Cyrano de Bergerac

One of the most beloved heroes of the stage, Cyrano de Bergerac is a magnificent wit who, despite his many gifts, feels that no woman can ever love him because of his enormous nose. He adores the beautiful Roxanne but, lacking courage, decides instead to help the tongue-tied but winsome Christian woo the fair lady by providing him with flowery sentiments and soulful poetry. Roxanne is smitten-but is it Christian she loves or Cyrano? A triumph from the moment of its 1897 premiere, Cyrano de Bergerac has become one of the most frequently produced plays in the world. Its perennial popularity is a tribute to the universal appeal of its themes and characters.

Edmond Rostand was born in Marseille into a wealthy and cultured Provençal family. His father was an economist and a poet. Rostand studied literature, history, and philosophy at the Collège Stanislas in Paris. Rostand abandoned his law studies in 1890 when his first book of poems appeared. At the age of 29, Rostand wrote his most successful and well-known play-Cyrano de Bergerac. When Cyrano was performed, the enthusiasm at the premiere became unexpected—people wept and it is told that the author was pelted with ladies' gloves and fans. Rostand revitalized the old romantic drama in verse. When naturalism was the major movement in literature, Rostand took up old themes and followed the tradition of Victor Hugo. Edmond Rostand died of pneumonia in Paris on December 2, 1918.