Blake Jenner and Peter Dinklage in Erica Schmidt’s “Cyrano,” at the Daryl Roth Theatre through December
22.
➤ CYRANO, from p.26
fi nd an audience). Eschewing veteran
theater musicians, Schmidt
recruited Aaron Dessner, Bryce
Dessner, and Matt Berninger of
the Grammy-winning alt-rock
band The National (Carin Besser
assisted with the lyrics). The music
and lyrics have a contemporary
pop fl air, a discordant contrast to
traditional elements of the production.
Anachronisms abound.
When the beautiful Roxanne
(Jasmine Cephas Jones, in fi ne
voice) is heartbroken that the
equally beautiful yet dimwitted
Christian (Blake Jenner, of “Glee”
fame) does not measure up in the
fl esh to his poetry on the page, she
sings, “Turn me to water like your
letters do, babe; Make me not know
whether to laugh or cry.” Babe?
Another bold choice is casting
the sensational Peter Dinklage, the
multiple Emmy Award-winner for
“Game of Thrones,” as the French
soldier Cyrano. As a self-identifi ed
dwarf, he uniquely embodies the
drama’s central message, “Don’t be
fooled by outward appearances.”
Dinklage is a forceful presence,
revealing layers of tenderness beneath
the bravado.
As everyone knows, the embittered
Cyrano is plagued with a
large, ghastly nose, rendering him
“unlovable,” yet his wit is as sharp
MONIQUE CARBONI
as his sword. Unlike countless
Cyrano’s before him, Dinklage does
not wear a prosthetic nose. Curiously,
Schmidt leaves a few mentions
of his large nose intact, while
references to his physical stature
might have made more sense.
To its credit, this inventive
“Cyrano” is as tragically romantic
as it should be, heavy with yearning
and desire. The circuitous plot,
involving Cyrano’s buddy Le Bret,
his other rival Duke De Guiche,
and the loyal baker Ragueneau,
has been streamlined and is easy
to follow.
The revelation that it was not
Christian but Cyrano who wrote
those effusive, soul-baring letters
is not as satisfying a climax as we
would expect. What’s more, I found
the lack of commitment to time
and place and the uneasy clash of
old and new as bewildering as they
were enthralling. Maybe that’s exactly
what Schmidt had in mind.
As for the decision to cast Dinklage
in the title role, it was a natural
one. Schmidt has been married
to the award-winning actor for
nearly 15 years.
CYRANO | The New Group | The
Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 E. 15th St.
| Through Dec. 22: Tue.-Sat. at 8
p.m.; Sat. & Sun. at 2 p.m. | $107-
$252; thenewgroup.org | Two hrs.,
with intermission
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