Incidentally, McAvoy’s natural Glaswegian accent adds to the “outsider” dialects on display, and the sense of language bristling live and varied from street level. And when Cyrano confronts the man being lined up to marry his beloved Roxanne (Anita-Joy Uwajeh), their duel takes the form of a rap battle - the microphones in their hands being the closest these characters will come to a rapier. As the scene-setting poet Ligniere (Nima Taleghani) discusses the merits of rhyme with sweet-toothed bookseller Leila Ragueneau (Michele Austin), it’s with a rapper’s thrust and delight in language. The ensemble first emerges monochrome from the shadows of the stage to face the audience head-on, accompanied by a mix of church music and beatboxing. The opening scenes establish the approach. The use of the mics also implies stand-up, narrowing the distance between actor and audience. Staging is minimal, effectively an empty white box, save for a large mirror, plastic chairs, a lighting rig and, mostly notably, microphone stands - not for audibility (actors still have head mics) but to underline the fact that much of the story revolves around performance, from the theater confrontation that opens the play, to the self-referential acknowledgement of language as a tool or weapon of love, politics, violence and connection. His things are being stolen, one daughter wants to take his flat away, the other one never visits.Period costume and swords have gone the same way as the famous appendage, to be replaced by contemporary streetwear. I been trying to tell it someone and nobody listenin’ Charming… The Royal Shakespeare Company presents Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin's multi-award-winning musical…īased on the Sunday Times bestseller which inspired one of this century’s most treasured films… Information about how to benefit from these tickets will be released in September. Supported by British Airways, the Jamie Lloyd Company will also be deepening its commitment to making theatre more accessible across their season at the Playhouse - offering 15,000 free tickets to first time theatre-goers (invited through a special outreach programme) and 15,000 tickets at £15 for key workers, under 30s, and those receiving job seeker’s allowance or other government benefits.

The production opens at the Playhouse Theatre on 6 December, with previews from 27 November and runs until 29 February.

James McAvoy will star in a new production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, freely adapted by Martin Crimp and directed by * Jamie Lloyd*, in November 2019.Ĭyrano de Bergerac sees Jamie Lloyd and James McAvoy continue their long-standing collaboration following* The Ruling Class* and Macbeth *at Trafalgar Studios, *Three Days of Rain at Apollo Theatre and Heart of Darkness for BBC Radio 4.

Cyrano de bergerac martin crimp