

• Howard Thayer Kingsbury (1898) – blank verse; performed by Richard Mansfield
• Gladys Thomas and Mary F. Guillemard (1898) – prose
• Charles Renauld (1898) – prose
• Gertrude Hall (1898) – prose
• Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti translated into Arabic
• Brian Hooker (1923) – blank verse
• Humbert Wolfe (1941) – prose
• Anthony Burgess (1971) – verse and prose
• Lowell Blair (1972) – prose
• Christopher Fry (1975) – verse
• Soc Rodrigo (1991) translated into Filipino
• Edwin Morgan (Glaswegian Scots) (1992)
• Eric Merrill Budd (2005) – "poetic prose"
• Derek Mahon (2004) – blank verse
• Carol Clark (2006) – "a loose five beat line…" in blank verse
• Brian Vinero (2021) – rhymed verse

Direct adaptations

• Cyrano de Bergerac (1925), a silent French-Italian film version of the play, made using the Pathé Stencil Color process, and starring Pierre Magnier.
• Cyrano de Bergerac (1946), a French-language black-and-white film version starring Claude Dauphin. Posters and film stills suggest that the set designs and costumes in the 1950 film may have been inspired by this version.
• Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), the first English-language adaptation of the play. José Ferrer played the title role. The film had a low budget and still lost money, but it received critical praise, won Ferrer the Academy Award for Best Actor, and featured Mala Powers as Roxane and William Prince as Christian. Ferrer later played the role again in Cyrano and d'Artagnan, a 1964 film directed by Abel Gance.
• Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), a French film adaptation starring Gérard Depardieu as Cyrano. It won Best Film, Best Director (Jean-Paul Rappeneau), and Best Actor (Depardieu) at the French Césars. Franca Squarciapino received an Oscar, a Bafta, and a César for her costume design.
• Cyrano (2021), an American-British musical drama film directed by Joe Wright, based on Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical. It stars Peter Dinklage as Cyrano, Haley Bennett as Roxane, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian, and Ben Mendelsohn as De Guiche. In this version, Cyrano is a dwarf, not a man with a large nose.

• January 9, 1949: The Philco Television Playhouse aired a one-hour adaptation featuring José Ferrer in his television debut.
• 1968: The BBC produced a Play of the Month adaptation.
• 1974: A television production starring Peter Donat as Cyrano.

• Ralph Richardson played Cyrano in a 1966 BBC Home Service radio production translated by Brian Hooker and adapted by John Powell.
• Len Cariou and Roberta Maxwell starred in a 1980 CBC Television version directed by Yuri Rasovsky.
• Kenneth Branagh played Cyrano, Jodhi May played Roxane, and Tom Hiddleston played Christian in a 2008 BBC Radio 3 production using Anthony Burgess’s translation. The production aired on BBC Radio 3 on March 23, 2008, and was rebroadcast on April 4, 2010.
• Tom Burke and Emily Pithon starred in a 2015 BBC Radio 4 version titled 15 Minute Drama, spanning five 15-minute episodes. It was adapted by Glyn Maxwell and directed by Susan Roberts.

• Victor Herbert’s 1899 operetta Cyrano de Bergerac, performed at New York’s Knickerbocker Theatre, was one of Herbert’s few failures. It had a book by Stuart Reed and lyrics by Harry B. Smith.
• Walter Damrosch’s Cyrano premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1913.
• A French-language opera Cyrano de Bergerac, with a libretto by Henri Caïn based on Rostand’s play, was composed by Franco Alfano and first performed in Italian in 1936. The original French version was later revived, including a 2003 production at the Opéra national de Montpellier with Roberto Alagna and a 2005 production at the Metropolitan Opera with Plácido Domingo.
• Eino Tamberg composed an opera Cyrano de Bergerac in 1974, with a libretto in Estonian by Jaan Kross based on Rostand’s play.
• An opera Cyrano by David DiChiera, with a libretto by Bernard Uzan, premiered at the Michigan Opera Theatre on October 13, 2007.

• Cyrano, a 1973 musical adaptation by Anthony Burgess starring Christopher Plummer, opened in Boston and on Broadway. Plummer won a Tony Award for his performance, but the musical was not commercially successful.
• Cyrano: The Musical, with music by Ad van Dijk, a Dutch book and lyrics by Koen van Dijk, and English lyrics by Peter Reeves and Sheldon Harnick for Broadway, premiered in 1992 in Amsterdam. It later opened on Broadway in 1993, running for 137 performances. The cast included Bill van Dijk as Cyrano, Anne Runolfsson as Roxane, and Paul Anthony Stewart as Christian.
• Cyrano, a 1993 Danish-language musical adaptation by Sebastian, opened at Gladsaxe Teater. It later played at Theater des Westens in Berlin. Sebastian added new songs for a 2000 production titled Den Nye Cyrano, produced by Mastodonterne. The musical has been frequently staged by Danish theatre companies.
• The Furious Gasconian, a 1993 musical by Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev, is based on the play.
• Cyrano de Bergerac, a 2009 musical with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn, has been performed in Tokyo and Seoul.
• C., a 2016 musical with music by Robert Elhai and book and lyrics by Bradley Greenwald, premiered at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis. It was directed by Peter Rothstein and starred Greenwald as Cyrano.
• Cyrano, a 2018 musical written and directed by Erica Schmidt, with music by The National, starred Schmidt’s husband Peter Dinklage. It premiered in New York and was adapted into a 2021 film where Dinklage was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

Loose adaptations

• Love Letters (1945) is a movie made by novelist Ayn Rand based on the book Pity My Simplicity by Christopher Massie, which was inspired by a play by Rostand. The main character, Singleton (played by Jennifer Jones), falls in love with a soldier during World War II, thinking he wrote love letters sent to him by another soldier. In this version, Singleton finds out the real writer (played by Joseph Cotten) before the story ends with a happy ending. The film, produced by Hal Wallis, was successful and received four Academy Award nominations, including one for Jennifer Jones as Best Actress. The music by Victor Young was also nominated for an Oscar. The song "Love Letters" became a hit and was recorded by many artists.

• Life of an Expert Swordsman (1959; released in English as Samurai Saga) is a samurai movie directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. Toshiro Mifune plays the Cyrano character.

• The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots (1969), directed by Kimio Yabuki, includes a scene where the main character, Pierre, is helped by Puss 'n Boots while confessing his love to someone on a balcony.

• Electric Dreams (1984) tells the story of a self-aware computer that falls in love with a musician and helps its owner win her heart.

• Roxanne (1987) is a comedy with a happy ending. Steve Martin plays a firefighter named Charles "C.D." Bales, Daryl Hannah plays a student named Roxanne Kowalski, and Rick Rossovich plays a younger firefighter named Chris.

• Saajan (1991) is a movie where a disabled poet helps a man from his adoptive family win the love of a woman the poet also loves by writing letters for him. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, and Madhuri Dixit.

• The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996) is a romantic comedy that reimagines the story with swapped genders. It stars Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, and Ben Chaplin.

• Whatever It Takes (2000) stars Shane West, James Franco, and Marla Sokoloff.

• Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) is a movie where a woman secretly in love with her childhood friend writes letters for him, helping him win the heart of a woman he loves. The movie stars Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukherji, and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

• The Ugly Truth (2009) is a romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. It includes a scene where a man advises a woman over a radio during a baseball game.

• Let It Shine (2012) is a Disney Channel movie based on the story. It follows a teenager named Cyrus DeBarge who lets his friend use his music to win over a singer named Roxie.

• Oohalu Gusagusalade (2014) is a Telugu romantic comedy movie based on the play.

• Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018) is a Netflix movie that reimagines the story with swapped genders and is set in a high school.

• #Roxy (2018) is a Canadian romantic comedy that updates the story for modern times.

• The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (2018) is a German comedy/romance film from the 21st century.

• Old Boys (2018) is a British comedy where a shy student helps his friend win the heart of a girl.

• The Half of It (2020) is a Netflix movie that retells the story through the perspective of a lesbian teenage girl from a small town.

• In the 1966 episode "One Monkee Shy" of The Monkees, Peter Tork gets help from his bandmates to win over Valerie in a balcony scene.

• In the 1972 episode "Cyrano de Brady" of The Brady Bunch, Peter tries to win his crush's heart while receiving lines from Greg, who hides in the bushes.

• In the 1982 episode "Cyrano de Jackson" of Diff'rent Strokes, Arnold helps his friend Dudley win a girl's heart by giving him lines through an earpiece.

• In the 1996 episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the story is adapted.

• In the 2022 episode "Papa" of Stranger Things, Will gives Mike a painting and pretends it was made by Eleven, hiding his own feelings for Mike.

• The 2006 musical Calvin Berger by Barry Wyner sets the story in a modern high school.

• Cyrano: Isang Sarsuwela is a 2010 Filipino musical adaptation of the play. It is set in the Philippines during World War II. The musical ran from 2010 to 2011 and was directed by Pat Valera. It later returned as Mula sa Buwan from 2016 to 2018. It was also performed again during the pandemic at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

Other cultural references to the play

In the 1988 movie Short Circuit 2, a character named Ben Jahveri reads lines from a robot named Johnny 5, which are shown on a digital billboard. Ben is trying to impress another character named Sandy Banatoni.

In the 1991 episode "Communicable Theater" of the sitcom Roseanne, a character named Jackie faces trouble when she must perform the lead role in a community play of Cyrano de Bergerac but forgets her lines.

The 1991 episode "The Nth Degree" of Star Trek: The Next Generation includes a scene where Reg Barclay and Dr. Crusher act out a part from Cyrano de Bergerac in the theater room for a small group of crew members.

The song "Sweet Pain" by The Blues Traveler, from the 1991 album Travelers and Thieves, starts with a mention of Cyrano de Bergerac. The song uses the idea of unattainable love from the play to relate to its theme.

The 1995 comedy play Moon Over Buffalo, written by Ken Ludwig, includes two plays performed within it: Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives.

In the 1999 episode Cyrano de Beckerac of Becker, the main character gives dating advice to a patient who is trying to understand the feelings of his friend and secret love interest, Reggie.

In the 2005 movie Bigger Than the Sky, a man tries out for a local theater production of Cyrano de Bergerac, and the story of the play becomes an important part of the movie’s plot.

The 2018 Broadway play Bernhardt/Hamlet, written by Theresa Rebeck, explores the history of Cyrano de Bergerac.

The 2016 French play Edmond, by Alexis Michalik, tells a fictional story about the creation and first performance of Cyrano de Bergerac. This play was later adapted into the 2018 film Edmond, which was released in English-speaking countries as Cyrano, My Love.

Inspired by the balcony scene in Cyrano de Bergerac, where Cyrano helps Christian speak to Roxane, psychologist Stanley Milgram created an experiment using a method called covert speech shadowing. This technique allowed participants to interact with a person named "Cyranoid," whose words came from a hidden, distant source.