Cyrano de Bergerac Reviews

Ashley from Athens Tennessee

BRILLIANT

I watched it live from Tennessee in our local movie theater. Felt like I was there! This is definitely a must see!! All the actors were amazing. James McAvoy was stunning....as he always is!!!!. So much energy!! I do not recommend children as there is language some may not find appropriate. Loved it!!

Julie from Sheffield, England

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

James McAvoy was mesmerising and was ably supported by a brilliant cast. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the rapping (I’m getting on a bit) but I was gripped from the start. The words were wonderful and delivered with such energy, providing moments of humour, bitterness, sweet gentleness and rage. I wouldn’t take children as it is a long play but did I say James McAvoy was mesmerising?

Sharon Rushworth from London, England

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

James McAvoy was just brilliant. The story line was clever, engaging, warm and funny. The buzz from the audience was incredible. I haven’t seen anything quite like it and I have seen a lot of productions.

Edwina Ellis from London, England

NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING

If you go expecting doublet and hose, swashbuckling swordfighting, then you will be disappointed. A modern reworking of a classic story but one that works, in my opinion, if you're prepared to cast aside any previous knowledge of this story. An incredible, mesmerising five star performance by the wonderful James McEvoy. The play is worth seeing for this performance alone. Subtle, sensitive and angry, all at the same time. The rest of the cast do an admirable job of bringing this story of love, loss and courage to life.

Edmond Rostand from Brighton, England

POST MODERNIST BERGERAC

James Mcavoy gave a good performance and was the best attribute of the play. I appreciated some of the lyrical elements and dialogue but overall found it dull and lacking the punch usually found in slam poetry. The play was a complete bastardisation of the original and tedious with its woke preaching. It wasn’t subtle. In fact it was annoying. In all honesty it felt like the creation of a middle class, left wing, Guardian reader, trying their utmost to be woke and street, with more an obsession of fulfilling a diversity quota than writing a good stage play? (And no I have no issue with diversity, it just felt very contrived in this) I feel guilty typing this as I have the utmost respect for the artists and I probably come across as an arse hole, but after paying what I did for the ticket I feel I have a right to moan. The directing and blocking was also abysmal, although the duelling with mics was a nice touch. A beautiful classic had its nose cut off to spite its own face. A shame.

Louisa from London, England

A WOKE DUMB-DOWNED PRODUCTION

I don't what drama schools teach anymore but certainly not voice production as everyone wears a microphone, and they still shout. James M is a very good actor. What a shame the text was as lacking in wit as it was banal. A really awful smug and ugly production. And why do the audience scream with laughter at the cheapest jokes ? Unbearable at a cost of £400 for 2 tickets. What a waste of a special treat for my godson.

Mr Jamon from London, England

IF YOU THINK YOU’RE STREET, YOU AIN’T!!!!

Theatre 🎭 recommendation!! James Macavoy In Cyrano de Bergerac is like a poor quality 6th form play that will get you reaching for your “woke” Bingo Card. I filled my last slot with “Bankers that manipulate interest rates” in the first half hence didn’t bother staying for another headache inducing assault on my “gammoness” 😐

Ilona from London, England

WASTE OF 3 HOURS

Absolutely awful performance. Not worth any money or time. There are so many good plays inn west end, but not this one. The theatre is great and usually a place for a great performances, but not this time

Rostand from London, England

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

A waste of money. Passing relationship to the original, devoid of linguistic beauty and any emotional intensity. School productions have been better than this estaurine oikiishness and the cast and director should be embarrassed. You have let down the lead and have debased a great work and certainly not made its intrinsic truth relevant to today. A great opportunity missed.

Paolo Manca from London, England

DREADFUL

What a waste of money. There is nothing visual about this play at all. It could just about pass as a play on radio4. For a full west end theatre production it is very disappointing, in parts vulgar. In short an embarrassment.

Einstein from London, England

DIVERSITY OVER EVERYTHING

I spent the first 30 minutes wondering when the play was going to start properly and the next 2 hours struggling to stay awake. Luckily, there was quite a bit of random shouting from the cast to perk you up for a minute. With no scenery, no costumes as such and few actors, I wonder where my £70 actually went. I can’t understand the 5* reviews and have to echo the previous reviews re ‘Wokeness’.

Disgruntled from London, England

WASTE OF MONEY

My main issue is that for the first 1.30 of the production I couldn't see a thing ( could hear a lot of swearing, shouting and faux rapping !) I was in the cheap seats £38.15 in upper circle row J - but don't bother - restricted view really meant no view - especially if the person sitting in front of you decides to lean forward with feet out in the aisle with no consideration for those behind her. Decided to cut my loses and head home

Deborah from South East, England

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

I was really looking forward to this. Fortunately I went to see it at the cinema for the live showing so didn't pay as much as it would have cost to go to the theatre. Yes, it was clearly 'all about the words', as they emphasised by painting it on the wall but it felt like that was a good excuse to not provide any scenery . It looked like they were acting in a box and it was boring, tedious and slow. James McAvoy gave a brilliant performance but it felt ridiculous to keep on about his large nose and ugliness without any change to him. It felt like the producers were saying, "we can't be bothered, and we want it to be only about the words, so use your imagination, audience." As a result it was ridiculous. It was vulgar, contrived, juvenile and such a waste of a wonderful talent. I couldn't wait for it to end. A mixed up, woke attempt at what should have been a wonderful play, placed properly in modern times.

Lawrence from London, England

FARCICAL

First the good news: the play's run has ended in London so the only way you'll see it is by 'live streaming', which is a lot cheaper than going to the theatre and as it's now simply a film you can walk out whenever you want. The bad news: this 'play' has no redeeming features. It is not beautiful, neither visually nor aurally, it is not in the slightest bit engaging, it is coarse, crude and vulgar to no real purpose (and this from a man out of whose mouth expletives pour), it is, as others have mentioned, painfully adolescent in its 'wokeness' and its 'diversity'. More important however is that it is truly insulting too all members of the audience in its attempt to be 'relevant''. It is the measure of liberal, tolerant 'progressives'that they are totally oblivious to their own blunt and often very aggressive impositions on others and this 'play' has 'progressive' intolerance written all over it, from start to when I left at the end of Act 1 (though I do know what else was shoehorned in as a masochistic friend stayed till the end and told me what else had been included for no apparent reason other than to demonstrate 'relevance'). Ironic, huh!

Stuart grundy from Kendal England

EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES

It was simply abysmal , I contemplated leaving after a mere 30s !!! As we’d only paid £18 .50 each to see the screened version ,and it was raining outside ,we agreed to stay We’d gone to see a show but alas no costumes, effects ,props , music , lighting ( as they proceeded to inform us - the power of words only!) But who’s words ? Ronstatds or Crimps ??? Sadly the later James McAvoy gave a brilliant performance ( as he is a brilliant actor ( he should by rights be at least nominated as the next bond legitimately on the basis and strength of this performance alone!) HOWEVER this was not enough!!!? I saw him interviewed by the BBC when he said When he first met Martin Crimp that he thought it was unlikely that ‘Here was an ambassador who could convey a reworked contemporary version of the original ‘ I fear his initial trepidation was correct And I for one am inclined to agree with his intuition Maybe my age (56) will condemn my review as irrelevant BUT ‘ The Man wasn’t wearing a nose!)

Stuart ( corrected version of previous review) from Kendal England

EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES

It was simply abysmal.I contemplated leaving after a mere 30s! As we’d only paid £18.50 each to see the screened version, and it was raining outside we agreed to stay. We’d gone to see a show but alas no costumes,effects , props ,music ,lighting ( as they proceeded to inform us - the power of words only!)But who’s words exactly??Rostands or Crimps??? Sadly the latter. James McAvoy gave a brilliant performance ( as he is a brilliant actor) He should by rights be considered for the part of the next James Bond on the strength of this performance alone.However this sadly was not enough! I saw him interviewed by the BBC when he said that when he first met Martin Crimp he doubted that he had encountered the the next ideal ambassador who could convey a contemporary version of the original.I fear his initial trepidation was justified and I for one am inclined to agree with his intuition.Maybe my age ( 56) will condemn this review as irrelevant BUT ‘ The Man wasn’t wearing a nose!’

Ellie Hughes from London, England

JAMES MCAVOYS BEAUTIFUL MONOLOGUE THE ONLY BEARABLE PART

It was like a school production of Shakespeare's sonnets as rap, even that would be better than this as it would have more rhythm to the words. I like modern adaptations & having never seen the original there is no comparison skewing my opinion, it was rapped with no meaningful intonation, rhythm or emphasis. Someone must of told the actors, "Speak the words in the most broken up, irritating way possible". The actual words, that the set and other things were removed to help you focus on, were crap. It was lazy and self-indulgent writing. I am not against the vulgarity & its use to shock like other reviews. My issue is this play was written completely for the ego of the writer and not for the audience AT ALL. Anyone who enjoyed this is simply scared of sounding uncultered by telling the truth that it was terrible. Many people left at the interval. A hit and a miss. James McAvoy's professional performance also highlighted that the female lead was the only other decent actor.

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