Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Belgrade, premiere March 2024
The saying “less is more” could be perfectly applied to the Yugoslav Drama Theatre’s production of Cyrano, directed by Gorčin Stojanović. In this production of Edmond Rostand’s play about the versatile poet and swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac, there are allusions to David Bowie, scenes from Georges Melies’ films, contemporary social criticism, and critiques of both past and present theatre.
Stojanović’s adaptation starts with the moment in Rostand’s play where Cyrano de Bergerac reveals his deception to Roxane, the woman he loves. Then, the play delves into unravelling the deceit and the reasons behind it. Deciding to arrange the play as a flashback did not enhance its quality. On the contrary, it only confuses the audience.
Cyrano de Bergerac, a witty and brilliant poet, courageous and prone to conflict, known for his cutting wit, never managed to become a court poet and often lived in poverty, yet remained independent and free. Many noblemen wished to have him in their company as a precious ornament, but he proudly refused their offers. The issue of morality and the cost of freedom makes this text relevant in today’s context. Despite all his qualities, Cyrano considers himself unattractive due to his large nose and believes Roxane could never love him.
She is in love with Christian (an excellent Joakim Tasić), a handsome and charming young man, but not as intelligent or skilled in expressing love to Roxane as Cyrano can. The main character devises a scheme to lend his voice and verses to Christian and thus, indirectly, be with Roxane. Besides the love plot, Cyrano fights against stupidity and cowardice. He confronts the ailing actor Montfleury and duels with pretentious false dignitaries.
Another important character is De Guiche (brilliantly played by Anita Mančić), who serves as the writer and director to highlight the hypocrisy of a society that rewards those who do not deserve it. The reason why Stojanović chose a female actor to play this male role remains unresolved until the end. The character of Roxane is portrayed by two actresses, Marija Vicković as the older version and Nina Martinović as the younger version. This duality is puzzling as it is uncertain whether it represents different life stages or symbolizes physical and mental maturity. The intention behind this division remains unclear.
Cyrano, Yugoslav Drama Theatre. Photos: Nebojša Babić
The size of Cyrano’s nose and the overall aesthetics of the performance are almost kitschy. Throughout the play, the main character wears and removes an oversized red nose. At one point, instead of the prop, the actor’s nose is painted black. The prominent nose in this case serves as a clear symbol of Cyrano’s uniqueness, not only due to his physical appearance but also because of his exceptional qualities. The motif of heroism is already evident to the audience, making its repetition seem unnecessary. The two figures of Sad Pierrot and Happy Pierrot (Ana-Marija Stamenković and Sara Pavlović) also seem unnecessary as they follow Cyrano in emotional scenes, underlining emotions already expressed. The director makes seemingly unnecessary changes by breaking up the scenes involving the Citizen and his son. In the original text, these characters provided commentary on the theater of their time, but in the play, their roles are divided into short separate scenes. Their roles are given much more space in the play. The father (Slobodan Tešić) and son first appear on stage in period costumes, praising the theatre, and later in modern clothing, suggesting that the glorification of the theater extends to the present moment.
The motif of the moon is used multiple times. Cyrano will meet his death under the yellow, new moon at the end. During his encounter with De Guiche, Cyrano is dressed in an eccentric moon costume, wearing a red wig, which makes him resemble David Bowie. Above them is the recognizable frame from Georges Melies’ A Trip to the Moon. The references to the moon lack sufficient development, however; the only possible connection is that Cyrano, like Bowie, is a traveller from the cosmos who has made a brief stop on Earth and does not belong to it.
The greatest strength of this performance is undoubtedly the cast, especially Dragan Mićanović in the role of Cyrano. He’s brilliant in the play, skilfully shifting between emotions, swerving between love, anger and hurt. It would have been even more impressive if he hadn’t used an oversized nose as a prop. This limited his acting potential. In other productions – Jamie Lloyd’s recent UK production starring James McAvoy, for example – acting skills alone were relied on to convey Cyrano’s character. Although Mićanović excels in the role there are times when his performance feels restricted.
The rest of the cast are strong too. The drama is in verse, and the actors speak the text in a fluid and accessible way. Teodor Vinčić gives a humorous performance in the role of the Monk with his amusing manner of speaking. The scenes in which the ensemble practice fencing are visually exciting and dynamic.
Overall, Stojanović’s approach to the classic text seems anachronistic. The play was replete with various themes, associations, and recurring stereotypes, all aiming to evoke a sense of grandeur. Throughout the three-hour performance, the audience had the opportunity to see period costumes that are rarely on modern stages, flashes of brilliant acting, and pretentious attempts at social critique such as mirrors placed on stage, seemingly to allow the audience to reflect on their shortcomings, but none of what Maxim Gorky wrote about the drama – “Rostand’s play excites the blood like champagne, life sparkles in it like wine and intoxicates with a longing for life” – could be seen or felt.
Credits
Drama: Edmond Rostand // Director, adaptation and set design: Gorčin Stojanović // Assistant director: Vesna Radovanović // Costume design: Lana Cvijanović // Stage movement: Milica Cerović // Stage speech: Ljiljana Mrkić Popović // Translation: Milan Dimović
Cast: Dragan Mićanović, Marija Vicković, Nina Martinović, Joakim Tasić, Anita Mančić, Nebojša Milovanović, Stefan Jevtović, Slobodan Tešić, Viktor Radišić/Nikola Vasić, Maja Kolundžija Zoroe, Katarina Veljović, Hristina Tatić, Marko Janketić, Ognjen Nikola Radulović, Stojša Oljačić, Lazar Đukić, Vukašin Jovanović, Teodor Vinčić, Ivan Blagojević, Luka Radosavljević, Luka Antonijević, Luka Sević, Ana-Marija Stamenković, Sara Pavlović
For more information, visit: jdp.rs
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
