The play, which was workshopped in TNC’s Dream Up Festival this summer, re-imagines “Cyrano de Bergerac” as a high-stakes mob story.
The play imagines a time 100 years in the future, after World War III, when organized crime has merged with the military and struggles with Eastern enemies over Middle East oil. With mob intrigue, romance and absurdist action, Edmond Rostand’s classic story of eloquence, unspoken love and heroism is transformed into a chaotic, modern, and often surreal fantasia, preserving the essence of Cyrano’s wit, heart and valor.
We meet Sal B., a resourceful mob consigliere and horribly scarred veteran of Special Forces. He must orchestrate the heroic deeds of the impulsive and narcissistic Paul Jr., whose attempts at romance and military glory repeatedly put him–and those around him–at risk. Jr. courts a brave, irresistible, kidnapped journalist named Barbranne (also known as “B”) with poetic, often ridiculous, declarations of love while Sal, unseen, guides him. Tasked with protecting the journalist, Sal faces jihadists, international intrigue, and his own messianic impulses, all while orchestrating moments of poetry and unlikely love.
The play gives us romance, mob drama, geopolitical farce, and heroic action in a tone alternating between absurdist comedy, melodrama, and poetic reflection. At its core, it is a meditation on love, loyalty, and human folly, re-conceiving Cyrano’s themes in a modern, chaotic, morally ambiguous world.
