Love, honor, poetry – and one huge schnoz.So goes the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, title character of the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand. The script has been performed and adapted countless times, and it will be brought to life once again by Hoboken’s Mile Square Theatre Company during eight free performances starting July 14.
“Cyrano is our first major production, and we’re very excited,” says Chris O’Connor, artistic director and founder of the Mile Square Theatre. “We are hoping that business and community leaders will recognize what a great benefit Mile Square Theatre is to Hoboken and Hudson County.”
O’Connor, a resident of Hoboken, started the not-for-profit professional theatre company in 2003. Lighting designer Jerome Hoppe also lives in Hoboken, and Associate Artistic Director David Miller will be moving to the city next month.
Adaptations
One of the most memorable versions of Cyrano de Bergerac is the 1987 film Roxanne, starring Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah. The Mile Square Theatre’s production of Cyrano will be yet another adaptation from Rostand’s original version.
“This adaptation was written by Jo Roets, who is a Belgian theatre director,” says O’Connor. “It was first produced in this country at the Seattle Children’s Theatre, where it was extremely successful. What is distinctive about this adaptation is that it is written for three actors and is relatively short, a little over an hour long.”
The actors and production staff have been rehearsing for Cyrano since June 21, for approximately four hours a day, and rehearsal time will increase as opening night grows closer. Two of the three professional actors involved are Equity (stage union) actors.
“One actor [Lenard Petit] plays Cyrano, an actress [Michelle Beck] plays Roxane and a couple of other characters, and the third actor [Bryant Mason] plays all the other roles,” O’Connor continues. “So the show is very much an ensemble piece. It’s really thrilling to see Bryant keep reappearing as all these other characters. It’s a delicious assignment for an actor.”
Cheap date
O’Connor notes that the Mile Square Theatre’s production of Cyrano promises to be a laugh-out-loud comedy, suitable for the whole family to watch and enjoy.
“The show is really for all ages. It’s got something in it for everybody,” O’Connor says. “There’s lots of comedy and swordplay to keep the young ones engaged. It’s a romantic comedy as well, so it’s actually a pretty good play for adults to bring a date. And with no admission price, it’s a cheap date!”
Cyrano will run for two weeks at Hoboken’s Sinatra Park, and will be fully equipped with lights, costumes, set, and sound.
“A sound score is being designed by Mikel Frank, our sound designer,” says O’Connor. “He’s including a lot of wonderful baroque music to accompany the piece.”
“The amphitheatre there can accommodate several hundred people,” O’Connor says. “Judging by the huge crowds that flock to the movies at Pier A, there’s certainly an audience seeking to cool off on the riverfront to some summer entertainment.”
“We encourage people to bring their lawn chairs and picnic dinners to the show,” he added.
Thanks for the support
The show is being funded by several patrons and organizations, including the major corporate sponsor, Fleet Bank.
“Fleet’s gift of $5,000 has significantly helped us meet our fundraising goal,” O’Connor says. “Without their generosity, I don’t think this production would be possible.”
In addition to Fleet, funds were also provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, and the National Endowment for the Arts, administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. Cyrano is being presented in partnership with the City of Hoboken’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Mile Square Theatre also held a fund-raiser for its production of Cyrano. The event – held in June – was called 7th Inning Stretch, and featured seven 10-minute plays about baseball. The production was scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the first recorded baseball game, played at Hoboken’s Elysian Fields in 1846.
“7th Inning Stretch was a great success,” O’Connor says. “Audience attendance grew significantly and we had a lot more people from the community there. Mayor David Roberts attended and he threw out the ‘ceremonial first pitch’ to Maria Pepe, who broke the gender barrier in Little League 30 years ago. It was a great moment, and the crowd loved it. It was great to have Mayor Roberts there to see what we’re all about. He seemed to really enjoy the work and he recognized what a great thing our company can be for the city.”
Reaching out
“We are hoping that business and community leaders will recognize what a great benefit Mile Square Theatre is to Hoboken and Hudson County,” O’Connor says. “We have a lot of plans to build MST into an organization that is tightly connected to the community, through producing plays and offering outreach programs.”
On Stage
Cyrano
When: Wednesdays, July 14 and 21; Fridays, July 16 and 23; Saturdays, July 17 and 24; and Sundays, July 18 and 25. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sinatra Park, located on Sinatra Drive between Fourth and Fifth streets in Hoboken.
Admission: Free.
For more info: See www.milesquaretheatre.org.
A Nose for Comedy Mile Square Theatre to present Cyrano
