Virgia Gay on the challenge of queerg Cyrano: ‘I don’t want a tragedy right now’ | Theatre | The Guardian

Contents:

• CYRANO REVIEW – VIRGIA GAY SH THIS BOLD, QUEER REIMAGG
• VIRGIA GAY GRATEFUL FOR PATHS THAT LED TO SAVAGE RIVER
• HELLISH: COVID-19 AND A BROKEN HEART FUEL VIRGIA GAY’S NEW-LOOK CYRANO
• 9 QUTNS WH 9ENTERTAMENT: WHY VIRGIA GAY WILL NEVER WATCH THE SHOWS SHE STARS
• VIRGIA GAY: WHAT AWARD-WNG ACTOR IS WATCHG ON TV THIS WEEK
• VIRGIA GAY
• VIRGIA GAY: I HAVE NO TERT GETTG MARRIED UNTIL WE HAVE MARRIAGE EQUALY
• VIRGIA GAY ON THE CHALLENGE OF QUEERG CYRANO: ‘I DON’T WANT A TRAGEDY RIGHT NOW’

CYRANO REVIEW – VIRGIA GAY SH THIS BOLD, QUEER REIMAGG

Melbourne Theatre Company’s queered versn of this classic, wrten by and starrg the charismatic Virgia Gay (Calamy Jane), was set to premiere 2021, but was scuppered by a snap lockdown announced jt three hours before openg night.

This eratn of Cyrano is built brick by brick real time by a Greek chos of unnamed supportg characters (Holly At, Milo Hartill and Rob Goldsworthy), who assist Gay’s Cyrano cidg how she wants to realise her own versn of events. Gay’s genr-flipped remake clus no such physil tra, but ’s a strange cisn to keep referenc to – one monologue has her riffg madly on big nose jok.

VIRGIA GAY GRATEFUL FOR PATHS THAT LED TO SAVAGE RIVER

The play remas a edy of errors but, aga wh Gay’s ntemporary polics, more agency is given to the characters that were tradnally ed as props.

But due to the fluctuatns language and non-era-specific stumg (cludg athleisurewear and roller skat for Roxanne’s grand entrance), n be nfg knowg exactly when this play is supposed to be set – has a morn spir, but seems to go back and forth Jabbour as Yan and Gay as Cyrano.

HELLISH: COVID-19 AND A BROKEN HEART FUEL VIRGIA GAY’S NEW-LOOK CYRANO

This bizarre choice is probably the productn’s biggt misstep, but do build some rapport wh the past newsletter promotnafter newsletter promotnGay’s Cyrano is more rom than tragedy, buildg up to a sequence which the protagonist vis her way to apologise, and then get the girl. She’s played nurs, bswomen and even tck drivers, but ABC’s new whodunn seri, Virgia Gay unrtak her first role as a tective. Her body of work, particularly two long-nng Seven dramas All Sats and Wners & Losers, has helped brg Gay to reap the rewards of rol Savage River, Ne’s After the Verdict and an upg SBS project, Safe Home (screeng 2023).

Gay had three years on All Sats and five on Wners & Losers. The 6 part seri created by Belda Bradley, Franz Docherty and Giula Sandler featur a formidable ensemble cludg Jacquele McKenzie, Cooper Van Grootel, Nade Garner, Daniel Henshall, Jam Mackay, Mark Col Smh, Osamah Sami, Bernard Curry and Robert Gbb as the weary town p wh whom Gay’s character was once a.

9 QUTNS WH 9ENTERTAMENT: WHY VIRGIA GAY WILL NEVER WATCH THE SHOWS SHE STARS

Gay is highly plimentary of her -stars, cludg Langford, the Atralian who featured Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why.

She jt me so prepared every sgle day, ready to lead by jt knowg what she was dog, askg smart qutns, ” Gay rells.

VIRGIA GAY: WHAT AWARD-WNG ACTOR IS WATCHG ON TV THIS WEEK

When everythg went south, Virgia Gay had already been Los Angel for a few years, tryg out managers, gog to stgs, dog those rounds.

” Gay says. ” Her only pann was her iend’s shih tzu terrier, Gidget, who Gay says serv a -wrg cred on the new MTC productn of Cyrano.

VIRGIA GAY

Virgia Gay and Tuuli Narkle play Cyrano and Roxanne the MTC’s productn of Gay’s genr-flipped take on the legendary Chris HopksBee was this scene of utter disnnectn that gave seed to Gay’s visn for a new take on Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play, Cyrano Bergerac – about a tragic hero who nobly lends his poetic talent to help a iend w over their mutual love ’s Cyrano – whom she has genr-flipped to a gay woman – don’t have the enormo nose that blights the nfince of the origal protagonist. ”Virgia Gay durg rehearsals for Charlie KrossBack then, Gay ma herself the butt of her jok. “The thgs that are takg up my md right now is how we metabolise trma, ” Gay says.

”Gay, who’s 39 now, says her 30s have been glor but revisg her old self-beliefs, through the mouths of other actors, has been unfortable.

VIRGIA GAY: I HAVE NO TERT GETTG MARRIED UNTIL WE HAVE MARRIAGE EQUALY

”Virgia Gay her much-loved take on Calamy John McRaeWhen we meet, the six-strong st is nng through the mil numbers, wrten by Gay and mil director Xani Kolac.

Gay’s Cyrano has a happy endg and is a “joy bomb”, much the manner of her last major Atralian outg 2018, as the tular Calamy out of 112 days of lockdown last year, the entire script sound like a love letter to life, says Tuuli Narkle, who plays Cyrano’s love tert, Roxanne. ”The problem that Gay had when nsirg genr-flippg Cyrano was that the send half of the origal play, “everyone go off to war – bee they’re French – and Roxanne be eher a nun or a whore”. Virgia GayIt was important to Gay that Roxanne be played by a woman of lour orr to nont Cyrano’s self-absorptn his own tragedy, and that Roxanne would nstantly challenge Cyrano’s ethics.

“When society chang, those rol have to shift to accurately engage wh that change, ” says Gay. Gay’s Cyrano is self-aware theatre, wh the characters queryg each other’s motiv. Dpe rehearsals now swchg to Zoom, Gay is nfint that the fished productn will provi the sense of nnectn that others have been cravg as much as her.

VIRGIA GAY ON THE CHALLENGE OF QUEERG CYRANO: ‘I DON’T WANT A TRAGEDY RIGHT NOW’

Loadg“One of the thgs I’ve been thkg about is the move away om isolatn – which kept safe, but kept lonely – to the ms of livg aga, ” Gay says.

It follows four everyday people as they go beyond the ll of jury duty to tch a the latt episos of After the Verdict on get you exced for the premiere tonight, we sat down wh Virgia Gay, who plays a lead role the show. Virgia Gay stars the brand new seri, After the Verdict.