Celebrating its 10th anniversary, "The Ballads for Roxanne," a Korean adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s "Cyrano de Bergerac," is being staged at the National Theater Company of Korea’s Myeongdong Theater through this Sunday.
Directed by Seo Chung-sik, the production breathes new life into the beloved classic -- this time, through the eyes of Roxanne, the woman at the center of Cyrano’s affections and the pursuit of many male characters.
While the original play is famed for its swashbuckling poet Cyrano and his poetic subterfuge to help the handsome but tongue-tied Christian woo Roxanne, this adaptation casts the spotlight squarely on Roxanne as an independent, autonomous character.
Set against a live musical ensemble of violin, cello and piano, the actors roam the stage, brimming with the emotional depth of this poetic reimagining of a classic love triangle.
The plot remains familiar: Cyrano, the eloquent swordsman with a famously large nose, harbors unspoken love for Roxanne. When she confesses her feelings for the handsome new recruit Christian, Cyrano agrees to help -- hiding his own feelings and penning heartfelt letters to Roxanne on Christian’s behalf.
Believing the words to be Christian’s, Roxanne falls deeper in love. When war breaks out, De Guiche, a powerful nobleman also vying for Roxanne’s affections, sends both Cyrano and Christian to the front lines. Cyrano, ever the romantic, promises Roxanne to protect Christian with his life.
Playwright Kim Tae-hyung, who adapted the script, recalled the challenges and revelations of centering Roxanne.
“From a writer’s perspective, the protagonist is someone who actively makes choices. Roxanne was already making choices.”
By streamlining the expansive narrative of Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac," and reducing the cast to four central characters -- Roxanne, Cyrano, Christian and De Guiche -- the adaptation sharpens its focus on the various facets of love, as refracted through social expectations around beauty, wealth and power.
And it unfolds as a coming-of-age story for each character.
At pivotal moments, each makes unexpected choices, all in the name of love. As Roxanne says, “We’re most courageous when we are in love.”
Kim said, “I wanted to tell a story about love that doesn’t feel cliche -- something young people could watch and see themselves in.”
Kim likened the four characters to the seasons.
“Roxanne is spring, Christian is summer, Cyrano is autumn and De Guiche is winter,” he explained. “Just as the seasons cycle and influence one another, these four individuals grow and evolve through their interactions. I think that’s the message this work ultimately wants to deliver -- that love is shaped by our encounters and our choices.”
English subtitles are available at Thursday and Sunday performances.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
