?Cyrano de Bergerac' is 2008 festival's masterpiece

CEDAR CITY — The 47th season of the Utah Shakespearean Festival is a strong season with Edmond Rostand’s "Cyrano de Bergerac" a true masterpiece, and Shakespeare’s "Othello" running a close second. The bard’s "Two Gentlemen of Verona is bright and funny, as is Moliere’s "School for Wives." "Fiddler on the Roof" is a touching musical classic, and frankly, I could have done without Shakespeare’s "Taming of the Shrew."

"Cyrano de Bergerac" is brought to the stage through the direction of David Ivers and with Brian Vaughn in the lead. Those familiar with the Festival over the last decade know that something magic happens when Ivers and Vaughn get together. In 2005, they appeared on stage together in "Stones In His Pockets" and delighted the crowds.

Vaughn is the poet Cyrano, in love with his cousin Roxane (Melinda Pfundstein, Vaughn’s wife in real life), only to find out that Roxane is in love with Christian (Drew Shirley). A man of honor, Cyrano, who sees himself too physically ugly to woo Roxane, promises Roxane he will look after Christian in battle (they both serve in the same regiment), and without expressing his love for Roxane, Cyrano begins writing love letters to her from Christian and delivering them to her nightly, despite the danger.

Throughout the play, Vaughn’s Cyrano is both tender to Roxane and biting to everyone else. Much of his humor is self-effacing, and based on his huge nose.

His looks aside, Cyrano is much admired as a poet, and has quite a following, including Regueneau (Matthew Henerson), the local baker, who fancies himself a poet.

As accomplished with a sword as he is with a pen, Cyrano, heartbroken when he loses Roxane to Christian, takes on friends, actors, and enemies drawing blood each time.

Christian eventually wants to speak for himself, but he needs the hidden Cyrano to tell him what to say. A monk appears carrying a letter ordering the soldiers into battle. Roxane convinces the monk the letter orders him to marry Roxane and Christian, and the monk does so.

Christian discovers that Roxane is really in love with the tender words of Cyrano, and tries to get Cyrano to tell Roxane the truth, but Cyrano refuses.

When Christian is killed, Cyrano still keeps his love for Roxane hidden. She enters a convent, but meets with her cousin Cyrano on a regular basis. Fifteen years go by, and Cyrano faces death. In his last moment, he finally confesses his love for Roxane, leaving her feeling she has lost two loves.

The play is touching, and the relationship between Cyrano and Roxane makes one forget the size of his nose. Vaughn portrays well the honor he feels for both Roxane and Christian. He plays Cyrano as both shattering and brilliant.

There is another story to this production – the one between Ivers the director, and Cyrano, the heartbroken hero.

"This play has been with me since I was 14 years old," Ivers told the Intermountain Catholic. "In fact, in 1992, I played one of the bakers in a production here at the Festival. Not only have I loved this show most of my life, I have been living this production since October...

"I’ve been thrilled that we’ve been able to do the play on the outside stage since it’s an example of what the outside stage can do universally."

Ivers and Vaughn have been working together for so long, "we are like brothers in all the good and bad ways," Ivers said. "Brian has such an extraordinary talent, and we have been best friends for years. As in ‘Stones,’ we weren’t going to let ‘Cyrano’ fail."

Another thrill, Ivers said, was directing and watching Vaughn and Pfundstein working together as Cyrano and Roxane. "I am so proud of them. Playing Roxane is tricky, because the play is more about Cyrano than Roxane, and I appreciate Melinda’s honesty to both men Roxane loves. She has really developed a three-dimensional character. Her friendship with Cyrano, her love for Christian, and her respect for both of them are really there."

The play is not only about Cyrano, said Ivers, "it’s about all the people who are devoted to him – Roxane, Christian, Ragueneau – this is honor in the classical sense. It’s about the words, ‘I promise,’ and what they meant in 1640. Rostand was a brilliant playwright."