Reviews

• Libs68

  Feb 23, 2020

  I thoroughly enjoyed this outstanding performance. Absolutely superb. It is not to be missed. James McAvoy at his best.

• Petra

  Feb 19, 2020

  The whole cast are magnetic! It is so cleverly staged and the performances carry the entire thing. Cast is excellent, James MacAvoy is absolutely phenomenal. Couldn’t look away!! A must see!!

• Karla Mouncey-Jaggers

  Feb 19, 2020

  Loved it! The acting and skill was phenomenal as was the direction and production. I enjoyed the simplicity of language painting the picture.

• C Dow

  Feb 17, 2020

  From what I could hear, the play sounded great, but due to the seats, I could barely see anything.

• Tera Vale Ragan

  Feb 16, 2020

  This adaptation of heartbreaking romance is electric! James commands the stage with raw magnetism and a quick tongue that rolls like easy thunder. It is an incredible cast of voices that reminds me I love words. That’s all.

• Paul Hodgson

  Feb 16, 2020

  It is very difficult to think of any aspect of this production which can’t be described as outstanding, from the dialogue to the staging to the performances of all of the individual cast members. However, the performance of James McAvoy was simply phenomenal. We managed to get tickets in the last few weeks of the season but would otherwise be looking to go again (which my daughter has done and insisted that we go as a family). Truly memorable contemporary theatre with messages.

• Yasmin

  Feb 15, 2020

  Great performance, and a great story. Think it might've been better if the actors wore costumes.

• Nick Lockley

  Feb 15, 2020

  Loved it. Fantastic modern take on a Rostand’s classic. McAvoy is mesmerizing in the lead - with a strong supporting cast. Perfect Valentine’s Day fare.

• alan g.

  Feb 15, 2020

  This play belonged in a NY City off, off Broadway theatre sitting no more than 300 people. The writer & director tried too hard to by "innovative, "otlandish"" and instead it was loud & incomprehensible. The audience gave it a standing ovation. The acting was noteworthy. Shows how suggestive good reviews can be. Even too loud to get a good nap. So many other terrific plays running now. Save you money -- a considerable amount of money.

• Mark Harbour

  Feb 14, 2020

  A dynamic performance by James McAvoy as Cyrano - strong, funny, clever but also sad and torn by his dilemma. Good support cast in the Roxanne, Christian and De Guiche characters. I really enjoyed the interpretation that included rapping and some strong language.

• Mer

  Feb 14, 2020

  This was a fantastic play

• drodaly

  Feb 14, 2020

  Great show. Loved this adaptation with plenty of tongue in cheek, laughs and intense performances.

• Ivan

  Feb 13, 2020

  poor version of the play

• emma

  Feb 13, 2020

  One of the best plays I've ever seen. James McAvoy was electric!

• Mrs W

  Feb 13, 2020

  Brilliantly modernised old cassic!!!!

• Sophie Arvaniti

  Feb 11, 2020

  Great play, amazing cast, very interesting directing! I came all the way from Sunderland (UK) just to see James McAvoy, and it was worth every penny! I was thrilled! Highly recommended!

• Colette O

  Feb 11, 2020

  Very contemporary version. Was a bit surprised in the first 10minutes. Then really got into it. Great performances, but particularly James McAvoy. I did feel some of the romance was lost by the Roxane roll. There was little chemistry from Roxane. Still worth going, fabulous script.

• S.N.

  Feb 10, 2020

  I came to see Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, one of the greatest of all romantic plays. According to Sue Lloyd in the excellent program notes: "We need a theatre where, inspiring us with beauty, consoling us with grace, poets, without doing it deliberately give us lessons for the soul". All of these were completely missing in this "new version". The stage looked bare and resembled a recording studio with microphones and cables littered all over the place. Very little acting was required by the cast. Instead of beautiful words we had to listen to constant bad language and obscenities. The main message of the play, namely that the beauty of the soul is more important than physical looks was missed, as all the cast appeared in everyday clothes and without showing any difference in looks and character. This performance should not have been advertised as Cyrano de Bergerac by Rostand. To say that it was a disappointment is an understatement. As it was, it turned out to be a complete waste of time and money.

• Clara

  Feb 10, 2020

  No words can describe James performance. He is astonishing, the perfect Cyrano.

• Philippa Harris-Burland

  Feb 9, 2020

  mind blown! innovative the poetry, the movement, the energy the raw humanness of it all although 2nd half a little slower and quieter voices made it seem a bit too long... that said, I applaud you all.

• Kath

  Feb 9, 2020

  Witty and clever, a really enjoyable performance. James McAvoy was fantastic. It was an unpretentious show. Thanks for keeping your accent particularly for the Weegies in the audience!

• Ruth

  Feb 9, 2020

  Incredible! Such a talented cast and such an interesting production I loved it!

• Chris Roger

  Feb 8, 2020

  This very innovative and creative version of the classic story was of varied quality but was made great by excellent performances from the main characters , especially James Mcevoy.

• macalex101

  Feb 7, 2020

  Not as impressed as most of the rest of the audience so I am out of step. I found it a little bit of brilliantly clever college student dialogue which, if I was still a college student, I may well have loved it. I much preferred the more traditional version I saw many years ago with Richard Lindsay. Was well acted.

• Janet T

  Feb 7, 2020

  An excellent reinterpretation of Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, faithful to the verse and to the story but executed in a modern, upbeat and updated way. The performances were all superb particularly Cyrano himself played by James McAvoy with an astonishing intensity. If this doesn't win awards I don't know what would. Well done to all.

• Gaby

  Feb 6, 2020

  Mindblowing performance from all actors. Loved it!

• Donata

  Feb 4, 2020

  The script was very poor, a failed attempt to make a story that is no longer relevant modern. It felt like watching somebody tick off a "Making it modern" checklist: - Feminism - check; yet feminism was portrayed backwards, as if being a feminist means women being rude and disrespectful to men... - Gender neutrality - check: the words were talked out loud, emphasised, yet were completely out of place in the play itself... - Gay kiss - check: the idea itself might have been nice, but it wasn't delivered... - Rap on beatbox - check: although the lyrics were not impressive... - And so on, and so forth...

• Michelle B

  Feb 2, 2020

  Wow! What incredible acting and a wonderful play. So glad we got to go and see this and the cast, including James McAvoy, were so talented. We loved it

• Sarah D

  Feb 2, 2020

  This is the first time I have walked out of a play and rebooked tickets at the box office to see it all again! Beautifully created

• Gulsu Erden

  Feb 2, 2020

  It was great joy to watch mcavoy

• H Mills

  Feb 1, 2020

  Fantastic. In spite of the uncomfortable seats and restricted view I was totally absorbed from the minute they all walked on the stage. It was all about the words and the rhythm and it was very powerful. I came out feeling uplifted and excited to have seen such a good performance.

• Linda

  Feb 1, 2020

  A wonderful script, extraordinary performances. Very thought provoking and moving.

• Khadijat Agusto

  Jan 31, 2020

  What a treat! The energy and intensity of the actors was really something to behold. Went expecting one of my favorite actors, James McAvoy, to be the star of the show.... Certainly he did not disappoint but how wonderful that all other actors that took part in the production had total command of their parts. Thankfully, the oftentimes vocal audience did little to dissipate my enjoyment of the play.

• Mari

  Jan 29, 2020

  Fabulous!

• Johnnie

  Jan 27, 2020

  We enjoyed this production so much. The whole cast was fantastic. Loved the modern approach.

• A

  Jan 25, 2020

  This was a good production, well acted - but the innovations over-complicate and detract from what is already a strong plot.

• Katherine

  Jan 24, 2020

  Saw this a few times to help with work - beautiful adaptation and seeing it more than once really helped me to grasp it thoroughly x Loved the minimalistic approach. Not what I was expecting. Great casting, thought provoking and a roller-coaster of emotions from start to finish. Sat next to a ghastly woman but that didn't spoil it xxx

• Regina

  Jan 23, 2020

  I didn’t like the script. 20% of it was worth seeing.

• CK

  Jan 22, 2020

  Excellent production of CdB with a very modern twist. Very well executed and James McAvoy did not disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyed.

• Raffaella

  Jan 20, 2020

  I truly enjoyed the play. The Cyrano has always been one of my favourite and I really liked how you reviewed it in a contemporary way. Everyone on stage was very good.

• K.

  Jan 19, 2020

  Rhyming couplets to rap. It really works. Fantastic performances too.

• Natalija

  Jan 18, 2020

  That was absolutely amazing!!!

• Nicki R

  Jan 16, 2020

  Interesting modern take on this classic. McEvoy was excellent. First half was superb, but felt it lost a bit of momentum after the interval.

• Jo H

  Jan 16, 2020

  One of the best experiences I’ve ever had at the theatre. Mesmerising and electric performances from all the cast. James McAvoy was sensational.

• Mel

  Jan 15, 2020

  Brilliant cast superbly lead by James McAvoy. Superb acting, very simple set. Hugely enjoyable.

• Derek Marshall

  Jan 14, 2020

  This Cyrano is an innovative reworking of Rostand's classic comedy about the soldier with a big nose and his unrequited love, using rap and beatboxes and a general shift to a modern feel. The story line is largely unchanged but the way the characters interact is altered, most obviously in the famous scene where Cyrano seduces his love, Roxanne, with words on behalf of the man she has fallen for. James McAvoy (without big nose) is outstanding in the lead role and dominates the stage whenever he is present. We enjoyed the play but had mixed views about the rest of the cast and felt that after the interval the performance lost momentum and the final scene lacked clarity of purpose. Well worth seeing though for McAvoy's performance alone, but also a fresh take on a familiar classic.

• Pau

  Jan 14, 2020

  Oh dear.

• SallyB

  Jan 12, 2020

  This is an inspiring performance, passionately and physically communicated by the cast. As in the subject of the play, its strength is the belief in the power of words and language. The actors ability to communicate the story and emotions of the characters make this a memorable performance I feel privileged to have seen.

• Tina

  Jan 12, 2020

  I’ve seen several productions of Cyrano but this one is something really special!! It is so on point and witty. The whole cast is amazing and specially James McAvoy blew my mind! I love words. That’s all! Thank you for this brilliant evening!

• Matthew White

  Jan 12, 2020

  The cast were excellent. James McAvoy was FIT! Not much of a theatre buff but found the play engaging, modern and all round enjoyable