Screening: Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano de Bergerac, a comedic drama was originally written in 1897, but this inventive adaptation sees the action taking place in the modern world. This screening, by London's National Theatre, will see the performance broadcast to cinemas and theatres around the world.

Hollywood star James McAvoy plays the titular character, Cyrano, a skilled wordsmith who wishes to win the heart of his true love, Roxane. Unfortunately his oversized nose means he hides away from society, but nevertheless, he attempts to use his mastery of language to woo Roxane.

Director Jamie Lloyd and adapter Martin Crimp have updated and mutated Edmond Rostand’s verse drama about a soldier-poet with an enormous nose into a stripped-back, street-style rap battle.

This is a play about performance, so there are plenty of theatrical in-jokes, yet Lloyd’s production never feels arch. Indeed, the scenes during the siege of Arras, partly staged in complete darkness, are very moving. One of the many revelations of Crimp’s version is that it gives both characters a proper voice.