‘Virginia Gay shines in this bold, queer reimagining.’
‘Gay’s fresh take on the classic is undoubtedly daring, clever and funny.’
‘It’s a triumph.’
‘The experience is one of life-reaffirming happiness.’
‘Complex, moving, very funny, very clever.’
ABOUT THE SHOW
Following the wild success of Calamity Jane, Virginia Gay ups the ante with a joyous, gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, packed with music, wit and aching romance. Freely adapting and reimagining Edmond Rostand’s classic play, Gay gives us a delightfully self-aware theatrical rom-com for our times.
Cyrano is the most interesting person in any room – a wordsmith, a charmer, a ruthless fighter. She works twice as hard and runs twice as fast as any of the pretty boys, because she’s deeply ashamed of something about herself. Enter Roxanne: brilliant, beautiful Roxanne – a student of life, with a penchant for poetry and a way with words, just like Cyrano. But Roxanne doesn’t like Cyrano … not like that. She’s only got eyes for Yan: hot, manly Yan; all-brawn-and-no-brains Yan, who is dumbstruck around Roxanne. Probably shy, right? Until suddenly he starts saying the most amazing things. But it’s not Yan writing these perfect love scenes, it’s Cyrano ...
With director Sarah Goodes (Home, I’m Darling) at the helm, Virginia Gay (Vivid White, The Beast) in the title role, and a triumphant return to the stage after lockdown closed the production hours before opening in 2021, this is the Cyrano we both need and deserve: a love letter to hope; to overcoming loneliness and isolation; to language and desire, and the irrepressible magic of theatre; and to the hot mess that is the human heart.
Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative.
Script development of Cyrano by Virginia Gay (after Edmond Rostand) has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, Sydney Festival and the NSW Government through Create NSW and the City of Melbourne COVID-19 Arts Grants.
Accessibility
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Hearing Assistance
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Audio Described
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Tactile Tour
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Open Captioning
Performance Type | Performance Date(s) |
---|---|
Audio Described
by Vision Australia |
Saturday 15 October at 2pm Tuesday 18 October at 6.30pm |
Tactile Tour
by Vision Australia |
Saturday 15 October, before the 2pm performance |
Open Captioning
via screen |
Saturday 22 October at 2pm |
Cast & Creatives
Holly Austin
3
Virginia Gay
Cyrano
Robin Goldsworthy
2
Milo Hartill
1
Claude Jabbour
Yan
Tuuli Narkle
Roxanne
Virginia Gay
Writer
Sarah Goodes
Director
Xani Kolac
Musical Director & Additional Composition
Elizabeth Gadsby
Set Concept & Design
Jo Briscoe
Costume Designer & Set Design Realisation
Paul Jackson
Lighting Designer
Kelly Ryall
Sound Designer
Tom Willis
Associate Lighting Designer
George Lazaris
Assistant Director
Amelia Baker
Assistant Lighting Designer
Lucy Ansell
Standby Cover
Zenya Carmellotti
Standby Cover
Luisa Hastings Edge
Standby Cover
Ned Napier
Standby Cover
Learn more about Cyrano
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Feature
Opening up
Writer and actor Virginia Gay and Director Sarah Goodes discuss Cyrano’s long-awaited opening and how a little distance has allowed its playful exploration of the courage it takes to connect and how we can reimagine classic stories to shine through.
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Q&A
Yes we Yan
Making his Melbourne Theatre Company debut as Yan in Cyrano, actor and comedian Claude Jabbour is excited by the warmth, joy and fun of this world premiere show.
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Q&A
Meet Your Chorus: Holly Austin
Holly Austin is an actor, a musician, a playwright, a trained clown and improviser, and chorus member number 3 in Cyrano. Her character’s bravery changes the course of the play.
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Q&A
Meet Your Chorus: Milo Hartill
Milo Hartill is excited to be taking on the role of chorus member 1 in Cyrano, and trying to passively and directly influence the play’s narrative to go in a less tragic way.
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Programme
Cyrano programme
Learn more about Virginia Gay’s joyous, music-filled take on Edmond Rostand’s literary classic – a modern love letter to language, desire and the magic of theatre.
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Q&A
Costuming Cyrano
Designer Jo Briscoe discusses how costumes communicate character, and practical considerations in costume design.
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Video
Roxanne’s Kiss
To celebrate Cyrano, Melbourne Theatre Company partner The Melbourne Gin Company have created Roxanne’s Kiss, a special twist on a classic gin & tonic that you can make at home.
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Feature
Melbourne Makers: Xani Kolac
Cyrano is not a musical but it is a show filled with music. The play’s musical director and composer, Xani Kolac, explains the difference – and tells us why this non-musical is also magical.
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Education
Cyrano Education Pack
A resource pack for teachers and students to learn more about the MTC production of Cyrano by Virginia Gay after Edmond Rostand.
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Q&A
From Evonne to Roxanne
Tuuli Narkle discusses Finnish reindeer herders, the importance of representation to a queer, mixed race teen, and her whirlwind lesson on an Australian icon.