The story of a real poet and brave warrior Cyrano, who lived in the 17th century, became a theatrical bestseller in the 19th century thanks to Edmond Rostand, and in the 21st century, in the hands of the British Martin Crimp and Jamie Lloyd, it was transferred to our time.


Which means - no fake noses, cloaks and swords. After all, de Bergerac's main weapon at all times was a sharp mind and a ruthlessly accurate word! And, of course, a romantic big heart - and it is this charming combination with brilliance that is played by the genius master of reincarnation James McAvoy.


Jamie Lloyd has already established himself as a director who is not afraid of radical rethinking of the classics - and, without betraying himself, in Cyrano he, together with playwright Martin Crimp, responsible for the adaptation of Rostand's play, deprived Cyrano of the legendary nose, and at the same time and all the other characters in hats, cloaks, lace and outdated pathos. What's left? Wit, masterful play on words, endless self-doubt of the protagonist and, of course, shattered romantic heart of the fearless brave de Bergerac, and with him - the hearts of the audience.


The heroic comedy is played out in a radically "naked" set - Jamie encourages you to focus on the text; and the text is so important to everything that even sword fights turn into real rap battles, accentuated by ordinary concert microphones brought to the fore.


Crimp grasped the very essence of Rostand's original with his dedication to language, belief in the power of words and poetry: he plays with the language, hiding rhymes in the middle of a sentence or even in the middle of a word, generously uses assonances, while it is absolutely modern speech and rhythm.


Of course, such a virtuoso work with text is a challenge for any actor. And James McAvoy does it admirably, changing accents like gloves and pronouncing the most difficult lines as easily as if he was chatting in a pub with friends. He is then impudent and harsh, and listening to his verbal fights with rivals, you can really believe that a word can kill. Then he is disarmingly gentle, and his romantic speech pours into Roxanne's ears sweetly and viscously like honey: and then you can believe that words can make you fall in love.


McAvoy's acting is undoubtedly the main reason to go and watch this unconventional production of Cyrano. Cyrano's sculpted "carapace of exhibitionism, aggression and wit, which clearly masks deeply painful loneliness" (as the hero characterizes Jamie Lloyd) sits on McAvoy like a glove. And take at least the notorious nose, the main reason for de Bergerac's self-doubt, - everyone in the audience will have their own "nose", with which he is used to explaining self-doubt and all the failures in personal and public life. The fact that ugliness is possible only in the imagination of the hero makes us sympathize with him more sharply.


Lloyd skillfully juggles the spectator's emotions, highlighting in the play either the touching and touching moments associated with a love triangle full of hidden passions and pains, or heroic-masculine episodes of “sword fighting,” but poetry and painful self-delusion always hovers over everything, - and this swing, performed by McAvoy, looks excitingly modern.