Cyrano de Bergerac Reaction Paper 

This half of the “final exam” is to See a Play and Write a 1500 Word Reaction Paper. Due to the current situation, you won’t be able to see a live production, so you’ll need to watch the recorded version of the Broadway revival of Cyrano de Bergerac starring Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner. Click on the link in the unit and sign in with your FIU username and password just like you did to watch Oedipus the King. This assignment is the capstone written part of the course. The play was scheduled after we have looked at theatre through the perspectives of all the artists that collaborate to create a production. This paper is my way of assessing your understanding of each of those perspectives and how they work together to create a unified work of theatrical art. Please note: the assignment is a Reaction Paper, not a research paper. Your observations, descriptions and opinions about the details of the play and the production of the play are essential. The required production listed below has been chosen specifically because it will be presented near the end of the semester to allow you to demonstrate what you will have learned, particularly about the perspectives of playwrights, directors, actors, designers and stage managers. The Paper is worth 100 points and is due on (or before!) Tuesday, , 11:59 PM

Submission method:

Please create your paper (consisting of at least 1500 words) and save it as a Word document. Submit the paper by scrolling down to the Turnitin.com drop box directly below these guidelines in the module. Click on the underlined words View/Submit and follow instructions.

Please be aware that Turnitin.com is a plagiarism detection software and that your paper will be automatically compared to millions of sources from around the world. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity and will be dealt with as such. Remember, this is a reaction paper, not a research paper, so everything in the paper must be a result of your own thinking, ideas, perceptions, observations and or feelings.

It is strongly recommended that you write the paper as soon after you see the production as possible. The assignment should be completed before the due date to be eligible for full credit. Late papers will be accepted for partial credit until Friday, 11:59 PM, after which no papers will be accepted.

Criteria:

The paper should be a 1500 word essay focusing on your reaction to the play/production, and to the quality of the production. Make sure to back up statements of opinion or observations with descriptive examples drawn from the show to illustrate what lead you to your conclusions.  The three main questions to consider are:

1. What was the playwright trying to say about life?
   1. What universal questions or themes are raised? (i.e. Who am I? Why are we here?)
   2. What universal human needs drive the behavior of the characters and cause conflict and rising action?
   3. What is the central conflict?
   4. What is the main action? (What is the main character trying to do?)
2. What impact does the play have on you and your life?
   1. How does the play affect you emotionally? Intellectually? Philosophically?
   2. What does it make you experience that you might not have experienced?
   3. Did it reinforce the way you already think? Feel? Act? Behave? Believe? Conduct your life?
   4. Did it change the way you think? Feel? Act? Behave? Believe? Conduct your life?
3. Two thirds of the paper should be devoted this final question: Did the playwright’s collaborative artists and craftspeople help you understand and enjoy the play or prevent you from doing so?
   1. Choose at least four actors. Include their full names and the names of the characters they played. Evaluate their work using the following questions based on your observations and opinions:
      1. Were the actors believable as the characters they were playing?
      2. Did they speak loud enough and intelligibly enough to be understood?

• Did you identify/empathize with one (or more) of the characters?

1. Did they draw you into the play or were you aware they were “acting?”

1. Evaluate the director’s work: Was the production unified in its vision? Did it flow seamlessly from one point to the next? Was the casting on point?
2. How did the design elements (Lights, sound, costumes, scenery) affect the production?
   1. Provide your opinions/observations about the success or failure of each design element listed above.
   2. Back each of those opinions and observations up with at least two detailed descriptive examples from the production.

Remember these are not “yes/no” questions, but “why or why not” questions. Don’t waste space/words detailing the plot or the story. About one third of the paper should discuss questions one and two. Two thirds of the paper should contain detailed, descriptive examples from the elements of the production that either helped you understand and enjoy the play or got in the way of your understanding and enjoyment and why or why not.

ANSWER

Cyrano de Bergerac Reaction Paper

(a).

The universal theme of this play is values and ideals. It raises the importance of glory, bravery, and love.  Despite Cyrano being in love with Roxane, he protects Christian and helps him win Roxane’s love.  He protects Roxane’s secrets up to Christian’s death, and he adheres to his values at the expense of his love for Roxane. Another theme that I found dominant in this play is love. Cyrano’s love for Roxane is permanent and unwavering.

(b).

The universal human needs that drive behaviors in the play are love and acceptance. Cyrano desires to be loved and is in love with Roxane, just as Christian also loves her and desires that she accepts him for who he is. Thus, Christian is prompted to seek the help of Cyrano to win Roxane’s love.  Similarly, Cyrano’s love for Roxane is unwavering.  Roxane also desires to be loved; thus, she falls in love with Cyrano’s and Christian’s collaboration, even unknowingly. The desire for love is the central theme in the play and is the cause of the conflict.  The two men lie to the woman they supposedly love through their duplicity.

(c).

The central conflict of this play is Cyrano’s secret love for Roxane and his inability to confess his feelings for her to protect Christian’s secret.

(d).

The main action is trying to win the love of Roxane, even if not for himself. By helping Christian win Roxane, he feels like he has won her himself. For most of the play, he spends time writing letters and coaching Christian on what to tell Roxane to win her love.

2.

(a).

This play impacts me positively and teaches me that I should always love myself, despite the flaws that I have, since failing to love yourself and accept yourself the way I am may deny me my desires and dreams.  Roxane fell in love with Christian’s soul’ and not his appearance, which implies that she loves Cyrano, and not Christian. Christian is depressed when Roxane expresses her feelings and how she loves his soul (“No One Else Uploaded It”).  Intellectually, I learn that I can use my talent and abilities to achieve whatever I want and for the greater good, just like Cyrano did. Through his intelligence and poetic nature, he has helped another person win love.

(b).

By watching the play, I can experience what I have not experienced before. I have not experienced having to let go of someone that I love because I do not trust myself, and where I feel like I am not enough. Cyrano deprives himself of the woman he loves, and we feel his pain throughout the play.

(c).

The play reinforced my feelings, thoughts, and beliefs towards various issues in life. I have always gone for what I wanted in life, and this play has taught me the same, that I should not allow my weaknesses to prevent me from achieving my goals.  Christian went for the woman he loved; even with his ineloquence, he explored all the possibilities that will help him win Roxane’s love, and he managed.

(d).

The play changed the way I already think, believe, and act. I have had esteem issues, and I always thought I was flawed and could not be loved. However, this play has changed my thinking, as I have realized that everything is all in mind. If I change how I feel about myself, I can get love and other things that I desire. Moreover, I have learned that I should study people well to avoid being duped and falling for lies. Roxane was duped by the two men, and she fell in love with a lie.

3a.

(i)

Kevin Kline acting as Cyrano de Bergerac was believable. With his appearance, he suits Cyrano’s description perfectly. He has a large nose which portrays the description given by Valvert. His intelligence and sense of humor are well displayed by how he makes fun of Valvert’s lack of creativity and eloquence. Kevin plays Cyrano’s character well and is believable enough.

As Roxanne, Jennifer Garner is also somehow believable. Roxanne is described as beautiful and intellectual, and Jennifer portrays these traits. She is a beauty and intelligent, from how she expresses herself. However, I feel like she exaggerates her acting, and she is too girlish for Roxanne’s character, and her speech borders on baby talk.

On the other hand, Daniel Sunjata, as Christian, also seems authentic, but to some extent, he lacks the features that we expect of Christian. He does well in terms of appearing dumb and tongue-tied; he looks believable. However, in terms of his appearance, he looks too contemporary and polished. There is a sharp contrast between him and Cyrano; it appears as if they are in different periods. He appears too neat and attractive for that period. Nevertheless, his nobility can be seen in his demeanor, and he is young enough to be believable. Chris Sarandon, playing the role of De Guiche, is also believable (Bourgeois 610).  He appears deceitful and gray. His demeanor shows that he is wicked, and he carries himself like the powerful man that de Guiche is supposed to be.

(ii).

Most of the actors speak loudly enough to be understood. The main characters are eloquent and can be heard and understood clearly. However, there are points where Kevin Kline does not speak intelligibly, and some words cannot be heard well, as expected of his character. On the other hand, Jennifer, as Roxanne, is very articulate in her speech, and not a single word can be misheard or misunderstood.

(iii).

The characters that I empathized with within the play were Christian and Cyrano.  Christian loves Roxanne deeply and tries hard to make her fall in love with him. However, before his death, he realizes that Roxanne did not love him, but his ‘soul,’ which was not his, but his friend’s, and he dies dejected. Likewise, Cyrano loves Roxanne, but he cannot pursue her directly due to his deformity that destroys his esteem (“No One Else Uploaded It”). Instead, he helps his friend win her, even though it kills him inside. I empathize with him because he has to sacrifice his love for Roxanne to make his friend happy.

Similarly, I empathize with Roxanne because she is in love with a lie, someone that does not exist. She loves an ideal man that Cyrano and Christian have created. Roxane is deceived by the man who claims to love her, and the one who truly loves her does not confess her love for her. Eventually, she loses them both.

(iv).

Some actors were believable, but some, including Jennifer Garner as Roxanne, just looked like they were acting since she did not behave naturally. Sunjata’s and Cyrano’s acting seem real and natural, and one would not realize they are not acting. Most of the other characters look like they are acting.

(b).

I think the production was harmonious and unified throughout the play and allowed the audience to live in a make-believe world. It flows from one point to another. The storyline can easily be understood, and one does not strain to understand and follow.  However, I find it boring; the declaration of love does not sound authentic and lack love intensity. I think the casting is average, except for Kline, who fits the role well. I find Garner and Sunjata too dull for the roles they are given. Garner babbles about and does not portray kindness and a soft-spoken nature that we expect of her. Sunjata appears too contemporary for the role, and he looks too polished for the setting. Kline seems to be the only one that carries his role well, and when he is away from the stage, the play gets boring.

(c).

Regarding the design elements, I feel like the scenery was a failure. The stage is cavernous, and there are oversized chandeliers and staircases that dim the appearance of the characters. Even though it seems noble, the intimacy of the love story is swallowed. It is not appealing romantically, and in my opinion, this is the major drawback of the play.

On the other hand, I think the costumes are great. They portray the dressing of period for which the play was set, which is the 17^th century, in France.  The dressing suits the mood, action, and setting. For example, in Act five, Roxanne’s and the nun’s costumes are black, foreshadowing Cyrano’s death.

The lights are also not bad and vary from one scene to another. They depict different times and situations. For example, in Act 1, the theater is colorful and lively. When Christian and Roxanne are getting married, the lights are dimmed to allow Cyrano to distract De Guiche. Therefore, the lighting is great and suits the different settings and actions.

The sound is also clear and helps one follow the play without disruption. Throughout the play, the characters are clear, and the sound is generally impressive and lacks any kind of disruption. However, it does not seem real that Roxanne cannot hear Cyrano whisper to Christian the words he is supposed to tell her.  He sounds too loud for Roxane not to hear.

Works Cited

Bourgeois, Jean. “Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand: the theater within the theater.” Journal of Literary History of France 108.3 (2008): 607-620.

“Cyrano De Bergerac”. No One Else Uploaded It. Youtube , uploaded by No One Else Uploade It, 22 Dec. 2020,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKAIy2Mt9DI&t=4335s

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