We hope you enjoy this selection of photos, reviews and other memorabilia from our show archive. If you want more information about any of our past shows, please feel free to get in touch.
Review
by Jenni Balow
This is a heartbreaking story of man "with a nose that knows no bounds" who wishes that love really was blind in the case of his cousin Roxanne, whose heart he can only hope to win with his poetry.
It is a sad comedy, because Cyrano is otherwise undaunted by the ridiculous shape of a nose, that in this production is shaped like a long, upward-tilted pink twig, "a perch for sparrows".
He is a much-loved member of the Gascony Cadets, a group of loyal friends who are entertained by his sharp wit, his bravery in battle, and his warm charm - here is a man who has everything, but knows that his nose is a turn-off where Roxanne is concerned.
She has fallen for a handsome but tongue-tied cavalier named Christian, so Cyrano's only way of speaking to her from his heart, is to dictate poetic letters to her on behalf of his inarticulate friend.
The Highgate based Theatre In The Square has been bringing productions to the Minack for nearly half a century, and first-time director and designer John Savage, knows and uses the stage and its spaces very well.
But on the opening night, the voices of the nuns in a convent garden were lost against the competing sound of a heavy swell, and we struggled to hear some of the actors, which was a shame, because this modern adaptation is so good.
Joe Ellison as Cyrano was spirited with his men, and sensitive while watching and speaking with a touching devotion to Roxanne (Lara Lipscombe-Southwell), who had bouncy blond ringlets.
His fellow cadets and counterparts, including Matthew Pert as Christian, along with Adam Baxter, Pete Franklyn, Graham Sawtell, Stephen Forster, Colin Joseph, Peter Kenyon and Guy Muneesamy, provided solid back-up.
The women in the cast added to the cadet volume, resplendent in scarlet and black uniforms designed by Jane Jones, lustily singing the Gascony anthem, We'll Never Stand Alone, with a lively soundtrack composed, produced and recorded by Ian Blake, and sword training by Tom Jordan.
A neatly designed programme credits Kelly Harrington for "nasal support" so presumably she was responsible for Cyrano's stand-out nose!
