Cyrano at the top
I confess that I doubted how far this daring tribe could go with only three actors and four wooden boxes as scenery in just an hour and a half of performance
If I had to choose just one play, I'm sure it would be Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand's play, which I'm almost certain is the one I've seen adapted the most times in my life. Seeing it advertised at the Teatro Principal in Ciudad, with Salvador Oliva's adaptation by the company La Impaciencia—founded by Rodo Gener, Salvador Oliva, and Xavi Núñez, and directed by Luis Venegas—evokes at least two opposing feelings. On the one hand, the enjoyment of being able to see and hear the words, adventures, and misadventures of someone whom it's impossible not to admire, envy, and never even come close to. On the other, I confess, the doubt of how far this daring group can go with only three actors and four wooden boxes as scenery in just an hour and a half of performance.
The important thing is to establish a solid foundation for a classic of unparalleled prestige and quality, which is no easy task. Therefore, it is essential to skillfully, subtly, and judiciously dismantle it, leaving the core of the narrative intact so that nothing crucial is missing. Salvador Oliva needs no introduction, but I would say that along with I've seen whales, this Cyrano It is one of his greatest theatrical challenges, and the result can only be described as a masterful deconstruction. Each and every one of the play's essential and indispensable moments is present and well-structured. The next step is to give the performance the necessary fluidity so that it doesn't unfold in fits and starts, so that each change of scene becomes coherent, with only these wooden boxes as scenery. Luis Venegas, the director, has achieved this goal. And if these two aspects are fundamental, there remains a third, no less complicated, because we encounter a problem that neither Scaparro-Flotats, nor Broggi-Arquillué, nor Hossein-Belmondo, to name a few memorable theatrical examples, ever faced: having only three actors for more than half a dozen characters. Problem solved, Rodo Gener will be Cyrano, Salvador Oliva will be Montfleury, Christian de Neuvillette, Le Bret and Count de Guiche, and Xavi Núñez will play Ragueneau, Valvert (the one from the famous duel with Cyrano), and Roxane. Roxane, wearing only a skirt. Impeccable, incredible. It's not a jest There's no dramatic license involved; it's simply a demonstration of her acting talent. She doesn't do it better than the others; everything has a demanding, precise, and rigorous dramatic coherence, but it's clear that playing Roxana has a certain added complexity. Likewise, Rodo Gener perfectly embodies the poet and warrior, a brave and upright character, without needing to display any protuberance between his eyes, while Oliva switches roles with dexterity and only an almost imperceptible change of clothes.
The result is a theatrical peak, a Cyrano Solid, marble-like, with all the elements and numerous corners that make up this subtle, stimulating and romantic story, from the adaptation and dramaturgy to the performance, and without forgetting the lighting, which also plays a fundamental role and is no less complicated by the efficient scenographic minimalism.
PS. If you see, enjoy and write about Cyrano It's always special, but this time it's even more so, much more.
