CYRANO
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Robert Parker as Cyrano and Valentin Olovyannikov as Valvert; photo: Roy Smiljanic
MUSIC Carl Davis
DESIGNS Hayden Griffin
LIGHTING Mark Jonathan
FIGHT DIRECTOR Malcolm Ranson
Many people were of the opinion that Edmond Rostand’s great play about the Gascon soldier-poet, with his outsize nose and unrequited love for his cousin, Roxanne, was not suitable for ballet. Given the mixed reception of the original version for The Royal Ballet they might have had a point, but I remained convinced that the reason for its failure was not the source material but rather the un-dancelike nature of the original score and my own lack lustre response to it.
For almost seventeen years then I preserved sets and costumes in the hope of producing a ‘new’ version and in 2007, with a brand new score by Carl Davis, I like to think I proved it’s detractors wrong. The central role is a massive challenge for a mature dance-actor combining high pathos, ironic comedy and dextrous sword play, which was brilliantly met by Robert Parker.
‘Masterful choreography’
THE BIRMINGHAM MAIL
‘Cyrano is one of these rare birds, a truly skilled family ballet... with a flowing story, lashings of set opportunities and an atmospheric score’
THE ARTS DESK
‘It sends an audience out... with a warm feeling in their hearts’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘A lavish production’
THE INDEPENDENT