Cyrano de Bergerac, Southwark Playhouse review ★★★★★

The classic French play tells the story of a soldier poet whose hope of love is blighted by a remarkably big nose is made fresh in this lively all-female production.

Glyn Maxwell's adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac opens in a nunnery, where the sisters tell the story of the, 'old madman' who visits daily. The nuns then whip off their headscarfs to play the young soldiers, doffing hats and brandishing sticks of bamboo as swords. This sense of make-believe and theatricality permeates the whole production, keeping drama at the forefront without asking audiences to take it too seriously.

The plot has much silliness. Eloquent, brave Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with the beautiful Roxanne. But a famously giant nose makes him too ugly to attract her affections; she has her eye on handsome young Christian De Neuvillette, So the smooth-talking Cyrano forsakes his own happiness to help the lovers. As Christian's utter, stuttering in-eloquence emerges, to hilarious effect, Cyrano writes letters and masterminds the speeches that win Roxanne's heart. And so develops a tragic love-story in Roxanne falls in live with one man's face and another's soul.

By keeping theatricality at the forefront, the production emphasises the mythic quality of the story. It's not a realistic human drama, but rather a fable about insecurity and non-conformity. Russell Bolam's vibrant production matches the swift wit and quick quips. The sword fights and battles have a tongue-in-cheek theatricality. The result is more amusing than moving, though the poetry still has its moments.

Performances are vibrant across the board, but the driving force of comedy, pathos and pace comes from Kathryn Hunter's Cyrano. Endlessly charismatic and spritely to the point of cartoonish, she crackles with wit, but never undermines the depth of Cyrano's insecurity.