Press-release. On the 5th of July 2010 in Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater the opening-night for the performance “Cyrano de Bergerac” based on the play by French playwright Edmond Rostand will take place.

Director – Jean-Claude Fall (France),
Production-designer – Gerard Didier (France),
Assistant director – Rustam Akhmedshin.

Under the patronage and with the participation of
French Cultural Centre in Moscow
and «Alliance Française Saratov»
as part of the «Russia-France Year 2010»
and «A Week of France in Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater».  

Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) is a French poet and playwright. Rostand, an inimitable master of onstage word, brought back to the theater almost forgotten in the end of 19th century genres of  poetic drama and romantic tragedy. He became a world-famous writer after the triumph of his verse play “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1897), after its opening performances Rostand got to be the most illustrious playwright and was elected to the Academy.

His famous play is based on the legends about life and deeds of a cadet, rioter, fighter philosopher and poet - Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand endued his character with the best qualities of true romantic and rebel, made him a personification of honor and dignity. Sublime image of Cyrano, skilled both with a word and a sword, was shadowed by one unfortunate feature – an incredibly big nose. But it wasn’t his nose that was the hardest of the world’s injustices but his love to beautiful Roxane. Not daring to hope for Roxane to answer his feelings, he makes an evil pact with Christian, beautiful Christian who also loves the girl. Cyrano will put his words into Christian’s mouth, he will be the soul and Christian will be the body of a non-existent perfect man. Cyrano’s poems and letters awoke love in Roxane, but until the truth about her real beloved will be revealed, all of them are going to face lots of battles and tragedies.

Cyrano’s struggle against the world of cruelty and mediocrity, a romantic antagonism of the poet and the crowd is a source of dramatic conflict in the play. Witty and elegant monologues by Cyrano de Bergerac will sound louder than spoors and they will pierce his enemies as accurate as his court sword. Under the mask of a rioter and a hooligan Cyrano hides a passionate loving heart always willing to answer to a call for help. Cyrano de Bergerac is one of those unfortunate ones who are honored to be better and smarter than their contemporaries; he faces his death just like he wanted it – with a bon mot on his lips.

The performance on the stage of Saratov Youth Theater created by French director Jean-Claude Fall and production designer Gerard Didier is a contemporary adaptation. Keeping the humor of Rostand’s play it allows us to feel the modernity, the actuality of Rostand’s characters, style and themes: the loneliness and despair of a man of honor, the dangerous vain seek and need of “perfection”, deep feelings that can drive you to death.  

Actors participating in the performance: RF People’s actor Alexander Soloviev, RF People’s actress Svetlana Lavrentieva, RF Merit actress Elena Vovnenko, RF Merit actor Ilya Volodarsky, Artem Kuzin, Irina Protasova, Ruslan Divlyatshin, Eugeniy Safonov, Anastasia Beskrovnaya and others.