Cyrano de Bergerac is perhaps one of the most challenging and cumbersome plays of all time.  Quite the collection of comedy, prose, sword fighting and tenderness, Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano is no easy undertaking for any cast.  Still, Amanda Dehnert, acting Artistic Director, has chosen this piece for her final performance at Trinity Repertory Company before she leaves for a teaching position in Chicago.

While some of the scenes are rather pleasurable and most cast members attempt to creatively bring the story to life, Trinity Rep’sCyrano fails to live up to caliber of acting and storytelling that most expect from this theatrical powerhouse.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Cyrano de Bergerac is an intelligent and quirky French soldier and poet with a bulbous nose who is in love with his cousin Roxane, who is in turn in love with the handsome solider Christian de Neuvillette.  To make this love triangle even more interesting, Cyrano believes that he is too hideous to win over Roxane’s affections and instead decides to use his gifted words to assist Christian in wooing Roxane.

Mauro Hantman, in the demanding lead role as Cyrano, has a strong command of his lines and the ability to make the audience laugh during the more lighthearted scenes.  He is quite a swashbuckler, fighting off ridicule with a flick of his tongue or sword. His comedic performance is crisp and stellar; however, he falls rather flat during the more dramatic moments of the play.  Roxane is interested in Christian only because he uses Cyrano’s beautifully crafted words, but Hantman rarely shows more than a flat emotional response.

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