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

Contents:

• CYRANO REVIEW – VIRGIA GAY’S MT-SEE BOUNDARY PHG CELEBRATN OF LOVE
• VIRGIA GAY ON THE CHALLENGE OF QUEERG CYRANO: ‘I DON’T WANT A TRAGEDY RIGHT NOW’
• VIRGIA GAY SHAR WHY SHE FELT PELLED TO MAKE ‘CYRANO’
• CYRANO REVIEW – VIRGIA GAY SH THIS BOLD, QUEER REIMAGG

CYRANO REVIEW – VIRGIA GAY’S MT-SEE BOUNDARY PHG CELEBRATN OF LOVE

Virgia Gay livers a joyful, genr-flipped retellg of Cyrano Bergerac.

Script velopment of Cyrano by Virgia Gay (after Edmond Rostand) has been assisted by the Atralian Government through the Atralia Council for the Arts, Sydney Ftival and the NSW Government through Create NSW and the Cy of Melbourne COVID-19 Arts Grants. Virgia Gay. Zsuzsa Gaynor Mihaly.

The purpose and power of words is explored to pch perfect edic effect Cyrano, Virgia Gay’s genr-flipped reimagg of the story of Cyrano Bergerac.

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

Virgia Gay and director Sarah Goos know that we know the narrative of Cyrano well enough to shake up a b and do so by havg Cyrano open wh the act of fiantly smashg down the fourth wall and pullg the dience pletely to the narrative of the story.

The divi between major characters, Cyrano (Gay), be-to-be Roxanne (Tuuli Narkle), hunk-whout-a-bra Yan (Joel Jackson), and seasoned chos members, 1 (Zenya Carmellotti) and 2 (Rob Goldsworthy), and the excedly anx 3 (Holly At), is clearly fed, yet by the rapturo sparkly close the fi the tragedy of the origal text, that divisn is disrd the name of joy and posivy.

VIRGIA GAY SHAR WHY SHE FELT PELLED TO MAKE ‘CYRANO’

In this way, Gay’s script dismantl the notn we see so equently ment sectns onle where people react to cricisms about cel edic jok wh foolish remarks like, ‘learn how to take a joke’ or lamentg about the lack of meang edic acts om the past wh notns that ‘everythg is so PC nowadays’.

Buildg om the foundatn of explorg physil inty, Gay’s script then manovr to explorg sexual inty. At s re, Cyrano is a love story, and Gay’s script giv fertile ground for one of the year’s most lightful and lirly joyo love stori to play out.

Gay’s script ially leans to the trop and stereotyp of the figur, wh both Joel Jackson and Tuuli Narkle amplifyg and playg up the dzy Pilbara God angle and the ethereal bety stance rpectively, but as we wns how Roxanne crav Yan’s physily and sways motn wh Cyrano’s md, we also get to learn how Yan se the world and is challenged by the brilliant mds around him.

CYRANO REVIEW – VIRGIA GAY SH THIS BOLD, QUEER REIMAGG

(L-R) Joel Jackson, Tuuli Narkle, Rob Goldsworthy, Holly At, Zenya Carmellotti, Virgia Gay,. While on paper, they are playg Cyrano, Yan, 3, or Roxanne, the meta-qualy of Gay’s script means that they are also workg agast the origal text. This is, ultimately, a play that refut the need for tragedy, nounc the ‘kill your gays’ trope, and choos love over spair, choos hope over harrowg heartbreak.

In an terview wh The Guardian, Gay explas her cisn behd makg a play that throws away the notn that ‘queer love is impossible’ by sayg, “I won’t be a part of a story that says, ‘kill your gays’. Cast: Virgia Gay, Tuuli Narkle, Joel Jackson, Holly At, Zenya Carmellotti, Rob Goldsworthy.

Wrer: Virgia Gay. It’s also somethg Virgia Gay has spas, an actor who shot to natnal fame televisn shows such as All Sats and Wners & Losers, but whose pth of talent is bt experienced live on stage. “When you do whout a nose, ” Gay explas, “ be abundantly clear that this is the most tertg person on stage, but they have cid that, for some reason, they are not worthy of love” urse, when you st a woman the role, that “some reason” tak on a distctly queer ronance.