There’s an old saying that “the play’s the thing,” and that saying is true regardless of the environment that it is performed in, and the subject matter. Nothing speaks volumes to that more than the plays and verses of William Shakespeare.
One of the upcoming events at Winthrop University is Shakespeare Carolina’s performance at the Winthrop Amphitheater near the DiGiorgio Student Center. The company will perform Cryano, which is an adaptation based off of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. The performance will run from Aug. 29 to 31 with additional performances from Sept. 5 to 7. Director and member of Shakespeare Carolina Chris O’Neill chose this story for its subject matter, and is eager to see how audiences will enjoy the production.
“We chose the play because it’s funny, and we’ve chosen an adaptation that the audience would find entertaining and humorous,” said O’Neill.
Cyrano centers around a talented swordsman and poet named Cyrano, who thinks that his gigantic nose would hinder any romance with the beautiful Roxanne. He forms an alliance with a tongue-tied cadet to communicate to and eventually compete for Roxanne’s affection.
“In the situations of the play, Cyrano is kind of using Christian as a proxy to express his feelings toward Roxanne,” said O’Neill.
The play has been adapted numerous times throughout multiple media such as the 1945 film “Love Letters,” the 2012 Disney Channel original movie “Let It Shine,” as well as an opera conducted in French that is performed to this day and has multiple DVD recordings. The selection of this play shows how timeless works can be, and the thrills it has in store for audience members.
“I think that emotions haven’t changed much in two or three hundred years, it’s a physical comedy with sword fighting and we’re doing it a comedic clown like way,” says O’Neill.
With a cast of five in multiple roles and an open theater environment, audience members from on campus and around Rock Hill will find the play to be expressive and entertaining as the open theater can help impact one’s viewing experience.
“If you’ve never experienced a play at an amphitheater, it certainly beats being in a stuffy theater.”
Tickets for Cyrano are available on Shakespeare Carolina’s website through Brown Paper Tickets or upfront at the Winthrop Amphitheater. General Admission Tickets are $5 while tickets for Students are $2.
