Cyrano (A comedy of love)

Edmond Rostand

Gesher Theatre Company, Tel-Aviv – Jaffa, Izrael

Director: Rimas Tuminas

Hebrew with Hungarian and English subtitles

2 hours 30 minutes with 1 breaks.

Cyrano has everything for a happy life: a sharp mind, a brilliant military career and a big heart. So why does he feel unworthy of Roxane's love? Perhaps because his nose is as big as his heart? Cyrano lends his eloquence to Christian, a handsome young soldier who lacks the poetic language of love, helping him win Roxane’s heart with the beautiful letters he writes. But how long can this complicated charade last?

The unforgettable love story of Cyrano de Bergerac cemented the 19th century French playwright Edmond Rostand’s reputation as one of the greatest dramatists in world literature. In this production, director Rimas Tuminas presents a multilayered drama exploring freedom, love, death, social conflict and war. Cyrano’s ideals and his unyielding courage are deeply rooted in the turbulent times of the 17th-century Franco-Spanish War. Cyrano himself takes part in the siege of Spanish fortresses, showcasing his bravery, his devotion to France and his passion for freedom—qualities that define both his character and his life’s philosophy. Through the dilemmas raised in the performance, the director invites an urgent dialogue on timeless and deeply human concerns: the inevitability of death, the tensions between inner and outer conflicts, our ideals of freedom, our willingness to compromise, the strength of love and compassion, and the upheavals caused by war, disrupting and reshaping these values.

Selection of reviews

"I thank Gesher Theatre for the opportunity to rise above reality. Even if just for a couple of hours." Alla Borisova

"Cyrano is very multifaceted; he both changes and remains unchanged. He is simply wonderful, this great man - beautiful, intelligent, talented, and destined to fight enemies, only to receive love as a reward at the very threshold of death." Alexander Mikhaylov

SZEREPOSZTÁS

Cyrano - Shlomi Bertonov

Roxán - Yuval Sharf

Christian – Avi Azulay

Le Bret – Ori Yaniv

Guiche gróf – Sasha Demidov

Ragueneau – Alex Senderovich

Liza – Lilian Ruth

Dada – Svetlana Demidova

Charlie Chaplin – Nir Knaan

Eifel – Yval Yanai

Pásztorlány – Anna Grinfeld

Költő – Shir Sayag

Katona – Eli Menashe

Muskétás – Nikita Goldman

Set designer: Adomas Yatsovskis
Costume designer: Yudith Aharon
Composer: Gedurus Puskuniges
Author: Edmond Rostand

Sound design: Michael Vaiburd
Lighting design: Aleksander Sikirin
Playwright: Katya Sassonski
Assistant director: Dasha Shamina

Director

Rimas Tuminas

Main Stage

Rimas Tuminas

(1952 - 2024)

Rimas Tuminas is a Lithuanian director and one of the most prominent and influential figures in contemporary Lithuanian and Russian theatre life. He was born in Lithuania in 1952. In 1970-1974, he pursued studies at the Conservatory of Lithuania. In 1978, he graduated from the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts (today the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts) with a degree in directing. In 1979-1990, he was the director of the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (which in 1998 became the Lithuanian National Theatre), and in 1994-1999 he served as its main director. In 1990, he founded the Little Theatre of Vilnius (Valstybinis Vilniaus Mažasis teatras), of which he serves as the artistic director today. He has directed numerous productions. In 1979, he accepted a position as an instructor in the faculty of acting and directing at the Conservatory of Lithuania (today the Lithuanian Music Academy), where he was made associate professor in 1998. In 2007, he became artistic director of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. Under his direction, the theatre gathered considerable momentum, and it emerged as one of the most prominent cultural institutions in theatre life in Russia. In 2012, Tuminas founded the First Studio of the Vakhtangov Theatre, where he provides instruction for talented young directors.
Rimas Tuminas is directing his ‘signature’ performances, in a manner of a total-theatre mix of words, music, mime and symbolism. He has also directed operas in the Bolshoi Theatre. Major performances staged by Maestro at the Vakhtangov Theatre are ‘Uncle Vanya’ by Anton Chekhov, ‘Masquerade’ by Mikhail Lermontov, ‘Wind in the Poplars’ by Gerald Sibleyras, ‘The Haven’ (based on different authors), ‘Eugene Onegin’ by Alexander Pushkin, ‘Smile upon us, Lord’ by Grigory Kanovich, ‘Minetti’ by Thomas Bernhard, ‘Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles. Rimas Tuminas opens the world for the Vakhtangov Theatre sending the best performances on tour to Europe, America and Asia, and opens doors of the Theatre for talented directors and actors – both Russian and foreign.
Tuminas has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Prize of Lithuania, the State Prize of the Russian Federation, the Golden Mask Award, the International Stanislavsky Theatre Award, the Crystal Turandot Award, and the Seagull Award.

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