Cyrano de Bergerac
No master to serve, no leash to bear. I walk as I please, and I speak as I dare.
Poet, soldier and philosopher. Cyrano de Bergerac burns with brilliance. He's fiercely funny and intensely romantic – but behind the veil of wit is one large problem: his nose.
Haunted by doubts and too proud to beg, he watches from the shadows as Roxane – bold, beautiful and seemingly unreachable – falls for another man, Christian. But this handsome, tongue-tied young suitor knows his only hope of charming Roxane is to seduce her with words. And only one person can help…
Director Simon Evans (Staged) and Debris Stevenson (Poet in da Corner) bring new life to Edmond Rostand's thrilling, lyrical tale of love and lies, longing and disguise.
This edition was published to coincide with the Royal Shakespeare Company production at the Swan Theatre in September 2025.
Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) was a playwright born out of his time. In a period when naturalism was the order of the day Rostand's plays seemed to hark back to a more romantic, chivalric period. His plays proved popular with the French public bolstered by a number of roles specifically created for the great Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt.
Simon Evans is a British theatre and television director, writer, and actor.
Debris Stephenson is an artist, poet, writer and activist. Her debut grime-musical, Poet in da Corner, premiered at The Royal Court in 2018. Poet in da Corner, which Debris’ wrote with Grime MC, Jammz and stared in, received 4-5 stars across the board and saw Debris’ nominated for an Emerging Talent of The Year Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.